Updated: 4:20 p.m. on April 1, 2026
Life for Jason Crowe Jr. is about to change in a big way.
The 6-foot-4 senior guard at Inglewood High School United played in the McDonald’s All-American Game in Phoenix on Tuesday where he was named co-MVP. The prestigious event is an annual showcase featuring the nation’s top boys and girls high school basketball players, and it’s considered a launching pad for future NBA stars.
The honor places the 17-year-old among an elite class of athletes who have dominated at the high school level, like Shaquille O’Neal, James Harden and Anthony Edwards.
“It’s every freshman’s dream, every high schooler’s dream, to be accepted into those games, so I am blessed to be able to participate,” Jason told The LA Local during a private practice held at Inglewood High earlier this month.
Jason will graduate from Inglewood in June and then head to the University of Missouri to begin his college basketball career.
He leaves behind a historic high school run, becoming California’s all-time leading scorer with more than 4,700 points, according to Max Preps, the online publication that tracks high school sports.
And he did all of this playing for public schools, something that’s uncommon in the world of elite high school basketball, where stars often go to private schools or academies. Jason’s father and coach, Jason Crowe Sr., told The LA Local the family’s roots in Inglewood run deep — the younger Jason plays for Inglewood, his father coaches and played for the same school, and his grandfather, Kenneth Crowe, served as principal of Inglewood High School.
“I think a community school provides love and different resources that private schools don’t,” Crowe said of his son playing at Inglewood High. “We can afford private school, but I think it was very important for me to have my son here.”
As Jason prepared for Tuesday’s game, he said he’s taking it all in stride but remains clear about his goals.
“When you know that you’re this close to a dream that you’ve had since you were a kid, there’s no reason not to work your hardest to accomplish that dream,” he said.
Following in the footsteps of Inglewood greats
Leading up to what was most likely the biggest moment of his career so far, Jason was focused on training, fine-tuning his skills, and representing Inglewood on a national stage while at an early-morning practice on March 13.
He ran drills with a teammate that day for about two hours at Inglewood’s gym, starting around 7 a.m. His father was there to give him pointers as he yelled out words of motivation.
“Now it’s just putting the work in to be successful,” Jason said about playing in the All American Game.
Jason takes pride in following in the footsteps of famous Inglewood players like Paul Pierce and Byron Scott.
“I feel blessed to be alongside those names,” he said. “I’ve done great in high school, but they’ve done great on a professional level, but that’s what I’m looking forward to working on.”
According to the NBA’s website, Jason is one of the country’s most promising young players, having outscored all other California high school players — including NBA stars like Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson.
“It’s crazy to think about,” Jason told the NBA’s reporting arm in February after breaking the state scoring record in December.
Pierce, an Inglewood native and 2008 NBA Finals MVP, is Jason’s mentor and was also his father’s teammate at Inglewood High in the early 1990s, according to the NBA.
“That’s my uncle,” Jason told the league. “He really gives a good perspective on the game.”
Why he stayed in public schools
Jason’s basketball journey is not like most A-list high school hoopers.
His father said he made the decision to keep his son in public schools because he also played at Inglewood, and he valued the community’s support. He wanted to show others that they don’t need money to be successful, and they can let talent speak for itself.
“I believe that public school is still an option,” said Crowe, who played professional basketball with the Clippers.
Crowe said he has been coaching his son since he was 8 years old. Jason spent his first two years of high school at Lynwood High School with his father as coach.
Jason then transferred to Inglewood for his junior and senior years after his father was hired as head coach at Inglewood, Crowe said, where the Sentinels won the Ocean League championship two years in a row.
“When I look back on the season, I feel like we had a very successful season, though we didn’t win the [state] championship this year,” Jason said.
The Sentinels were eliminated by Damien High School in Laverne in the first round of California’s Division 1 state tournament, Max Preps reported, but Jason’s rise has not gone unnoticed.
After helping Inglewood win the Ocean League championship, Jason and his teammates were recognized by the Inglewood Unified School District Board of Education and the Inglewood City Council this month.
“I’m just proud of the work, the dedication and the sacrifice he’s put in,” Crowe said. “I’ve been able to see it firsthand and participate in it. It’s been fun to see.”
Bernadette Lucas, Inglewood Unified assistant superintendent of educational services, praised Jason as a model student-athlete whose success reflects the best of the district.
“What we are most proud of, is who he is as a human being,” Lucas told The LA Local. “That’s reflected in his athletics, that’s reflected in his academics, that’s reflected in who he is.”
“It’s all credited to his parents, his family, and the support he’s received,” Lucas said.
