Sam Webb, Getty
2022 Center Ernest Udeh Jr. Talks Alabama Interest and Decision Timeline
2022 center Ernest Udeh Jr. released his Top 10 list of finalists August 16, and since then has been visited by various college basketball programs.
Alabama, as one of the ten options he listed, visited with Udeh Jr. in Orlando, Florida, where he attends Dr. Phillips High, and the Crimson Tide coaching staff has remained in steady contact before and since dating back to the summer.
"We just talked about my game and where I was at, and where I am in the recruiting process," Udeh Jr. said of a recent visit by Alabama coaches. "And then after my afternoon workout, coach B [assistant Bryan Hodgson] came over and we talked about the drills I did with my shooting, and I really enjoyed hearing about how they think I can do this, this, and that."
But as one of the top-rated uncommitted prospects in his class, the Orlando-native hasn't closed the door on any of his ten choices, which, beside Alabama, include Overtime Elite, a professional option, Michigan, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Tennessee, UCLA, Miami, and Baylor.
Within the same day as the Crimson Tide visiting, members of the Miami staff, the Kansas staff, Michigan, Florida, and Baylor all took time with Udeh Jr.
And out of all the schools, Alabama approached him originally with a unique situation, one that has changed as the coaching staff's perception of him has changed since first watching him play.
"They offered me, of course, but they always told me they didn't really plan to recruit any bigs, and then they saw me at a game in Atlanta, I believe, and they liked how I played," Udeh Jr. said of Alabama's coaching staff. "They like how I'm able to use my legs, and at my size how I'm able to get up and down the court, and they think that really translates to how they play."
With no official decision date set, the senior plans to lock in some official visits over the course of the next few months, with Alabama being one of his options.
Visiting college campuses nationwide will give him a chance to see different perspectives from the usual recruiting pitch offered by coaches, something he's prioritizing in the process.
"You're gonna develop a relationship with everyone that's recruiting you, but that thing of being a highly-recruited guy, you can't really pay too much attention to it. Don't get me wrong, it's important, but it starts getting repetitive." Udeh Jr. said. "So when I start taking visits, I'm for sure gonna talk to the players about what it's like and how they interact and all that, just to get a feel if what they're [coaches] saying is really what it is."
Listed at 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, the center has been proactive in offseason training, as well, and is focusing on which programs value his position the most.
Not only that, though, Udeh Jr. knows he wants to play in the NBA one day, and going to a school he trusts to correctly develop the requisite skills required as a pro is at or near the top of the list of considerations.
"Me and my coaches, we've always discussed being a one-and-done, or maybe just two years, and just being able to be developed to do that is where I want to go," Udeh Jr. said. "Going somewhere that can get me ready for the next level, but also going somewhere where I can win is what I'm looking into."
Udeh Jr. plans to decide on a school either in late-2021 or early-2022, but doesn't see himself "dragging it out" and being one of the last senior prospects to sign to a college program, either.
And as someone with many options available, he said he'll be keeping up with college basketball this season more than ever because, going back to "if what they're saying is really what it is," the playing style of certain schools will be a factor in "the biggest decision" of his life to this point.
