JJ to Miss a Month
Rainier Beach's freshman sensation out with a right high-ankle sprain
JJ Crawford, the 6-foot-4 freshman sensation for Rainier Beach High School, is expected to miss four weeks with a right high-ankle sprain suffered on Friday during the Vikings’ 94-50 victory at Garfield last Friday night.
Crawford had been very much on the rise, having scored 20 or more points five times in January. His heater included a 32-point outburst in the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts. Crawford scored 10 of those points during overtime of a 91-85 victory over Bishop McNamara (Maryland), in front of many NBA and college scouts, cementing his status as one of the country’s top freshmen.
Rainier Beach will be missing their second-leading scorer, at 19 points per game, through the end of the regular season, Metro League championships, and Sea-King District 2 playoffs. That would leave the state 3A regionals and state championships. The Vikings will be defending their 3A crown.
The Vikings are left with Tyran Stokes, the country’s consensus No. 1 college prospect, as their only reliable three-point shooter. Stokes leads the team with 31 points per game. Crawford also had been supplying playmaking ability, a slashing attack off the bounce, and length and speed on defense.
Beach coach Mike Bethea, seeking his 10th state title, will probably compensate by going bigger in his starting lineup. Wes Armstrong, a powerful 6-4 junior, has been coming on of late and seems most likely to get the nod. The Vikings also will soon be bolstered by the return of Kam Babbs, a 6-5 ball of energy, who has been out with a badly bruised left knee, suffered seven games ago against Roosevelt.