Top 50 senior Carson Crawford has committed to Arizona State, he told ESPN on Wednesday, giving Randy Bennett his first ranked high school recruit since taking over in Tempe this offseason.
Crawford also becomes the highest-ranked recruit since at least 2007 to commit to Bennett, who moved to Arizona State in the spring after 25 years at Saint Mary's.
"I knew of Coach Bennett because of his success at Saint Mary's," Crawford told ESPN. "He is excellent at player development. All of his staff at ASU have either played for him or coached with him at Saint Mary's. I really like that."
Crawford also had Florida State, Ole Miss, Providence and Syracuse on his final list of five. But he took an official visit to Arizona State this past weekend, which helped win over the 6-foot-7 forward.
"Coach Bennett really knows the game," he said. "He builds strong relationships with his players both on and off the court. I know I can call him about anything. He is a straightforward person, and I understand that nothing is guaranteed. He expects me to play a big role next season."
Ranked No. 46 in the SC Next 100 for the class of 2027, Crawford is the No. 10 power forward in the class. He helped lead the Florida Rebels to the Peach Jam title on the Nike EYBL circuit, averaging 7.9 points and 8.1 rebounds at the prestigious July tournament, shooting 68% inside the arc. In 12 regular-season games, Crawford averaged 9.0 points and 7.6 rebounds, ranking in the top 12 in the latter category, according to Cerebro Sports.
Crawford's size and 7-foot wingspan help in two of his biggest areas of strength: defense and rebounding. He shows excellent defensive versatility by being able to defend multiple positions, from point guard to power forward, and he is highly switchable on ball-screens. Offensively, Crawford has strong self-awareness and scores in transition, off cuts and on offensive putbacks, mixing in drives and jumpers. His hard cutting spaces the floor, and he has an improving 3-point shot.
"Their plan for me is to develop my game on the offensive end, while defending and rebounding, to earn significant minutes," Crawford said, "and help them put ASU back on the map at a high level."
Crawford is Arizona State's first commitment in the 2027 class.
