By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
Jason Crowe Jr., a 17 year-old combo guard at Inglewood High School in California, has been playing some of the best basketball of his life over the last couple months. And on Saturday night in primetime at the 2026 Panini Hoophall Classic, he managed to deliver the crescendo to what has been a mounting drumbeat of electrifying scoring performances.
Crowe Jr., the No. 4 ranked recruit in the ESPN 100 rankings for the boys class of 2026, dropped 48 points under the bright lights of Blake Arena in Inglewood’s 81-80 win over Notre Dame High School (West Haven, Conn.), setting the single-game Hoophall Classic scoring record in the process.
He dazzled a sellout crowd with a delightful display of scoring and shot-making, and he and star counterpart Abdou Toure turned in the type of back-and-forth action fans dreamed of seeing when they trekked through Saturday afternoon’s snowstorm to watch this highly anticipated matchup.
To Crowe Jr., the chance to play, and play to this level, on a stage such as Hoophall made his performance vs. Notre Dame all the more valuable.
“I always used to watch Hoophall when I was younger,” Crowe Jr. said. “Even when I was in high school, I wasn’t able to come here. It means the most because where it’s at, the history behind this. Just a great magnitude of people played here. A bunch of NBA guys, All-Stars. Being able to do this on this stage is a wonderful feeling.”
Crowe Jr.’s recent scoring tear extends beyond the confines of Springfield College’s campus, however, and he racked up a noteworthy accomplishment in the process. He exploded for 54 points on Dec. 29 at the King Cotton Classic in Arkansas, bringing him over the 4,000 point mark for his career.
Getting to the career 4,000 point mark isn’t the only significant feat Crowe Jr. has reached this year, as he also became the all-time leading scorer in the state of California in December, a feat he pulled off in just 100 games.
However, as Crowe Jr. continues to stack his resume, he remains focused on the ultimate goal of team success.
“I’m just happy we got the win at the end of the day,” Crowe Jr. said. “That’s the main goal. That’s what we did today. My teammates came up big in the second half.”
Saturday’s win was a meaningful one, in part because of who was on the other side – Toure. The Arkansas commit, the No. 34 recruit in ESPN’s 2026 rankings and a driving force of Notre Dame’s success, finished with 31 points of his own, showcasing his elite athleticism on several thunderous dunks. Crowe Jr. values the opportunity to square off against the highest competition, and enjoyed his game-within-the-game matchup against Toure.
“He’s a dog,” Crowe Jr. said of Toure. “Obviously, he jumps out of the gym. That’s the first thing you see when you see him. Great player, plays all around. Took challenges with guarding me, which was great. Just a great team over [there] in Notre Dame. I feel like he’s going to play really well next year.”
A key factor in Crowe Jr.’s development, success and life as a whole has been his father and coach at Inglewood, Jason Crowe. A former professional basketball player, Crowe takes a great interest in Crowe Jr.’s exciting young basketball career, and the father-son dynamic is something that the younger Crowe has come to appreciate.
“It’s great,” Crowe Jr. said. “We’ve been doing it for a very long time. As I got older, it just got a little easier. I’m going to have my input, he has his input, but we all want the end goal. We all want to win. I listened today, and we got the dub.”
Father and son are also on the same page when it comes to Crowe Jr.’s future, as he committed to the University of Missouri back in July and officially signed in November. He is the highest-rated recruit the program has got since now-Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. chose the Tigers in 2017.
Crowe Jr. believes the Tigers’ program will give him an environment that will allow him to hone in on improving his game. The fact that his family will be along with him on the journey is an added benefit.
“Not a lot of distractions in Missouri,” Crowe Jr. said. “Obviously, trying to make it to the league. Going out there with the coaching staff they have, with the leadership they have over there. A quiet place out there so I can be focused and locked in. It’s a great atmosphere over there. Great fans. My parents are going to be out there with me, so that’s going to make it all good.”
The elder Crowe thinks Missouri will turn out to be a strong choice for his son, with the program’s coaching and ability to develop players standing out as key reasons why.
“Coach [Dennis] Gates has assembled an amazing staff of outstanding teachers of the game, who operate with great synergy,” Jason Crowe said of his son’s fit with Missouri in a press release from the school.
For now, though, Crowe Jr. doesn’t want to wish away the joys of the present. He has committed so much time and energy to basketball because he genuinely cares about it, and moments like Saturday night at Blake Arena validate years worth of effort, hopes and dreams. Going forward, he believes his passion for the sport will continue to serve him well.
“I just stayed in the moment,” Crowe Jr. said. “Coming into high school, I didn’t know I was going to do this or be on this stage. I played the game because I love it. All this came with the work that I put in every day. As I get stronger and stay in the weight room, stay consistent in the gym, it’s all going to pay off for me.”
Photo by Emma Bynes/The Student