Recruiting Rundown: Hoops Adjacent

Sports Illustrated released its Top 25 College Basketball Recruiting Rankings, and the Alabama Crimson Tide find itself ranked 15th in the nation. The programs ranked in front of Alabama shouldn't be a surprise to anyone: Kentucky and Duke are No. 1 and 2, respectively, Mikey Williams' commitment puts Memphis at No. 4, and Tennessee - the only other SEC program ranked in front of the Tide - is ranked No. 8.

In year four of Nate Oats at Alabama, the recruiting effort is starting to pay off as Brandon Miller, Jaden Bradley and Noah Clowney are all paying dividends on the court. Bradley is making solid progress as he gets over a foot injury, Clowney owns the glass, and Miller is proving worthy of all the preseason accolades and NBA draft stock.

The 2023 class isn't as high-profile, at least on paper, as its predecessor, but the major positive of this class is something that can often go unnoticed: fit.

More often than not, it's about recruiting the best possible talent, but the players in Alabama's class are a lot of what Nate Oats said he wants in players: athletic, long and tough.

"Combined at multiple positions this class will be able to step in right away and replace the players that we are losing and we are excited to welcome them to the University of Alabama," Nate Oats said in a press release. "They are all high character kids that will mesh well with our current players so we are excited to watch them their senior year and get to campus.”

If there are two things the program could use, it is a true stretch big and a forward who can penetrate, and Oats is getting just that in Sam Walters and Mouhamed Dioubate. Davin Cosby is another tough guard who's a multi-level scorer. R.J. Johnson is the best player in Alabama.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Oats could use either of the forwards this season, and although the backcourt is crowded, Cosby and Johnson pack enough scoring punch to get minutes (how many will depend on how well they defend).

Regardless, Alabama basketball is trending in the right direction, and it's in part to the guys taking the court next fall.

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