It doesn’t get much better for Alabama basketball. A day after opening what figures to be a promising season with a 93-64 win over Louisiana Tech, the Crimson Tide made a huge step toward ensuring the future success of its program.
Alabama received signatures from all five members of its 2022 recruiting class during the opening of the early signing period Wednesday, officially adding what could be the biggest talent haul in program history. The star-studded class currently sits at No. 3 in the Rivals team rankings and features four signees ranked inside the Rivals100.
Here’s a look at what Nate Oats had to say about each of the five players Alabama brought in on the day.
Rivals ranking: No. 12 nationally, No. 4 small forward
Previous school: Cane Ridge HS (Antioch, Tenn.)
Height/weight: 6-foot-9, 200 pounds
Quick facts: 2021 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year; averaged 24.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game for Cane Ridge High School, leading the Ravens to a 15-1 record and a trip to the Class AAA state championship game; father, Darrell Miller, played tight end for the Crimson Tide and under Gene Stallings in the early 90s.
Quote from Oats: “Brandon is a very talented and versatile player. I don't think you can put a position on him, and we feel he is one of the best pro prospects in the entire class. We are really excited to get him in our system and see what he can do. He is a 6-9 basketball player that can do everything. We've recruited him for a long time and have gotten to know him and his family well. We are beyond excited to get a player of his caliber in our program.”
Rivals ranking: No. 25 nationally, No. 5 point guard
Previous school: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds
Quick facts: Before transferring to IMG Academy in 2020, he led Cannon School (Charlotte, N.C.) to a 27-6 record and its first state championship since 2006, scoring 27 in the championship game; averaged 23.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.9 steals on his way to being named the 2020 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
Quote from Oats: "Jaden is the No. 1 point guard in the nation, and it was huge for us that we got his commitment first. There are a lot of other good players who want to play with an unselfish, pass-first point guard like Jaden. We think he is next in the line of great point guards since we've been here at Alabama following in Kira Lewis Jr., Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison's footsteps. Jalen is a proven winner and that is something that is important to us during recruiting, not just getting talented players. He comes from a great family and we are really excited to have him a part of our program for numerous reasons."
Rivals ranking: No. 43 nationally, No. 7 center
Previous school: Dorman HS (Roebuck, S.C.)
Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 210 pounds
Quick facts: Rated as the consensus No. 1 prep player in the state of South Carolina; plays for legendary coach Thomas Ryan at Dorman High School; led Dorman to a 21-5 record as a junior while averaging 15 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks across the 26 contests.
Quote from Oats: “Noah is a skilled big with size and the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. He is a great athlete with a lot of upside. He plays for one of the top programs in the state of South Carolina and we place a lot of value on that. Noah is going to be a good fit in our system. He has the ability to play inside-outside, take guys off the dribble and can play with his back to the basket."
Rivals ranking: No. 70 nationally, No. 15 shooting guard
Previous school: Richardson HS (Richardson, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 180 pounds
Quick facts: Led Richardson to the 6A state semifinals averaging 22 points, 4.9 rebounds and four assists per game in his junior year before; put up big numbers against elite competition on the AAU circuit over the summer, averaging 17 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for Team Trae Young
Quote from Oats: "Rylan is a very talented scoring guard. We feel he has a high ceiling and by playing in our system he will be able to maximize his potential. We like long, athletic shooters like Rylan who has proved he has the ability to score at a high clip this last summer. He is also a proven winner coming from Richardson High School, a program that consistently wins at a high level and is considered one of the top teams in Texas this year."
Rivals ranking: N/A
Previous schools: Dodge Citty (Kan.) CC/ Wofford
Height/weight: 6-foot-9, 220 pounds
Quick facts: Considered one of the top JUCO power forwards in the nation; began his collegiate career at Wofford and collected his first and only career double-double with 17 points and 11 boards against Carver College; shot 59 percent from the field his freshman season while totaling 30 points and 32 rebounds; originally signed with Wofford College out of Whale Branch High School; grew from 6-2 as a high school sophomore before plateauing at 6-9 as a senior
Quote from Oats: “We are very excited to sign such an athletic and skilled big man like Nick. He already has college experience both at the D-I and junior college levels. We have a history of success with junior college players here, particularly finding ones who may have flown under the radar, similar to James Rojas and Keon Ellis. We think he gives us a different dimension in the frontcourt. He may be the most versatile and athletic forward in all of junior college basketball right now. We are looking forward to adding an experienced frontcourt player to the roster next season."
Alabama received signatures from all five members of its 2022 recruiting class during the opening of the early signing period Wednesday, officially adding what could be the biggest talent haul in program history. The star-studded class currently sits at No. 3 in the Rivals team rankings and features four signees ranked inside the Rivals100.
Here’s a look at what Nate Oats had to say about each of the five players Alabama brought in on the day.
Brandon Miller, five-star small forward
Rivals ranking: No. 12 nationally, No. 4 small forward
Previous school: Cane Ridge HS (Antioch, Tenn.)
Height/weight: 6-foot-9, 200 pounds
Quick facts: 2021 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year; averaged 24.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game for Cane Ridge High School, leading the Ravens to a 15-1 record and a trip to the Class AAA state championship game; father, Darrell Miller, played tight end for the Crimson Tide and under Gene Stallings in the early 90s.
Quote from Oats: “Brandon is a very talented and versatile player. I don't think you can put a position on him, and we feel he is one of the best pro prospects in the entire class. We are really excited to get him in our system and see what he can do. He is a 6-9 basketball player that can do everything. We've recruited him for a long time and have gotten to know him and his family well. We are beyond excited to get a player of his caliber in our program.”
Jaden Bradley, four-star point guard
Rivals ranking: No. 25 nationally, No. 5 point guard
Previous school: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds
Quick facts: Before transferring to IMG Academy in 2020, he led Cannon School (Charlotte, N.C.) to a 27-6 record and its first state championship since 2006, scoring 27 in the championship game; averaged 23.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.9 steals on his way to being named the 2020 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
Quote from Oats: "Jaden is the No. 1 point guard in the nation, and it was huge for us that we got his commitment first. There are a lot of other good players who want to play with an unselfish, pass-first point guard like Jaden. We think he is next in the line of great point guards since we've been here at Alabama following in Kira Lewis Jr., Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison's footsteps. Jalen is a proven winner and that is something that is important to us during recruiting, not just getting talented players. He comes from a great family and we are really excited to have him a part of our program for numerous reasons."
Noah Clowney, four-star center
Rivals ranking: No. 43 nationally, No. 7 center
Previous school: Dorman HS (Roebuck, S.C.)
Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 210 pounds
Quick facts: Rated as the consensus No. 1 prep player in the state of South Carolina; plays for legendary coach Thomas Ryan at Dorman High School; led Dorman to a 21-5 record as a junior while averaging 15 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks across the 26 contests.
Quote from Oats: “Noah is a skilled big with size and the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. He is a great athlete with a lot of upside. He plays for one of the top programs in the state of South Carolina and we place a lot of value on that. Noah is going to be a good fit in our system. He has the ability to play inside-outside, take guys off the dribble and can play with his back to the basket."
Rylan Griffen, four-star shooting guard
Rivals ranking: No. 70 nationally, No. 15 shooting guard
Previous school: Richardson HS (Richardson, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 180 pounds
Quick facts: Led Richardson to the 6A state semifinals averaging 22 points, 4.9 rebounds and four assists per game in his junior year before; put up big numbers against elite competition on the AAU circuit over the summer, averaging 17 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for Team Trae Young
Quote from Oats: "Rylan is a very talented scoring guard. We feel he has a high ceiling and by playing in our system he will be able to maximize his potential. We like long, athletic shooters like Rylan who has proved he has the ability to score at a high clip this last summer. He is also a proven winner coming from Richardson High School, a program that consistently wins at a high level and is considered one of the top teams in Texas this year."
Nick Pringle, three-star power forward
Rivals ranking: N/A
Previous schools: Dodge Citty (Kan.) CC/ Wofford
Height/weight: 6-foot-9, 220 pounds
Quick facts: Considered one of the top JUCO power forwards in the nation; began his collegiate career at Wofford and collected his first and only career double-double with 17 points and 11 boards against Carver College; shot 59 percent from the field his freshman season while totaling 30 points and 32 rebounds; originally signed with Wofford College out of Whale Branch High School; grew from 6-2 as a high school sophomore before plateauing at 6-9 as a senior
Quote from Oats: “We are very excited to sign such an athletic and skilled big man like Nick. He already has college experience both at the D-I and junior college levels. We have a history of success with junior college players here, particularly finding ones who may have flown under the radar, similar to James Rojas and Keon Ellis. We think he gives us a different dimension in the frontcourt. He may be the most versatile and athletic forward in all of junior college basketball right now. We are looking forward to adding an experienced frontcourt player to the roster next season."
