Josiah Crawford, a 6-foot-3 senior forward at Paul R. Wharton High in New Tampa, has improved his scoring average this season, and improved his rebounding totals as well.
Crawford’s numbers, however, while impressive, don’t tell the most important part of his story.
Coach Tommy Tonelli does.
Tonelli describes Crawford in glowing terms like “respectful, committed and determined” to describe a player he says has grown into “a great teammate.”
The long-time Wharton boys basketball coach has not only been impressed with Crawford’s turnaround as a basketball player, but moved by his turnaround as a person.
“In all my years of coaching, I have never seen a greater transformation,’’ says Tonelli, now in his 17th year of running Wharton’s successful hoops program, of his talented swingman.
Crawford, who can basically play every position on the floor, is a big part of the reason why the Wildcats ave notched their seventh straight 20-win season and head into tonight’s Class 7A, District 8 tournament at Wharton as the No. 2 seed and winners of seven straight. He is averaging team-highs in points (16.8) and rebounds (8.7) and has been a leader on the court.
Crawford says his journey to arrive at that court, however, required overcoming some self-inflicted obstacles.
As a freshman, Crawford decided he didn’t want to play basketball for the Wildcats, despite being a talented hoopster in AAU and at pick-up games at the nearby L.A. Fitness on County Line Rd.
“I was just messing around, I didn’t want to go to practices,” Crawford says. “I was just lazy. I would just go home and hang out.”
For some of the Wildcats, many of them his friends, that was unacceptable. They told him he needed to be on the court, that he was wasting his talent.
They told Tonelli, too. The coach, however, told his players that if Crawford wanted to come out for the team, he needed to stop by his office and ask.
When Crawford finally stopped by towards the end of his freshman year, Tonelli says, he still had a hint of an attitude problem. “I remember he walked in, and he was Mr. Cool,’’ Tonelli says. “He said, ‘You wanted to see me?’ I told him no.”
The message from Tonelli was simple — if you want to play, come earn your way onto the team.
That summer, Crawford did just that, competing in summer leagues with Wharton. “He was like a wild colt,’’ Tonelli says.
Crawford was a standout during the junior varsity summer league at Berkeley Prep in the Westshore area of Tampa, opening Tonelli’s eyes. While the coach had never seen him play prior to him coming out for the basketball team, his players told him that Crawford needed to be on the Wharton roster.
“He showed some real talent, and that carried right over into fall workouts,’’ Tonelli says.
However, during his freshman year, Crawford was not only not playing basketball, he wasn’t performing well in the classroom either. Tonelli described him as a “knucklehead.” As a result, he was ineligible for most of the basketball season his sophomore year, despite his super summer.
“I was disappointed in myself,’’ Crawford recalls. “If I would have played basketball my freshman year, coach would not have let my grades be the way they were.”
It was during this time, Tonelli surmises, that Crawford began changing, accepting responsibility, working hard and growing into the young man he is now. Even knowing he wasn’t going to be able to play, Crawford showed up every day to practice with the ‘Cats. He came to every game. He helped with water and the towels, and became a better student in the classroom.
In other words, Tonelli says, “He worked his butt off.”
Crawford regained his eligibility in time to play the final two games for Wharton’s JV team, and has never looked back since.
That summer, Crawford, who also stars in the 400- and 800-meter runs for the Wharton track team, took off. Playing on an AAU team with players from Wharton and Jesuit, his game improved every day. Last year, as a junior, he started every game for the ‘Cats and, for the first time, he actually made the honor roll in school.
This year, he has been one of the best players not only on the Wildcats but in District 7A-8, where he ranks third in scoring and second in rebounding.
“My jump shooting has gotten better, my rebounding is better,” Crawford says. “I’d just say that all around I think I’ve gotten better.’’
Two Saturdays ago, Crawford was named the game MVP in a 63-46 win against Clearwater at a tournament in Seminole. It’s been like that all year, Tonelli says. The player he describes as a one-time knucklehead continues to make every hustle play, shining both on the court and in the classroom.
“What really moves me is the way he has given appreciation and thanks for all the people who brought him along this far,’’ Tonelli says. “It’s really a nice thing to see.”
Boys Class 7A-8 District
Basketball Tourney Schedule
Feb. 2: Leto at Wharton, 7 p.m.; Gaither at Freedom, 7 p.m. (Note: Higher seed teams host first round games; the rest are played at one site.)
Feb. 3: at Wharton; District Semifinals at 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5: at Wharton; District Championship at 7 p.m.
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