In the latest installment of our summer "Nova Notebook" series we feature transfer guard Elijah Crawford, who arrives from UIC after an outstanding sophomore season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
As he assessed his next collegiate destination after entering the transfer portal, Elijah Crawford heard a variety of pitches from coaches. Part of what appealed to him when he spoke to head coach Kevin Willard about the chance to come to Villanova was the data that its staff showed him.
 
"When they were recruiting me," says the native of Augusta, Ga., "they broke down all the analytics about how I could fit at Villanova. They showed me how I could fit and answered any questions I had about what my role could be on the team. They had the data to back it up."
 
Crawford was also acquainted with the lineage of outstanding Wildcats' guards, including a prominent one of recent vintage.
 
"I was definitely aware of the guards that came here," he states. "Jalen Brunson is someone I look up to and try to model some parts of my game after. I like the way he plays off two feet in the paint. He's just a great decision-maker."
 
Ironically, Crawford didn't begin his hoops career as a guard. When he first took up the game in elementary school, he usually was more of a forward than a perimeter player.
 
"I started playing competitively in the third grade," he recalls. "I wasn't (that) good. I just played hard. That's a skill that you can't teach."
 
Crawford spent a lot of time at a park near his home. His parents, Brittany Williams and Broderick Crawford, were important influences as was a local trainer who took an interest in his hoops' development, Darrin Shine.
 
"He took me in as a third grader, trained me every day, and never charged me a dollar," states Crawford.
 
The next pivotal moment in the Crawford climb came when he left Augusta Christian High School to enroll at Brewster Academy, a New Hampshire based institution with a long history of producing high-end Division I basketball talent. And while it took some time to adapt to the New England winters, Crawford has nothing but praise for his time at Brewster.
 
"The people there were great to me," he states. "I cried when I left New Hampshire. That is one of the best places I've ever lived."
 
While at Brewster, Crawford established himself as a high-major recruit. He first committed to Stanford before a coaching change altered that plan. Instead, he enrolled at BYU, where he saw limited action as a freshman.
 
"I'm grateful to that coaching staff for taking me in," Crawford says. "I learned a lot there, even though I didn't play as much as I wanted to as a freshman. I worked with (BYU assistant coach and former Providence guard) John Lenihan every day to just develop my game."
 
Following the 2024-25 season, Crawford headed to Chicago where he saw an opportunity to re-establish his bona fides as a top shelf scoring guard.
 
"The UIC experience was something I needed," he states. "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."
 
An ankle injury cost Crawford nine games at the start of the season but he became a force for the flames by the time league play rolled around. By year's end, he was named second team All-Missouri Valley Conference after averaging 14.1 points per game. In an MVC semifinal game, he registered a career-high 28 points.
 
"That season gives me experience as an older player now," Crawford states. "It also instills confidence in you. Every day you come out you know what you can do – you've proven what you can do. Now, you've just got to go out and do it."
 
Crawford familiarized himself with Villanova over the months of June and July as he took part in team and individual workouts as well as both sessions of summer classes. Part of that experience was getting to know a group of new teammates.
 
"These weeks together have honestly been amazing," says Crawford. "Villanova is a historic place for basketball. We see that.
 
"Going to a new program is something people can worry about. I feel like this team has meshed well. We all go out together and hang out at our places. I think that will play a big part when we step out on the court."
 
His impressions of Villanova Basketball are straightforward.
 
"The hype," he adds with a smile, "is real. There is not a day when I can come in and slack off without someone pointing it out or vice versa. We work hard every single day."
 
The regular season opener in Rome, the Eternal City Tip-Off against Notre Dame, is less than three months away.
 
"The biggest thing for us," he states, "is to continue to work hard."