Joe Crawford

From Hoopedia

Joseph Reshard Crawford II (born June 17, 1986 in Detroit, Michigan) is a shooting guard for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team.

High School and Recruitment

Crawford attended Renaissance High School in Detroit, where he led his team to a perfect 27-0 record and a state title. He was named a McDonald's All-American in 2004. Crawford originally committed to play for the University of Michigan, but reopened his recruitment and chose to attend the University of Kentucky as part of a freshman class that also featured All-Americans Rajon Rondo and Randolph Morris.

College

Seeing minimal playing time behind Western Kentucky University transfer Patrick Sparks and fellow freshman Ramel Bradley, Crawford asked to be released from his scholarship mid-way through his freshman year. After meeting with Wildcat coach Tubby Smith, however, Crawford did an about-face and returned to the team.

Crawford became a bigger part of the team's rotation in his sophomore season, averaging 10.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

During his junior year Crawford continued to improve. He started 32 of 34 games and averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He was the leading scorer in 8 games and set a new career high in an overtime loss against Georgia with 29 points.