Jason Crowe Jr. puts his arms around his Lynwood High teammates at a summer league game vs. Narbonne High held at Compton Dominguez High on a hazy Monday night in early May 2023.

Jason Jr says, “We got this fam, let’s move it around and get the W for us all.” Their Lynwood High team was down 2 at half time, but collectively they are “ten toes down for each other.”

Jason’s comments lights a fuse that sets off a chain reaction nuclear bomb effect that puts the pupils of each of their eyes ablaze. They go Drake and are immediately “I’m On One!”

I was seated 8 feet away all game and the DJ Khaled lyrics featuring Drake’s I’m On One play as I remember this game in my sleep that night fosho. I’m always On 1, or 10, or something like that, so I’m already knowing fam!

Lynwood’s real one coach who is leading them with good advice like “get back and play some defense” is none other than Jason Crowe senior who hails out of Inglewood High.

Jason is as true to the game baller as you will find and played for Cal St Northridge and American University before having a great 14 year overseas basketball pro career.

That’s why coach J-Crowe’s players are all ears when he speaks. He’s the epitome of the phrase “The man gets much respect” like my guy coach supreme Steve Smith of Oak Hill Academy fame.

Smith instructed Carmelo Anthony, Kev Durant, and Brandon Jennings. To the latter I suggested to go play out for Steve at Oak Hill and he became The Gatorade Player of the Year before going pro out of prep.

Steve and J-Crowe are all about giving “Truth” and much needed advice to kids. I’ve often recommended talented kids to go play for J-Crowe at Lynwood High.

As a youngster at Inglewood, J-Crowe was that guy who helped motivate his teammate and lifelong friend Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics. He helped train up his best buddy Paul back then and cared enough to help Paul gain confidence and acquire skills at a critical time in his prep career.

J-Crowe Sr and Paul were both each other’s best men at each other’s wedding and they both got each other’s backs for life. What more can you have of a best friend than that really?

Jason broke it down for me when I asked him how he felt about the college offers they were getting for his son as a freshman, “Yes Jason Jr is getting offers and we’re blessed and thankful for all that.

“But also a focus and a mission for us is for these other great teammates at Lynwood, the many freshmen we have on the squad that don’t have offers yet. It’s about everybody with us.

“We’re a very ‘we’ orientated family on this team and care for each other and as you know we want to put energy into everybody getting their offers too Erik.”

#J-Crowe is HIM His son Jason Jr is unlike any player or person I’ve ever known in life. He is extremely down to earth and humble, but make no mistake his talent factor is off the charts.

I’ve known many #1 ranked players in the country and right now ESPN has J ranked pretty low at #7, while Rivals has him at #13. But I think when a kid is ranked #1 there is only one place to go but down in the rankings.

I’ve known and hung out with Jason Sr and Jr lots and with the whole family since Jr has been in 6th grade. Everywhere I turned J Jr was there.

At the Mamba Academy, the snakes would proverbially come down off the walls and wrap their black scaly bodies around Jason’s arms when he entered the gym. In my mind I saw what he would do in his future.

Those same mambas would hissssss and whisper in my ear that, “Jassssson is the one E-Woodsssss” because of his pinpoint mad game and off the charts ability to lead games with headband attire and swag and all.

I already did a story on Jason Crowe’s The Truth AAU team, which included an extremely touching tribute that the Truth organization paid to Carl Lewis whom I once hoped to mentor. I will always keep in CL in my heart, everyone loved that bro, RIP.

Jason Jr. shaved his head with Carl’s initials in his head to show love. Jason Sr. wore Carl’s jersey # at their Truth AAU games. We always try to be real ones in our hearts forever for those with human potential we love as children of God!

Are you the reader curious just how good is this 14 year old freshman at Lynwood High? I’m ready to take my gloves off.

The first 30 seconds I saw him in 6th grade I knew Jason was the one! Somehow I got a message from God, a song starts playing in my head, Rebel Without A Pause by Public Enemy.

It was like when I first saw Russell Westbrook play and told the coaches at UCLA about him. It was so evident in my heart and mind that Jason would someday be an NBA pro hands down!

My favorite part of Jason Jr’s game is his first lead step on his defenders, how he gets the defenders on their heels, crosses them them up as he attacks at the top of the free throw line.

He used his long arms back then, and now at 6-2 has unstoppable angular arms to sweep through the lane. Jason Jr can create from anywhere on the outside with his jumper. Offense is his calling card but defense is his pride too; he has it all in his bag!

I was 11 in 1982 when I saw Dr. J dominate the pros in the NBA for the 76ers. How does Jason play vs. prep guys? He uses body angles to the rim the same way as Dr. J.

There was a video game I had with Larry Bird vs. Dr J (because Michael Jordan hadn’t become a pro yet). That’s how much of an OG I am. E-Woods has seen the ABA of the early 70s and I have Kodak Black and Lil Durk in in my earbuds constantly nowadays!

Let’s hear from Jason Jr on why he plays basketball. He is the most humble kid you will ever meet. Me, I’m also a teacher of 24 years that gets down to educate 1st graders and I wish every one of my kids was as respectful, vibrant, hardworking as this incredible young man.

Speak on your love of the game and family Jason Jr, “I love to spend time with my family at home, talk everyday day stuff. We talk of the bad, the good. My family is my everything.

“On my real busy days my rock [family] keeps me grounded. The hardworking and tough values of my grandparents Shirley and Kenneth Crowe power my core. My mom Irene and my sister mean everything to me.

“Basketball is my sanctuary, everything goes blank when I play and I get to express myself completely. I play hard for my teammates whether that be our Why Not AAU squad or high school team. I’m constantly trying to perfect my craft, better myself as a person and a player.

“What it’s all about is having confidence to do this game you love, the game that means everything to you. You pour yourself into it, it fills you up like nothing else does.”

Truth be told I wasn’t meant to be a good ball player in prep or college, maybe just a fierce street player, people. Others have told me that God has given me talent to write and read talent. Maybe I can do that well but it’s not for me to say.

In 85-86 one Micheal Jordan came on the NBA scene. I bought the original black, white and red Jordan 1s and I really wish I hadn’t throw them in the trash after wearing them out. Ouch!

“Black Jesus” is what they called MJ back then in the L. They also called him the Black Cat in his beginning days of playing in the NBA. MJ came to redefine how basketball could be be played.

That’s what J-Crowe Jr did to the comp at the high school level as a freshman, J was a manchild among the other youngsters who all tried to contain him. No dice. Jason Jr averaged 34 ppg and trying to contain him is like putting the genie back in the bottle. Good luck with that!

George Raveling is a great man no doubt, visionary. Super guy as he is the longtime director of Nike Grassroots who let me come to his MJ camp in 2005 to do a story. Almost no writer was ever given permission to come to MJ’s Flight Camp.

I went there to do a story on my guy Hassan “Sauce” Adams of Arizona, JJ Redick of Duke, Chris Paul and the whole camp. I met Chris and told him, “Bro, you’re super nice with it C. You’re at Wake Forest now but you handle yourself like a future NBA hall of fame player for how you direct and lead these talented college players around you man.”

Chris looked at me with a look in his eye, he knew I was right. He knew he was headed to the hall, but he was too humble to admit it or say it aloud, but how easy I could predict it.

I respect Jason so much, as he says “I want the game to slow down for me and crystallize it in a moment of time.”

Me? E-Woods, I never got the training I needed to be a baller. No one ever unlocked my brain like a Pooh Jeter, M-LoVett, Olin Simplis, Keyz, JL3, Jason Crowe Sr, G-Arenas, Rob Valentine.

But I love to look to them to unlock players’ minds and games while I celebrate in stories what they do. That’s my lane. That’s a life well lived being a humble servant. But I wish I could play like Jason Jr. NBA cats I talk to lately tell me he’s special.

How good a player and mentor might J-Crowe Jr be? He could some day be a great pro in the NBA because he is as humble of a person as I’ve ever met. He listens to those talents that came before him and applies great advice from his dad and his inner circle.

I had an advanced convo with Thaddeus McGrew, a person I respect who was Baron Davis’s and Paul Pierce’s AAU coach back in the day in 05’. He now works in Major League Baseball.

I told Thad that the talent around the neighborhood of LA now is incredible and destined to be great and that there will undoubtedly be a second sonic boom of even more success when these current guys put what they learned into the next gen.

But that takes grind, humility, complete dedication and a great training mentality to your craft which is what I’m sure J-Crowe Jr has to the game he loves.

The most revered LA legend is baller Raymond Lewis, RIP, who had such a cold game and was the gold standard and was utterly pure to the sport for the ages in the 70’s. My mission is to identify who will carry the torch from Ray.

My preliminary projection is that Jason Crowe Jr has as good a chance as any young young prep baller out of LA in his era to be that next great pro to be known as the best ever and carry the mantle as best ever out of LA!

Jason Jr bleeds for this game. Did you know, people, that blood travels in the human at roughly 3 feet per second? A blood cell in the average person travels through the entire body in about one minute.

Its color inside the veins and capillaries of your circularly system is blue, but when it hits oxygen outside the body it turns red. Blood for Jason Jr? Nah, for Jason Crowe blood hitting oxygen turns “Truth” because that’s what he reps indeed.

That’s what he reps in the way he conducts himself as a top student, a player, and as a family oriented person.

Nike has a few rare ambassadors (called EKINs) that work for it explaining to customers the history of its products inside out, backwards and forward. EKIN is NIKE spelled backward.

Jason Jr knows his own Nike Truth and is making his own lane. But he has been blessed with an incredible download that has been passed down to him from his unbelievably great father.

I’ve come to respect his dad who helped his great friend Paul Pierce “The Truth.” TRUTH spelled backward is HTURT and it’s what Jason Jr reps because he’s like an EKIN.

He knows the concept of truth within the game so well that it resides inside him It circulates through his veins, pulsates through his heart. Me, E-Woods? I had two heart surgeries in the last year alone, I’m just glad my heart works.

That’s why I’m writing these words you’re reading here now, happy to be here people. I’m a Phoenix reborn watching Jason ascend, and knowing there’s another couple of phenom freshman killas in LA that I’m hoping and planning on doing their stories, God willing as well if their families let me I guess?

J-Crowe who loves his son and daughter so much, he just tells me how proud he is of them all the time when we talk. He’s just this fantastic dad I respect a ton.

But I also respect that J-Crowe and Paul Pierce spent much time mentoring on the weekends and in practice with my next door neighbor Jaime Jaquez Jr. from Camarillo when he was in junior high and high school.

“Triple J” was the Pac-12 player of the year recently and profited greatly from his association with Jason and Paul, and also with my guy DeAnthony Langston who is president of Real Run and once ran the LA Jobs Core. Now he helps with marketing at Uptime Energy. D is that ultimate mentor in LA for kids.

Jason Jr and Jaime Jr appreciate each other and I’ve personally played countless pick up games games with Jaime and see the love that will carry him to a great pro career.

I could block Jaime’s shot 4 years ago, but not anymore. Yikes! If I played pick up with Jason Jr, he’d be a tough, tough cover for me because I’m getting older man!

My point about Jason Sr and Paul is it’s about love for the game and sacrifice of what people do for you for others. That’s why I always endorse J-Crowe and Paul. They truly care in a cold world.

Coach J-Crowe also helped give so much advice and help to my girl 6-5 Rayah Marshall, WNBA bound star at USC. She’s been dunking 10 footers since 6th grade and says that Jason Sr is the guy with “so much dope advice.” He helped Rayah when she was at Lynwood High and she told me she really appreciated it.

I asked about Jason Jr with the Mt Rushmore level trainers I appreciate most and all told me in one way or another they loved his game. Everyone I’ve ever asked about Jason Jr from NBA cats to the think tank level minds I try to jive off have always used adjectives like “special” and “great” to describe Jason Jr.

These trainers I appreciate most are Pooh Jeter, Marcus LoVett, Olin Simplis, Ajay Moye, Frank Robinson, John Lucas III, Keion Kindred, Chris Young and Rob Valentine. So many mentors that have impacted me in this LA City of Angels.

As I’ve said often in my 600 stories, Scoop Jackson, all time SLAM writer and now at ESPN, is my ultimate inspiration for writing. He gave me permission to bless the absolute coldest ballers by gifting them a sharp SLAM jersey to show love to those that rep and respect the game that few ever have.

I did this for D-DeRozan, and B-Jennings. I’m giving Jason a size medium tight fit black SLAM jersey with #5 on it. My ultimate way of saying, “Basketball appreciates you bro, you are HIM J.”

Jason Crowe Jr in prep is now in the process of doing Black Cat things to prep level comp, going on to Team USA trials and channeling his MJ “Black Jesus” performances in his freshman year no doubt.

The lyrics that hit my dreams that night as I saw J in summer league? Rapper Drake and DJ Khaled singing together, I’m On One, feel the lyrics with me people:

“I’m focused, might as well say "cheese" for the pictures

Ohhh, I’m about to go Andre the Giant You a sellout, but I ain't buying.”

Let’s see what the next few years holds and buckle your seat belt no doubt!