City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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Back in August, Ed Croswell made a decision that had the potential to change his entire basketball career.

The 6-foot-6 then-rising junior at Math, Civics and Sciences had come to the conclusion that his best opportunity to thrive would be on 17th & Girard, as a member of Speedy Morris’ St. Joe’s Prep team.

Among many other reasons, the opportunity to play under a former Division I coach – Morris spent over fifteen years as the head coach at La Salle – was too much for the young forward to pass up.

It also didn’t hurt that he’d have the kind of resources at his finger tips that can further his development exponentially.

“It was basically an educational decision and a basketball decision,” Croswell said. “It was also because we didn’t have a gym at MCS, and my mom was like, ‘you’ve got to be in the gym all the time.’ So I came here, we’ve got a gym, and I’ve got the resources to get better and put reps in.”

“It’s been good, I like the environment,” he said.

Thursday afternoon at Widener University’s Scholastic Play-by-Play Pete and Jameer Nelson Classic, Croswell proved what he’s capable of and the kind of growth he’s experienced under his new coaches – two of which have Division I experience – as he tallied a team-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in the Hawks’ 56-45 win over Bishop Shanahan.

“He was very good,” Morris said of the junior’s performance. “He hurt himself in practice yesterday and we didn’t think he was going to play, so it’s a special, special treat to see the way he played, he played great.”

Croswell, who was given the Hawks’ MVP award following the game by those running the event, was criticial in helping his team open up a comfortable lead in the second half. His jam off a feed from Darius Kinnel closed the thrid quarter, with his team up 43-29, their biggest lead to that point.

Being the biggest player on the floor at 6-foot-6, he did a great job of using his size advantage to make such key plays for the Hawks.

“Just playing physical, making sure I box out my opponents and being hungry for the ball,” said Croswell, who holds an offer from Nicholls State. “Being the pest on the defense end, and the offense will come easily when I play hard on defense.”

Croswell also played a solid first half, but it was Kyle Thompson who made key plays to help the Hawks overcome an early 9-2 deficit. His 15 points – all on three-pointers – and 10 boards were key for The Prep, as two of his triples helped open up the game’s first double-digit lead, 34-24, early in the third quarter.

“Any time you get production like that it’s big, it picks everybody up, makes everybody better,” Morris said. “We shot well for the second half, he did a job. It’s good to see that.”

For Croswell, while working with one of the city’s best coaches in Morris has been a big part of his recent development, it’s been another former D-I coach who has honed in on him and begun pushing him toward his full potential.

St. Joe’s assistant coach Randy Monroe, who was an assistant at La Salle, Vanderbilt and UMBC before spending eight years as the UMBC head coach, has built a specific relationship with Croswell, and has been a key to his development

“Coach Randy, me and him, we’ve been working all summer,” Croswell said. “To this point, we’ve been working on me getting my body together and me just becoming a better basketball player and doing the mental things.”

According to Monroe, the relationship the two have built over the last several months has all included the theme of “tough love” from coach to player.

“I’m a little bit of everything,” he said. “I’m a good guy at times, I’m the bad guy at times. I guess you say tough love is in effect, I think you have to have that and do that in order to help a youngster reach his full potential. I’m truthful with him, and I think you have to be truthful with young people if you want them to be able to achieve the ultimate.”

“I like working with coach Randy,” Croswell added. “He’s been a good mentor to me.”

Monroe spoke very highly of Croswell both on and off the court, and certainly sees his potential to become a major contributor day-in and day-out for the Hawks.

“He certainly has done a real good job of learning, taking in the things he’s been taught,” Monroe said. “I think he’s a good team player, and he’s still learning the game of basketball, he’s very young in the game. He’s probably without a doubt one of the best rebounders in the city. His ceiling is very high.”

And although their relationship may be one of tough love, words of encouragement like the ones he gave Croswell after his MVP performance certainly go a long way.

“He’s a terrific young man, he comes from a very outstanding family,” Monroe said. “Hopefully he can continue to grow and develop throughout the season moves along.”