Coach Crawford's Group All-Stars and 1,000-Point Scorers

Coach Jim Crawford

Jim Crawford
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  Jim Crawford coached basketball at Camden Catholic, in Cherry Hill, NJ, for 35 years (1979-2013), winning 10 conference championships, seven South Jersey sectional titles and three state crowns. He won his initial  state championship in 2001, and it was the school's first since 1942. Here is that story, as written by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi . . .

By Sam Carchidi

  ELIZABETH, NJ -- Jim Crawford is the kind of person who will tell you that each of his Camden Catholic High boys' basketball teams - whether it was his scrappy 10-15 contingent of 1979-80 or his 23-3 powerhouse of 1996-97 - has a special place in his heart. Each was distinctive, each had its own personality, each had its own set of leaders and unsung heroes.
  But, even if Crawford won't acknowledge it, this year's team, which plays with an uncanny sense of cohesiveness, will stand above the rest to represent the pinnacle of Crawford's wildly successful 23-year coaching tenure.
  Camden Catholic walked a tightrope yesterday and, just as it was about to fall, it somehow steadied itself in the waning minutes of regulation. The Irish, with their opponent weakened by foul problems, dominated the overtime and defeated Seton Hall Prep, 56-51, to capture their first NJSIAA Parochial A state title since 1942.
  When it was over, most of the 3,500 fans shook the Dunn Center with chants and applause and screams of joy.
  "Put it on!" someone shouted to Crawford after the teams exchanged handshakes. "You deserve it. "
  WEAR IT WITH PRIDE
  With that, Crawford reluctantly donned a kelly green sweater that a Camden Catholic graduate had presented to him. On the left side it read, "Parochial A State Champs."
  Seconds later, chants of "MVP, MVP" filled the air as Will Bakanowsky was presented Camden Catholic's most valuable player trophy. The 6-foot-9 junior had 17 points and 13 rebounds and, perhaps most important, was responsible for having two players foul out who tried to guard him. All told, five Seton Hall players fouled out, and the Irish outscored the Pirates, 31-6, at the foul line.
  "Mr. Crawford's been here a long time, and we wanted to win this for him," Bakanowsky said. "And he had a great job of scouting this team. We knew what they were going to do; all we had to do was execute."
  "I can't tell you how bad we wanted to win for Mr. Crawford," said 6-4 sophomore forward Nick Cangelosi, who scored nine of his 12 points in the second half. "We did this for him and everybody who has played here."
  "He's pretty much known as one of the best coaches in the state," added Mike Mangold, a sophomore reserve who contributed some brilliant second-half defense, "so this was all about getting this for him. We really wanted it, too, but we knew how much this meant to him. He's been very emotional all year."
  A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
  Bakanowsky, Nick Cangelosi and his twin brother, Eric, and Pete Adams supplied most of the offense. Mangold and Brian Gallagher provided solid defense.
There were other contributors, too, Adams pointed out: little-used reserves such as Byron Williams, Kevin Clark, Bill Christy and Bob O'Brien, along with Mike Sayles, Drew Rosenfeld and Terrance Long.
  "They pushed us hard in practice," Adams said. "They're a big part of this."
  This is the 13th straight year that Camden Catholic, a longtime South Jersey power, has won at least 20 games. But there always seemed a roadblock - a Christian Brothers Academy, a St. Joseph of Metuchen, a Seton Hall Prep - that got in the way of a state title.
  The close-but-no-cigar theme disappeared with a shocking overtime win over nationally ranked and tops-in-the-state CBA in Wednesday's sectional final. That almost made yesterday's state-final win anticlimactic.
Almost.
  The gentlemanly Crawford was congratulated by a generous flow of well-wishers after the game.
  "It was nice to see so many green and white jerseys here today," he said after raising his career record to 446-166. "This is a culmination of 23 years. . . . It was a steady climb and we finally made it. "
  His new sweater seemed to fit nicely.

SEASON BY SEASON
League / Overall
1979: 14-11
1980: 10-15
1981: 13-12
1982: 16-11
1983: 16-8
1984: 20-7
1985: 15-11
1986: 19-7
1987: 14-13
1988: 15-12
1989: 21-7
1990: 23-5
1991: 26-4
1992: 24-4
1993: 22-6
1994: 20-5
1995: 20-6
1996: 25-3
1997: 23-3
1998: 22-4
1999: 23-3
2000: 20-6
2001: 26-4
2002: 24-3
2003: 28-2
2004: 21-6
2005: 22-4
2006: 20-7
2007: 22-8
2008: 24-5
2009: 22-6
2010: 29-2
2011: 20-8
2012: 14-13
2013: 20-8 
TOTAL RECORD
35 Seasons, 1979-2013
Overall - 713-239
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CHAMPIONSHIPS
Conference
1984, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003,
2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010
Sectional
1993, 1994, 1996, 2001,
2003, 2008, 2010
State
2001, 2003, 2010

1993
Group A
At Lakewood
  Camden Catholic 65, Metuchen St. Joseph 50: Bill Burr, recently promoted from the JV, scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half as the Irish claimed their first sectional crown since 1974. Vinnie McCaffrey and Rich Racobaldo halved 24 points while Lew Procacci (also nine rebounds) and sub Jason Lavery added 10 points apiece.
1994
Group A
At Lakewood
  Camden Catholic 66, Lincroft Christian Brothers Academy 60: Bill Burr poured in 28 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the line (11-for-12 in all) over the final 23 seconds as CC stunned the nation's 19th best team, according to USA Today. Vinnie McCaffrey's long three provided the first lead, at 48-47. Frosh Tim Bieg, new to the starting lineup because of Mike Gould's injury, added 18 points.
1996
Group A
At Lakewood
  Camden Catholic 68, Lincroft Christian Brothers Academy 60: Kevin Crawford, son of coach Jim Crawford, shook off the bad vibes of an earlier-in-the-day car accident by scoring 24 points. He capped his outing by sniping 6-for-6 at the line over the final 37 seconds. The Irish shot 15-for-28 from the floor while building a 36-27 lead. Tim Bieg had 19 points and a triangle-and-two defense helped to muffle CBA's big guns.
2001
Parochial Group A
At Lakewood
  Camden Catholic 36, Lincroft Christian Brothers Academy 34 (OT): CBA entered this tilt at 25-0, then built a 23-12 lead over the first 16 minutes. No sweat. CC went ahead, 35-34, as Nick Cangelosi fed Will Bakanowsky (11 points) for a short, off-the-glass bucket with 32 ticks remaining. Cangelosi then forced a turnover and Bakanowsky went 1-for-2 at the line. CBA held the ball for the final two minutes of regulation before launching an off-balance, no-prayer shot. Pete Adams aided CC's cause with nine points, three steals.
2003
Parochial Group A
At Lakewood
  Camden Catholic 55, Richland St. Augustine 53: These teams entered play ranked first (CC) and second (SA) in South Jersey. The issue wasn't decided until Drew Rosenfeld , off a feed from Nick Cangelosi, canned a three-foot runner with 2.6 seconds remaining and SA followed with a half-court bomb that hit the rim. Over a stretch of 5:22 in the fourth quarter, 13 baskets produced ties or lead changes. Nick had 10 points while his twin, Eric, had 13. James Ulrich exploded for 26. The triumph raised CC's record to 26-1. Its loss had come in the season opener vs. Philly's St. Joseph's Prep.
2008
Non-Public Group A
At Jackson Liberty
  Camden Catholic 48, Absecon Holy Spirit 45: Soph Tim Crawford, nephew of coach Jim Crawford, totaled eight apiece of points/rebounds and, best of all, held HS' franchise big man, a Division I signee, to two points. Fellow sophs Anthony D'Orazio (16) and Gerry Wixted (12) also made crucial contributions. Over two stretches that lasted at least five minutes apiece, the Irish rolled to a 20-0 edge.
2010
Non-Public Group A
At Jackson Liberty
  Camden Catholic 62, Richland St. Augustine 51: Sherard Cadogan shot 7-for-10 and 5-for-5 while scoring 17 of his 19 points in the second half. Other headliners for the Irish, who grabbed 39 rebounds, included Anthony D'Orazio (19 points, eight boards) and Gerry Wixted (15, 11). CC led the rest of the way after making the score 6-4.

2001
Parochial Group A
At Dunn Center, in Elizabeth
  Camden Catholic 56, West Orange Seton Hall Prep 51 (OT): The Irish captured a state crown for the first time since 1942 in quite unusual fashion: They made no field goals in OT, but went 14-for-18 at the line. SHP had won five consecutive titles. Will Bakanowsky (17), Pete Adams (16) and Nick Cangelosi (10) scored in double digits. Nick's twin, Eric, just missed with nine.
2003
Parochial Group A
At Dunn Center, in Elizabeth
  Camden Catholic 45, Bergen Catholic 44: Eric Cangelosi notched 16 points and hit the back half of a double-bonus with 6.2 seconds left to provide a four-point lead. Twin Nick added 10 points as CC seized its second state crown in three years and claimed the school record for wins (27).
2010
Non-Public Group A
At Ritacco Center, in Toms River
  Camden Catholic 68, Jersey City St. Peter's Prep 63: Anthony D'Orazio shot 13-for-27 from the floor while racking up 31 points and giving CC its fifth state title in school history and third under coach Jim Crawford. Gerry Wixted offered 19 points and eight rebounds and his trey broke the game's last tie, at 56-53. Sherard Cadogan had 10 points, seven boards.