2023 Alabama Basketball Recruiting: August Edition
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.—
Alabama is coming off a monster 2022 recruiting class, headlined by potential first round pick Brandon Miller, who shined in their foreign tour games in Barcelona and Paris. Many fans are wondering what comes next for the Tide with their 2023 class that has one commit already in four-star and top 100 forward Samuel Walters. While I do not necessarily see another top 3 class coming this year for the Tide, that does not mean that there are not players who can impact the Alabama program in the 2023 class. The 2023 class is not seen as a class that is as strong as 2022 was from top to bottom, but there are multiple multi-year players available that can add value to programs beyond their freshman year.
Let’s start with an overview of spots available for Alabama to recruit. Alabama is expected, in my mind, to have a minimum of three spots. For the sake of this exercise, let’s not assume anything about players turning pro or potentially transferring as we are only in August and there is a whole lot of basketball to be played between now and March. One of these spots is the current open scholarship spot that was not used for the 2022-2023 season. The other two spots become available through Noah Gurley and Dom Welch having their eligibility exhausted. One of these spots is being filled by commitment Sam Walters which leaves two more open spots to be filled. Keep in mind that this is the minimum number of available spots at this moment and more could come open. Alabama could sign more than three or less than three players in the 2023 class given the transfer portal will once again have a plethora of talent come the offseason. Alabama has been successful thus far in landing players both from the grassroots level and through the transfer portal and the numbers will always work themselves out. Let’s look at some potential options for Alabama from the grassroots level.
Davin Cosby
First, let’s look at a known official visitor – Davin Cosby. Cosby is a 6’5” shooting guard who is ranked 177th currently in the 247 Composite Rankings. Keep in mind when seeing that ranking that only On3 has updated their player rankings for this class since the summer live periods and Cosby should see himself move into the top 100. I find myself to be a bit higher on Cosby than most due to me seeing his style as incredibly translatable to the college level – especially with what Alabama likes to do. Cosby is a quality shooter who excels in catch and shoot scenarios but can create separation through step-backs or using dribble combos to get to the rim. Per Synergy, Cosby shot 35% from three this summer on 134 attempts for Team Loaded VA. In catch and shoot scenarios from three-point land, Cosby was 37% on 102 attempts. His offensive points per possession on all field goal attempts lands at 1.055 but is at an impressive 1.107 PPP in catch-and-shoot shot types. Cosby also possesses good length and has tools to be a more than capable defender. From an Alabama standpoint, his length and shooting ability looks to be a good fit for a multi-year prospect who would have multiple opportunities to showcase his talent.
Cosby is transferring to Word of God in North Carolina to play his senior year next to Tennessee commit – and one time Alabama target – Freddie Dilione and should see his stock continue to rise in his senior year. Cosby will visit Alabama over Labor Day weekend and has other visits set up to Virginia and Tennessee. LSU, USC, and NC State are other schools hoping to receive one of his final official visits. Cosby also officially visited Wake Forest and the end of July. The three schools that come up the most when I speak with others on Cosby are Alabama, Tennessee, and Wake Forest. Cosby is currently expected to take all his visits, but if he finds a school, he feels comfortable with on a visit he could always end his recruitment earlier. Alabama is a threat in this recruitment, but there is still a long way to go.
RJ Johnson
RJ Johnson is an interesting name. Johnson is slated to announce his commitment sometime during Labor Day weekend and has a final five of Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Georgia, Tulane, and Wichita State. Johnson received an offer last night and I sat down with Johnson last night to discuss his recruitment. Johnson is not currently ranked in the 247 Composite rankings but should see himself near the top 100 when all rankings are updated. Johnson is a bulldog type of point guard who does all the little things. He’ll get into opposing guards and defend, he rebounds at a high level for his size, and gets to the free throw line at a high level. Per Synergy, Johnson shot 38% from three, but only on a small sample of 34 attempts. The more worrisome stat on Johnson’s Synergy page is his 18.9% turnover percentage. Would this percentage be lower in a more controlled role and having more ball handlers around him? I would venture to say yes. Johnson did have an impressive summer on the defensive side of the ball for the Georgia Stars EYBL program. Johnson possesses qualities you like to see in a multi-year guard who doesn’t have to contribute a ton from day one with the influx of ball handlers Alabama may have back next season in Jaden Bradley, Mark Sears and Nimari Burnett.
Kaden Cooper
Kaden Cooper is another player whose national ranking will skyrocket once all recruiting services update their rankings. He currently sits at 156th nationally but is widely considered to be a top 50 player. Cooper had a strong summer for Team Trae Young on the 3SSB circuit after reclassifying up to the 2023 class. Cooper is currently down to ten schools which includes Alabama. Cooper is a big-time player and athlete who impacts the game in a variety of ways. He is a strong finisher who can play above the rim through cutting and creating lob opportunities but can also put it on the floor to slash to the rim. He has an improving jumper to work with and should see it continue to improve throughout his collegiate career. His athleticism and length make him a great defender as well on the wing. He has all the tools to be a high-impact player on this side of the ball where he can jump passing lanes, block shots, and lock down opponents. Cooper continues to improve on both sides of the ball and will be a winning player for whichever college he chooses. Cooper will visit LSU and Kansas in September. He has already visited Gonzaga and Oklahoma as well. It remains to be seen if Alabama will push for and/or land an official visit before a potential commitment around October.
Mouhamed Dioubate
Mouhamed Dioubate just received an Alabama offer on Monday, August 15th and had Alabama in his final 5 schools, he announced today. His list, along with Alabama, includes Kansas State, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Wake Forest. Dioubate is ranked 102nd nationally in the 247 Composite Rankings and is an intriguing wing/forward prospect with loads of potential. Dioubate is a high-level defender who makes a huge impact on that end of the floor. He possesses great length and athleticism which allows him to alter shots at the rim, get into passing lanes, and shrink the floor. In the 2021-2022 season Alabama desperately lacked length which was a theme in the 2022 recruiting class for the Tide. Dioubate certainly offers this for the 2023 class as well. Dioubate offensively is not a three-point shooter at this point in his development, but that is not to say that his jumper can’t continue to improve and extend out to the three-point line. In EYBL this summer, he was primarily utilized offensively around the rim, as a roller in PNR, and a cutter. A player like Juwan Gary, who was a fan favorite for his defensive energy and doing the dirty work on offense, is a type of player I can see Dioubate resembling for Alabama. Dioubate is a name to continue to track and see if Alabama ramps up their recruitment of him. It is very early in Alabama’s official recruitment of Dioubate, so there is still plenty of time to watch this one play out.
These are just a few of the names Alabama has been reported to be after for their 2023 class, but more names will continue to be added to the list, I am sure. Could a player like Kris Parker, Jaylen Curry, or Comeh Emuobor that holds an Alabama offer have their recruitment heat up? Could a guard like Vasean Allette from Canada who is a dynamic offensive player be added to this list in the future? Will there be players Alabama is after in a talented 2024 class reclassify up – like we saw from Josh Primo – that could headline Alabama’s 2023 class? Are there players Alabama is pursuing with mutual interest that perhaps just haven’t been reported at this point? There are still plenty of questions to be answered and plenty of time to have answers revealed. There is plenty of excitement surrounding the Alabama program following back-to-back tournament appearances for the first time in a long time and following the extremely successful foreign tour headlined by defeating the Chinese National Team – a top 30 program in the FIBA rankings. The countdown to November 7th continues.
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