Shades of Jordan Crawford

[D-West & PO-Z]

Some thoughts pulled out of my ass on a slow Friday afternoon:

Semaj Christon will be....Jordan Crawford, without taking quite so much off the table.

Dee Davis will be...Dante Jackson: he'll play a lot of minutes, but leave everyone wondering what he's really bringing to the table. Also, a frustrating amount of missed wide-open 3's.

Justin Martin will be....BJ Raymond, with Kenny Frease's career development arc.

Jalen Reynolds will be...the skinny Jason Love

James Farr will be...the new Erik Edwards? (I really hope not)

How about with BJ Raymond's career development arc?

Everybody remembers BJ Raymomnd so fondly (and rightfully so) but the forget he struggled at the beginning of his career and even only started 9 games his jr year with just under 10 points a game.

I think Justin Martin is going to be a great player for us too and I think its funny when people say hes a bust or will be our most frustrating player over the next two years. He is going to be like so many other Xavier players to come through this program where he struggles in the beginning and progresses and turns out to have a great career like Jason Love and BJ Raymond etc.

Very few guys come in right away and play like Semaj and Crawford. The vast majority of Xavier players had slow progression where they may have stuggled their first 2 years but were solid and even great players by their senior years.

[PMI]

How about with BJ Raymond's career development arc?

Everybody remembers BJ Raymomnd so fondly (and rightfully so) but the forget he struggled at the beginning of his career and even only started 9 games his jr year with just under 10 points a game.

I think Justin Martin is going to be a great player for us too and I think its funny when people say hes a bust or will be our most frustrating player over the next two years. He is going to be like so many other Xavier players to come through this program where he struggles in the beginning and progresses and turns out to have a great career like Jason Love and BJ Raymond etc.

Very few guys come in right away and play like Semaj and Crawford. The vast majority of Xavier players had slow progression where they may have stuggled their first 2 years but were solid and even great players by their senior years.

I don't think people unfairly criticize him. I actually think people overrated him a bit early in his career, which is not his fault, but some of the criticisms are warranted, much in the same way they are with Jeff Robinson. You just don't know what Justin Martin you're going to get. BJ Raymond was not great in his first two years, and didn't shoot the ball nearly the way he did as an upperclassman, but he was a very hard worker 12 months out of the year. Until Martin proves that he has THAT, and only that, his career arc will continue as it is, which isn't bad, especially if we have another 3 who's good by then. But for Martin to become the player he can be, he needs to really want it. I do worry, but hopefully the switch goes off for him like has has for X players of past.

[X-ceptional]

Definitely similarities there - but JC was SO SMOOTH. Everything he did looked effortless. I wish I could find the video of that ridiculous layup he had against the Gophers in the tourney a few years back.

Ask and you shall receive! Click here to be taken to that layup in all its glory.

Click here to be taken to where all JCraw at Xavier highlights start--I shouldn't even have to tell you that it's worth your time to watch 'em all. Incredible.

One of my favorites though has to be this one at 3:44 where he just backs up and splashes one from 27 feet in udump dude's face... what a beast. And of course the KState 30 footer... good Lord, that guy can flat out play.

[smileyy]

But for Martin to become the player he can be, he needs to really want it. I do worry, but hopefully the switch goes off for him like has has for X players of past.

This is what I meant by the "Kenny Frease" career arc. Kenny worked his ass off the summer of his junior year to lose weight, and it improved his play...but he still wasn't all there. Then the 2012 season thing happened, and he drifted throughout that entire season, rather than being a leader.

But it wouldn't surprise me to see Justin Martin play his ass off in a deep tournament run in 2015. Maybe that's Josh Duncan's career arc too?

But D-West &... has a point -- some players have their mistakes and development more easily forgotten than others, for some reason. Remember when Jordan Crawford was the ballhogging team-breaking scourge of the 2009-2010 season?

[D-West & PO-Z]

I don't think people unfairly criticize him. I actually think people overrated him a bit early in his career, which is not his fault, but some of the criticisms are warranted, much in the same way they are with Jeff Robinson. You just don't know what Justin Martin you're going to get. BJ Raymond was not great in his first two years, and didn't shoot the ball nearly the way he did as an upperclassman, but he was a very hard worker 12 months out of the year. Until Martin proves that he has THAT, and only that, his career arc will continue as it is, which isn't bad, especially if we have another 3 who's good by then. But for Martin to become the player he can be, he needs to really want it. I do worry, but hopefully the switch goes off for him like has has for X players of past.

I just may not be privy to some of the information that other people are on this board (which wouldnt surprise me). How does one know how hard of a worker BJ Raymond was as a sophomore at XU and that it is much better than how hard Justin Martin works?

Sometimes I really do think when we are looking back at a former Xavier player and the career he had we tend to only remember the end and how good it was. I think the same will happen with Justin when all said and done.

BJ Raymond averaged 12 and 13 mins as a frosh and soph and 3.4 and 4.1 PPG those two years. Also had FG% of 38.8 and 40.3 and 3point% of 30.6 and actually 45 (his best year. Also had a 63% and 41% FT shooting %.

I tend to believe not many people remember that BJ Raymond. And that is where JMart is in his career.

[paulxu]

I don't know where Semaj will end up, but good God Crawford was a wonderful player to watch. At this point we have nobody that can do those things.
But the future looks bright.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Ask and you shall receive! Click here to be taken to that layup in all its glory.

Click here to be taken to where all JCraw at Xavier highlights start--I shouldn't even have to tell you that it's worth your time to watch 'em all. Incredible.

One of my favorites though has to be this one at 3:44 where he just backs up and splashes one from 27 feet in udump dude's face... what a beast. And of course the KState 30 footer... good Lord, that guy can flat out play.

His body control in the lane and around the rim is amazing. Love that video.

[rove02]

How about with BJ Raymond's career development arc?

Everybody remembers BJ Raymomnd so fondly (and rightfully so) but the forget he struggled at the beginning of his career and even only started 9 games his jr year with just under 10 points a game.

I think Justin Martin is going to be a great player for us too and I think its funny when people say hes a bust or will be our most frustrating player over the next two years. He is going to be like so many other Xavier players to come through this program where he struggles in the beginning and progresses and turns out to have a great career like Jason Love and BJ Raymond etc.

Very few guys come in right away and play like Semaj and Crawford. The vast majority of Xavier players had slow progression where they may have stuggled their first 2 years but were solid and even great players by their senior years.

I agree with you about Martin. It seems like lots of people hate on him here but he was playing really really well the first 8 games of the season before his concussion. I posted his stats for those games a while back when he was getting bashed in a thread on the old Men's Forum and they were very good. For the first 8 games he was easily our 2nd best player (Travis wasn't do as well back then) and probably our most efficient.

People will probably think I'm crazy but I think think he could be even better than Raymond especially if he takes a big Sophomore to Junior jump like Raymond did. It seems like he already rebounds better and has shown he is a good 3pt shooter. I just think he has serious confidence problems that are causing him to be inconsistent but early in the season he looked confident (remember him stealing the ball late in the Pacific game and pulling up at the 3pt line and draining it) which made him more consistent.

[smileyy]

The concussion is a good point, and one that I meant to make but forgot. A concussion bad enough to force you to miss a game has the potential to affect a player well afterwards, in ways that aren't obvious or easily measured symptoms.

IOW, like Rove02 said, I look forward to seeing what Martin brings to the table next year.

[waggy]

I liked that Justin had no problem mixing it up with Dwayne Evans. He held his own when he was on him.

Oh yeah, Crawdaddy.