Former Hawks Standout Leading Charge for Improved Lions Squad
NORTH BRANCH, NJ–The season is only six games old, but there are already signs that the 2013-14 Raritan Valley Community College Lions will be a very good team. Through six games, the team is not only 5-1 including a 2-0 mark in the Division II section of the Garden State Athletic Conference, but they are averaging an amazing 94 points per game. The Lions also captured an early season tourney by winning the Union County College Tip-Off Classic. One of the big reasons for RVCC’s early season success is former J.P. Stevens standout, Marvin Crawford.
Crawford, a sophomore at the school, is having a superb start. He is averaging 19 points per game (leads team), 5.8 rebounds per game (2nd on team), 2.8 assists per game (2nd on the team), 2.5 blocks per game (first on team), and 1.0 steals per game (3rd on the team). Crawford has played and started in all six games, and averaging 13.8 minutes per game. He is shooting 47.7 percent from the floor including a 46.2 percentage from three, which are both ranked second on the team. The only loss suffered by Raritan Valley came at the hands of Bronx Community College of New York, which defeated the Lions by two in overtime, 98-96.
Among the victories for RVCC included a 113-52 victory over Sussex County Community College back on November 14th, an 83-80 decision over Mercer County College on November 21st and a 98-94 win over Salem Community College. Two of Crawford’s better games game in the loss to Bronx Community College and the win over Salem Community College. Against Bronx C.C., the former JPS standout scored 24 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, handed out 4 assists, and blocked 3 shots. Versus Salem C.C., Crawford tallied 29 points, 7 boards, 2 steals, and a block. Last year, the Lions were only 10-14 including a 6-8 mark in conference play, but finished strong with 5 wins in their last 8 games. Crawford played a key role for last year’s squad as a freshman.
In 2012-13, Crawford played and started in 23 games, and averaged 16.8 minutes per game. He also led the team in scoring with 20.7 points per game, and rebounding with 7.7 rebounds per game. Crawford shot a blazing 59.4 percent from the field to lead the Lions in shooting, and made just under 48 percent of his three point attempts, which ranked second on the squad. The 2012 J.P. Stevens graduate also averaged 2.4 assists per game (2nd on team), 2.2 steals per game (2nd on team), and 2.0 blocks per game (led team). His assist to turnover ratio was 2.1, which was also second on the team. Also on the RVCC roster this year is former Timothy Christian standout, Kristian Svendsen, who is also a sophomore at the school.