MAAC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

15. E. J. Crawford

A 6’6 wing from Hartford, Connecticut, Crawford is another talented player who made his way to New Rochelle to star for the Gaels of Iona. He was a major part of Iona’s offense during his four seasons with the Gaels starting back in 2016 and ending at the beginning of the pandemic, though with a few postseason trips in between.

Already active as a freshman, he made his first trip to the Big Dance and averaged 9.4 points a game. His scoring output would increase in the following seasons as would Iona’s success, as Crawford played in the NCAA Tournament again as both a sophomore and junior. The Gaels had a down year in his final season, but he averaged 18.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, becoming a bright spot of that season, with plenty of great outings against his MAAC foes.

Crawford earned First Team All-MAAC honors in his upperclassman seasons, leading the league in field goal percentage as a junior and total points as a senior. He developed into a major offensive weapon for a Gaels program that made a ton of trips to the Big Dance. Crawford was also one of the MAAC’s best free throw shooters, hitting just under 82% from the charity stripe in his career. He was one of many fantastic pieces in Iona’s recent dominance in this league.