INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Observe simply wrapped up at Morningside Excessive College on a January night time, and the vibes across the gymnasium are excessive. It has been a couple of days since Jason Crowe Jr. performed within the Hoophall Traditional, referred to as one of many premier showcases in highschool basketball. The occasion in Springfield, Mass., is stuffed with non-public and prep faculty groups, which Inglewood Excessive College — the varsity Crowe attends and the neighborhood he is aware of finest — will not be.
It is symbolic, in a method, of why Crowe is taken into account an anomaly within the trendy highschool basketball panorama. He’s the one participant ranked inside the highest 10 of 247Sports’ rankings of the 2026 recruiting class who has performed his total highschool profession at public faculties.
It is throughout this showcase, on the whole different facet of the nation, that many in attendance are watching the longer term Missouri Tiger and essentially the most prolific scorer in highschool basketball for the primary time. The followers in attendance definitely received their cash’s value after Crowe set an occasion file by dropping 48 factors in a win over Notre Dame-West Haven, a prep faculty in Connecticut.
For many prep basketball gamers, that may have been a historic outing. However for Crowe, it is simply one other night time.
“He is the perfect highschool scorer since most likely Chris Jackson (now referred to as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf),” Missouri coach Dennis Gates instructed CBS Sports activities over the cellphone in late January. “From a scoring standpoint. That is one thing that hasn’t been performed. And the way he is capable of do it, he isn’t overpowering guys. … Plenty of children cannot do what Jason Crowe Jr. is doing in three video games, not to mention in a single.”
Crowe has averaged at the least 35 factors per sport in all 4 of his highschool seasons, together with a jaw-dropping 43.8 factors per sport this yr. He started his prep profession at Lynwood Excessive College, positioned outdoors of Los Angeles, earlier than transferring to Inglewood forward of his junior yr. The latter is a spot with deep which means to his household. His father, Jason Crowe Sr., who can also be his highschool coach at Inglewood, performed basketball on the faculty within the Nineties. His grandfather, Kenneth Crowe, was a principal at Inglewood within the Nineties.
As an alternative of following the pattern of many who got here earlier than him and plenty of which are certain to come back after him by going the prep/non-public route for highschool, Crowe remained loyal to his hometown. When Crowe exits highschool basketball for good, he’ll go away with a snug cushion on the California scoring file that others could have a tough time passing.
Crowe broke the earlier file (3,569 factors) that was set by present Baylor ahead Tounde Yessoufou final yr. He has 4,600 factors and counting in his prep profession.
“My entire life I have been doing the untraditional route,” Jason Crowe Jr. instructed CBS Sports activities in January inside the burden room at Morningside Excessive College. “Taking part in with a more moderen AAU workforce, going to Lynwood (Excessive College) my freshman and sophomore years, after which going to Inglewood and staying at a public faculty when everybody (else goes the) prep route. Doing the untraditional route is what I am accustomed to. It is what I am used to.”
Even when that is what Crowe had been accustomed to, it might’ve been straightforward for him to leap ship beneath the present circumstances. Inglewood Excessive College is at present beneath development, which implies Crowe and his classmates are briefly enrolled at Morningside, a faculty that was constructed within the early Fifties. Morningside closed down on the finish of the final faculty yr as a result of declining enrollment. Inglewood Excessive College is anticipated to reopen someday in late 2027 or early 2028.
It is one of many explanation why the household was aligned on staying of their neighborhood. The youthful Crowe is a recognizable face on the town due to his expertise and his ties to the neighborhood. Inglewood is extraordinarily tight-knit. That is why so many individuals return — or by no means go away within the first place.
“The distinction between Inglewood and Los Angeles is that we really know our mayor,” Jason Crowe Sr. stated. “And we will get in touch with him. It is a actual small neighborhood. So, once you symbolize a neighborhood like this, there may be a lot pleasure being from right here and representing from right here.”
Getty Photos
Along with his historical past, it should not be shocking that Crowe did not chase a blue blood for his school selection. Crowe is essentially the most highly-regarded recruit that Missouri has had in virtually a decade. Ranked the No. 5 general participant within the 2026 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, Crowe dedicated to the Tigers final summer time regardless of curiosity from applications resembling Kentucky, Arkansas, USC and Washington.
Crowe’s reference to a basketball Corridor of Famer
When Jason Sr. performed at Inglewood, he crossed paths with a really acquainted face for basketball junkies: Paul Pierce. Crowe and Pierce aren’t simply former classmates. They continue to be superb mates to this present day.
When Pierce was enshrined within the Naismith Memorial Corridor of Fame in 2021 — the identical place the place Crowe dropped 48 factors final month — his household was there for the second. Throughout Pierce’s HOF speech, he gave Crowe Sr. a shoutout whereas reflecting on their highschool days.
“J Crowe, my finest good friend,” Paul stated throughout his induction speech in 2021. “You are my finest good friend … You were not extremely recruited, however I feel we actually pushed one another. We did not have trainers like we have now immediately. We’d push one another, six within the morning.”
After highschool, Pierce performed at Kansas for Roy Williams earlier than a 19-year NBA profession with the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers. As for the elder Crowe, he competed at L.A. Commerce-Tech, American, and Cal State Northridge earlier than enjoying for a decade abroad.
Getty Photos
The bond Crowe Sr. and Pierce shared from their enjoying days led on to the previous 10-time NBA All-Star watching over his son’s basketball journey. Pierce, Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo — Pierce’s former teammates with the Boston Celtics — confirmed as much as help Crowe Jr. in the course of the first sport of his senior season.
The youthful Crowe dropped 43 factors in entrance of basketball royalty that night time.
“That is at all times nice as a father or mother when you may have a Corridor of Fame man that is there giving recommendation,” Jason Sr. stated. “I do not at all times need to be the man. I can let Paul do it. Paul goes to be encouraging. However he will be trustworthy. It is helped him tremendously to have Paul in his nook.”
How did Crowe find yourself at Missouri?
When Crowe was attempting to make the soar from enjoying abroad to the NBA within the early 2000s, he crossed paths with a younger Dennis Gates. On the time, Gates was a lower-level staffer with the Los Angeles Clippers whereas Crowe was attempting to land on an NBA roster.
Earlier than Gates turned the coach at Missouri in 2022, he grinded his method via the faculty ranks as an assistant at stops resembling Florida State, Nevada, Cal and Northern Illinois earlier than getting his first shot as a head coach in 2019 at Cleveland State. Gates guided Missouri to the NCAA Event in his first season with this system.
The Tigers are on monitor to succeed in the NCAA Event this yr for the third time in 4 years, however the expectations will turn out to be sky-high beginning subsequent season. The Tigers have the No. 7 recruiting class within the 247Sports workforce rankings, headlined by Crowe. Missouri additionally landed four-star recruits Toni Bryant (ranked No. 27) and Aidan Chronister (ranked No. 72). Crowe and Bryant have been each chosen to the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Sport.
What made Crowe’s pledge to Missouri so necessary was the timing. Crowe was one of many first blue-chip gamers in his class to make his school dedication, which allowed Missouri to keep away from a recruiting battle for his companies.
“Dennis Gates and his workers actually personalised the recruitment of Crowe,” 247Sports Director of Basketball Eric Bossi stated. “They put the vast majority of their focus, as a workers, into him and into constructing a relationship with him and those that mattered essentially the most to him. It is one factor to inform a child that he is your man, however they actually confirmed it to him by fully locking in on Crowe and giving him almost all of their concentrate on the recruiting path till they received it performed.”
Gates has been a part of many high-profile recruiting battles, so touchdown somebody like Crowe was a private win years within the making. One recruiting battle of observe Gates misplaced was for former No. 1 general decide Andrew Wiggins, who dedicated to Kansas over Florida State when he was an assistant coach in Tallahassee.
It is protected to say Crowe is the largest highschool identify he is landed since changing into a head coach.
“As an assistant, I purposely recruited high 5 guys,” Gates stated. “I wished to try this in preparation, so even when I failed as an assistant, I might nonetheless have the boldness to do it. I used to be capable of signal some. … Completely different alternatives to recruit children undoubtedly (gave) me the boldness to do it.”
The Tigers have had six high 10 picks in program historical past, and Crowe might very nicely be subsequent. The final time this system had a participant picked within the high 10 was in the course of the 2000 NBA Draft, when Keyon Dooling was chosen No. 10 general. In fact, this system’s final lottery decide was Porter in 2018.
Why Crowe could turn out to be a polarizing prospect for NBA scouts
The 2026 NBA Draft is anticipated to be top-of-the-line — and deepest — courses in years. There’s a clear-cut “Massive Three” with Duke‘s Cameron Boozer, BYU‘s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. Nevertheless, the 2027 draft class is stuffed with uncertainty — notably close to the highest. It does not have a clear-cut No. 1 man but, which can make the race for that distinction a serious storyline for the 2026-27 school season.
In the long run, there are questions on how Crowe’s sport may translate to the faculty degree and particularly the NBA, based on CBS Director of Basketball Scouting Adam Finkelstein. Nonetheless, what Crowe can present as a quantity scorer makes him assured that he will probably be a extremely impactful school participant.
“He is a troublesome shot taker and maker,” Finkelstein added. “He performs with an unimaginable excessive quantity — his Dad’s his highschool coach, and he is received the last word and fixed inexperienced mild. So he is simply continuously attacking. And with that kind of freedom, there has come this degree of, not solely talent, however creatively, for easy methods to compensate for a few of his bodily limitations and get his shot off in quite a lot of methods with minimal separation.
“That is his particular potential, to determine easy methods to put the ball within the basket. The query is how nicely it is going to translate to the following setting as a result of he isn’t going to get the identical degree of freedom and quantity anyplace else that he has had in highschool.”
As a prospect, Crowe fashions his personal sport after among the finest southpaws within the NBA, resembling San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox. He likes to play at a quick tempo, which makes the match inside Missouri’s system an ideal match. It is also a spot the place his utilization charge will probably be excessive, which ought to enable Crowe to lift his inventory and turn out to be a possible lottery decide subsequent summer time.
However it does not matter what occurs between now and draft night time in 2027. Crowe’s unconventional path to get so far has paid off. Crowe would’ve been welcomed with open arms by most likely any prep faculty in want of a dynamic scorer. Nonetheless, that is not the trail he wished to take.
That is why his dedication to Missouri is smart. He can construct a legacy and be remembered as one of many all-time greats if he can elevate the Tigers to new heights. Missouri has by no means been to the Remaining 4 and is one among a handful of energy convention applications which have by no means reached the ultimate weekend of the season.
Each time his basketball journey ends, do not be stunned if Crowe finally ends up again the place it began in Southern California. If something, his loyalty to his hometown has earned him the correct to do no matter he pleases when the time comes.
“That is one thing I need to inform my children at some point,” Crowe stated about his highschool expertise. “My household may be very shut. Conserving the household custom going is larger than simply me. I am doing it for an even bigger objective. I wish to come again right here when I’ve children and present them round and present them what I’ve performed throughout my highschool profession.”
