Alabama Basketball Makes Splash, Lands 2020 6'11 PF Alex Tchikou

The French native recently announced his intentions to reclassify to the 2020 class and is now headed to Tuscaloosa

The University of Alabama men's basketball program just added some length and depth to its front court for next season. 

Four-star power forward Alex Tchikou, who recently announced his intentions to reclassify to the 2020 recruiting class from 2021, has verbally committed to Nate Oats' program. 

Standing at 6-foot-11 and 200 pounds, the native Frenchman is an elite athlete, who has length, size and range. He can defend at a high level, and on offense, his game extends out to beyond the arc, where he can knock down the three-point shot consistently. 

Tchikou has drawn comparisons to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. Oats' fast-paced style appears to be a great fit for him, as a big man who can stretch the floor and cause mismatches for opposing teams.

His final eight schools to choose from included Arizona, Florida State, Illinois, Mississippi State, Oregon, St. John’s, St. Mary's and USC. He also had reported offers from Baylor, Arkansas, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Kansas, NC State, Texas A&M, UCLA, and others. 

Crimson Tide assistant Bryan Hodgson was Tchikou's primary recruiter throughout this process. He will join a class of newcomers that include four-star combo guard Joshua Primo, four-star forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton, three-star forward Darius Miles, JUCO transfer Keon Ellis, and Yale transfer Jordan Bruner. 

With point guard Kira Lewis Jr. staying in the NBA draft and wing Herbert Jones returning to Tuscaloosa for his senior season, the team is still waiting on official word from John Petty Jr., regarding his professional prospects, but the addition of Tchikou puts the team at the scholarship limit for now.

Tchikou moved from France to the United States in 2018 and just finished his prep career at Dream City Christian in Glendale, Ari. On the 247Sports Composite, he ranks as the No. 58 overall player in this cycle and the eleventh best power forward in the nation.