Freshman guard Andrew Crawford defends against Pamona-Pitzer’s Peyton Mullarkey during the exhibition game at the CU Events Center on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
When Andrew Crawford was in 8th grade, the recruiters started flowing in. Five years later, the University of Colorado Boulder freshman is not only the team’s sole in-state recruit, but also a 4-star rated recruit with impressive efforts both on and off the court. But this month, Andrew had to make some difficult choices within CU men’s basketball and subsequently his future.
“I was making a big jump in terms of skills, physicality and speed of the game. I knew it would be a transition, but I’ve kind of loved every second of it,” Crawford said.
Earlier this month, Crawford made the difficult decision to redshirt during his freshman year. Crawford was an exceptional passer in high school, always putting the game before personal gain.
When announcing Crawford’s choice to delay his years of eligibility, head coach Tad Boyle was optimistic yet practical. Crawford was a standout player in high school before coming to CU Boulder, leading Thunder Ridge High School in Highlands Ranch to three state titles.
“Andrew and I have talked. He decided he wants to redshirt,” Boyle said to BuffZone. “We’ve done this in the past with multiple players. I think it’s a really mature decision on his part.”
Taking this opportunity to grow and be able to excel throughout the year was a difficult yet necessary decision for Crawford. While he won’t be competing with the team this year, he will still be attending all practices and taking part in team activities, developing a connection with his teammates, coach Boyle announced.
Other Colorado athletes such as Nick Randall, a second semester walk-on redshirt freshman, used his red-shirt year to grow and develop skill to play stronger competition. This additional time spent working during the season will allow him more opportunities to grow as a player and build connections with the team.
For Crawford, his selflessness and dedication to the team will benefit Colorado in the long run; avoiding reckless plays and unnecessary risks for the sake of personal recognition. This time away from playing has allowed Crawford to build some goals for himself: “maximize my progress this year, be in the gym as much as I can to get better and then also work on my time management,” he said.
“Coming to college was heavy, having practice and then class right after, it’s a lot of work,” he said.
By taking this time to better himself and grow as an all around player for the Buffs, Coach Boyle mentioned his extreme potential as he continues at Colorado and throughout their program. As Crawford entered his training, the addition of strong academic rigor as well as dedicated practice every day was a more difficult process than expected.
Learning to prioritize mental health and accepting that the journey isn’t linear will be a goal for Crawford throughout his athletics. The Big 12 is an opportunity for new and old players at Colorado to excel by playing stronger, more developed teams and programs.
“The players we’re going to play are at a higher level, and they’re wanting to go to the next level, so we’re excited to make that transition,” Crawford said. “Playing teams like Kansas, Baylor and TCU – just massive basketball programs bringing their fandoms – it’s all the more exciting.”
The excitement and energy of the Big 12 is a big contributor to the efforts Colorado Basketball puts into practice, preparation and performances. In the beginning of this season, being ranked 15 out of 16 in their conference presented the team with the opportunity to prove the league wrong.
Though Crawford will not be competing with the Buffs this season, he sees the extra time he’ll have to learn the program as something that will help him excel during his tenure.
“I can just go out there and maximize my best attributes on the court, not having to worry about everything,” Crawford said.
Contact CU Independent Basketball Writer Lauren Heidt at lauren.heidt@colorado.edu
