PEORIA, Ill. - Jalen Crawford officially became Geno Ford's first Bradley Basketball recruit today with the announcement the 6-foot-2 combo guard from Detroit has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Bradley University and play basketball for the Braves during the 2011-12 season.

"Jalen will be a great addition to the Bradley Family," said Ford.  "He will be a good representative of our program in the classroom and on the floor.  He is a versatile player who can shoot the ball and create for others."

Crawford averaged 21 points, five assists and five rebounds per game during his senior season at Oak Park High School in 2009-10.  During the 2010-11 season, Crawford attended the Las Vegas prep school Impact Academy, where he averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, playing primarily on the West Coast against a wide range of competition.

"I'm very excited about coming to Bradley," said Crawford.  "It was the best decision for me and my family agrees.  The academics at Bradley and prestige of the school are all very exciting to me and I can't wait to get started.

"Coach Ford is a great guy," Crawford added.  "He's very enthusiastic, very determined.  The word I want to use is 'live.'  He's really into the whole thing.  He believes he can win and he can win quickly.  It's always good to have a coach with that kind of confidence."

"Jalen is from a very successful basketball family who understands the unique opportunities and challenges of playing at the highest levels of college basketball," Ford added.

Crawford is the younger brother of former college stars Jordan and Joe Crawford.  Jordan played collegiately at Indiana (2007-08) and Xavier (2008-10) and was a first-round NBA Draft pick in 2010 by the New Jersey Nets.  He began his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks, but averaged 16.3 points per game after moving to the Washington Wizards in February.  Joe Crawford played at Kentucky (2004-08) and was a second-round pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and has played professionally in the NBA Developmental League, as well as China.