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Film analysis: basketball commit Steven Crowl

What does the Minnesota big man bring to the Badgers basketball team?

Big Ten Basketball Tournament - Quarterfinals Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Fresh off of an official visit to Madison earlier this month, Steven Crowl took to Twitter to commit to the University of Wisconsin men's basketball program Tuesday.

Rated as a four-star recruit according to 247Sports and a three-star according to Rivals, the Minnesota native brings a versatility that will benefit the 2020 recruiting class. Holding a strong offer list including in-state Minnesota, Crowl forwent scheduled official visits to Colorado, Iowa and Northern Iowa that he had planned for the coming weeks to commit to Greg Gard.

Bucky’s 5th Quarter breaks down his game...

Physically

Standing somewhere between 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-11 depending on the source, Crowl has a similar lean body frame entering college as Nate Reuvers did as a senior. At only 210 pounds, Crowl has room to fill out and gain strength under the tutelage of strength coach Erik Helland.

Crowl hails from the same AAU program as Reuvers (Editor’s note: and Tyler Wahl!), so it would not be surprising to see them have similar physical developments.

Reuvers is now up to 235 pounds according to the updated Wisconsin basketball roster. His added size and strength were instrumental in his improvement his second year, primarily on the defensive end where he led the Badgers with 1.8 blocks per game.

While it is never easy to project a player’s exact physical growth, Crowl has many of the same measurables and tools as Reuvers had as a prospect.

Skill set

Versatility is a major component of Crowl’s game. He has the ability to back players down in the post and hit from the interior using assortment of post moves. This area of his game will continue to benefit from added strength, but his finesse around the rim is evident on film. He does a nice job of sealing his defender and feeling the opposition out.

Crowl also possesses an improving pick and pop game, where he shows the skills needed to catch and release the ball quickly. In his film, he shows a nice smooth release point and an aggression to follow his own shot.

As a passer he can spread the ball around well, and is able to see the whole floor.

During Wisconsin’s team camp he had a number of impressive blocked shots near the rim, especially in help defense.

If he can add the weight needed to compete in the Big Ten conference, he projects to be a solid player in Greg Gard’s system.

The fit

Steven Crowl is a prototypical stretch front court player in Wisconsin’s system. In watching his film, he possesses the ability to score inside and outside, as well as take players off the dribble. In a perfect Greg Gard offense all five players on the court have the ability to shoot from behind the three-point line.

While he is by no means a finished product, Crowl has shown the ability to shoot the three, and has continued to improve in that area. His improvement beyond the arc was a big reason for Greg Gard offering him a scholarship during the July evaluation period.

On the defensive end he needs to continue to improve, but a lot of that comes with added bulk.

Overall, Steven Crowl is a big recruiting win for the Wisconsin staff. He has big upside, and has a lot of the intangibles that are similar to players like Jon Leuer and Nate Reuvers who have done well for the Badgers.