What 5-Star G Jason Crowe Jr. Brings to Mizzou Basketball

The Tigers may have landed the face of the program in their top-10 2026 recruit.

July 15, 2025; North Augusta, South Carolina, USA; Oakland Soldiers Jason Crowe Jr. (5) dribbles as Team Final RJ Smith (3) defends during the Oakland Soldiers and Team Final game at Nike EYBL Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activities Center. The Oakland Soldiers won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale - Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY NETWORK | Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In what could be looked back on as the biggest announcement in program history, the Missouri Tigers landed the commitment of five-star guard Jason Crowe Jr. Friday evening.

Crowe is the sixth-best player in the class of 2026 and the fourth-best player from his home state of California. The 6-foot-3 combo guard out of Inglewood is the second-highest ranked recruit to commit to Missouri, trailing only Michael Porter Jr.

Many believe the addition of Crowe can be attributed to the work of new general manager Tim Fuller, and head coach Dennis Gates, two excellent recruiters.

Crowe has serious potential to change the program and go down as an all-time Missouri Tiger great, so let's dive into what he'll bring to the team.

Scoring

Crowe has gotten easy buckets at every stop of his career, averaging 36.6 points per game between his freshman and sophomore seasons at Lynwood High School before averaging 23.8 points per game in the Nike EYBL circuit, second-highest in the league. He brings a unique blend of old-school, retro scoring combined with a modern shot profile, allowing him to score from anywhere on the court.

Crowe's strength comes from the foundation of his basketball-specific athleticism. His efficient footwork, combined with a strong chance of pace, sense of balance and patience helps him to be a threat from everywhere in the half-court setting.

The thing that sticks out the most with Crowe's scoring prowess is his shifty movement, allowing him to creatively get to spots. Since he's on the lighter side, he's not exactly able to move bulky defenders out of his way, but Crowe's footwork and deep handle help him to skip around defenders for shot attempts.

Scouting Jason Crowe Jr:

▪️Prolific southpaw scoring guard
▪️Deep bag as a shot creator
▪️Tough shot-maker with range
▪️Clever with footwork, fakes, & PnR
▪️Young for grade (turns 17 today)

Highlights from his 36 point performance yesterday. pic.twitter.com/XD20udg4PG

— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) July 18, 2025

That footwork primarily comes into play for his off-bounce scoring, of which he has a case of being the best among his 2026 peers. He's frequently shown the ability to knock down shots off-balance by fading away and pulling up.

Crowe is an extremely creative finisher, capable of playing off of both feet or one. He's got a touch soft enough to knock down push shots and floaters from the shallow paint, but also the aforementioned balance and hang time to get tough angles at the rim. When he gets a head of steam to the rim, he's hard to stop from at least getting a shot up, and he'll oftentimes convert on looks that would appear impossible for most guards.

Crowe's also a major threat when operating the high pick-and-roll, as he'll pull up from NBA range and make his defender pay if they dare to slip under the screen. His 3-pointer may not fall every time, as he's still a streaky shooter, but if he's on a hot spell, he becomes an even more dynamic threat.

While his 25.6% perimeter percentage may be worrisome, free-throw percentage is often a better indicator of how a player's shooting will develop, and Crowe knocked down his charity stripe shots at an 89.9% mark in EYBL play.

Playmaking

The big question mark for Crowe – and now Missouri – is if he can develop into a true point guard. As of now, the signs are there, as he was second his team in regular season assists per game with three, trailing only No. 1 prospect Tyran Stokes. Crowe's effectiveness as a driver often draws doubles in the paint, of which he's then proven willing to kick out or dump off to the open man.

His frequency of running pick-and-rolls also helps out in this department, as it's an easy way to get young guards adjusted to the flow of an offense. With as much defensive attention as Crowe draws, he'll have roll men wide open for easy looks after a few steps.

The Tigers often run multiple ball-handlers in the same lineup – think of Anthony Robinson and Tony Perkins playing alongside Tamar Bates – meaning Crowe will still have some support from whoever coach Gates deploys as his backcourt partner.

Missouri production

Don't be shocked if Crowe comes in as the face of the program on day one, given his status as an all-time Missouri commit and high national rank.

His all-around guard skillset likely makes the Tigers comfortable with handing over the keys of the team to him early on in his career. The Tigers can expect early production from Crowe as well, similar to what Jeremiah Fears and Tre Johnson did for their respective SEC teams the past season.

When he arrives at Missouri for the start of the 2026-2027 season, team captain Mark Mitchell will have moved on from the program, leaving it up to Crowe and potentially Anthony Robinson to lead the team.

However, there are rumblings of the Tigers targeting other top prospects in the 2026 class, such as five-star forward Toni Bryant, which could be an even more likely addition now that Crowe has committed to Missouri.

His arrival in Missouri will truly mark a new era filled with hope and talent. Between the roster, coach Gates and general manager Fuller, the Tigers could be on the brink of something special.