Kevin Willard enjoyed one of the best offseasons in the Big East, adding far greater length in the frontcourt, headlined by former McDonald’s All American power forward Kwame Evans Jr. and a center in Italian transport Luigi Suigo — a 7’3 big man that Willard says is as talented as any player he’s coached.
And while the Wildcats return a potential All-Big East guard in Tyler Perkins, the key to the 2026-27 group just might be a point guard that flew under the national radar last season.
Despite just wrapping his sophomore season, Elijah Crawford has already had quite the college basketball journey. A highly regarded recruit out of powerhouse Brewster Academy (NH), Crawford originally committed to Stanford, but a coaching change led him to BYU.
Crawford played sparingly as a freshman at BYU, and decided to transfer to UIC for his sophomore season — following a path more underclassmen are choosing in valuing opportunity over brand of conference.
In Chicago, Crawford rediscovered his game, averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game as the best player on one of the Missouri Valley’s stronger teams.
The Flames finished 19-16 overall, but likely would have been a 20+ win club had Crawford not missed nine games early in the season with an ankle injury (they went 3-9 without him in the lineup. Crawford missed opportunities to play the likes of Yale, Oregon State, High Point, Charlotte, Belmont, and Murray State in the season’s first two months.
In Crawford, Villanova is getting a throwback. He’s 6’3, brings a pass-first mentality to the position, and is extremely shifty off the dribble. Crawford struggled with his shot last season (27% from 3, 26% catch and shoot, 31% on all jumpers), but was highly impactful regardless.
His outstanding 19.6 Net Rating (point differential per 100 possessions) ranked in the 96th percentile nationally.
“The UIC experience was something I needed," he said this summer. "I needed to get my confidence and swagger back on the floor. To go there, to have a big role, to be a leader, was big for me.”
There are some Big East ties with Crawford as well. His cousin Vonteego Cummings was a terrific guard at Pittsburgh, while he credits former Providence point guard John Linehan (an assistant at BYU) with his development as a freshman.
“I'm grateful to that coaching staff for taking me in. I learned a lot there, even though I didn't play as much as I wanted to as a freshman. I worked with John Linehan every day to just develop my game.”
Now, Crawford returns to the high major level with his confidence restored.
The Wildcats have a potentially terrific pairing at point guard in Crawford and St. Bonaventure point guard Buddy Simmons. Simmons brings a completely different dimension and games — he’s sub-six feet, looks to score first, and is lights out from beyond the arc (you can learn all about him in Tom Harkness’s preview from earlier this summer).
This is a talented Villanova club and the hope is that Crawford can be the engine that helps Willard and Co. take the next step in March.
Check out Crawford against California (14 points/12 assists) and against Northern Iowa in post-season play.