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Alabama lands basketball commitment on 4th of July, a 4-star forward from Florida
Alabama landed another commitment (in a different sport) on the Fourth of July.
Diante Smith, a small forward from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has committed to Alabama.
āI like their play-style and I feel like me and coach Avery (Johnson) can do something special together,ā Smith told BamaOnLine of why he chose the Crimson Tide over schools like LSU and TCU.
The Florida native picked up an offer from Alabama after a hot start to the AAU circuit this spring. He officially added the UA tender to his list after the OnTheRadarHoops tournament in late April.
āItās definitely a top one,ā Smith said of UA at the time of the offer. āI like Coach Johnson. He knows guard work and guard skills and stuff. I feel like he could help me a lot.ā
Alabamaās Yasir Rosemond is Smithās primary recruiter.
āCoach Rosemond and me have a relationship that felt like we been knowing each other for years,ā Smith said. āI like that heās young, chill, and heās been recruiting me since he was at UGA.ā
Smith recently took an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa, at which point he said he knew Alabama was the school for him.
A three-star recruit, Smith is the No. 15 player in the state of Florida, No. 54 small forward and No. 217 overall basketball prospect, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Per 247Sports, however, Smith is rated as a four-star prospect and is the No. 9 player in Florida, No. 34 small forward and No. 133 overall 2019 recruit.
Smith averaged 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 blocks and 2.3 steals per game for Choctawhatchee (Fla.) Senior last season. He shot 56.0 percent from the floor, 41.0 percent from beyond the three-point line and 62.0 percent from the free-throw line.
247Sportsā Evan Daniels said this of the three-star prospect earlier this summer.
Other top targets in the class include 247Sports five-star point guard Kira Lewis of Hazel Green (Ala.), who was also recently on campus, and five-star forward Trendon Watford of Mountain Brook (Ala.) to name a couple.
The Tide signed the nationās No. 53 class in the 2018 cycle, headlined by four-star guard Jared Butler. Three-star in-state standout Diante Wood and Mississippi center Javian Fleming also joined the fold.
Alabama landed another commitment (in a different sport) on the Fourth of July.
Diante Smith, a small forward from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has committed to Alabama.
āI like their play-style and I feel like me and coach Avery (Johnson) can do something special together,ā Smith told BamaOnLine of why he chose the Crimson Tide over schools like LSU and TCU.
The Florida native picked up an offer from Alabama after a hot start to the AAU circuit this spring. He officially added the UA tender to his list after the OnTheRadarHoops tournament in late April.
āItās definitely a top one,ā Smith said of UA at the time of the offer. āI like Coach Johnson. He knows guard work and guard skills and stuff. I feel like he could help me a lot.ā
Alabamaās Yasir Rosemond is Smithās primary recruiter.
āCoach Rosemond and me have a relationship that felt like we been knowing each other for years,ā Smith said. āI like that heās young, chill, and heās been recruiting me since he was at UGA.ā
Smith recently took an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa, at which point he said he knew Alabama was the school for him.
A three-star recruit, Smith is the No. 15 player in the state of Florida, No. 54 small forward and No. 217 overall basketball prospect, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Per 247Sports, however, Smith is rated as a four-star prospect and is the No. 9 player in Florida, No. 34 small forward and No. 133 overall 2019 recruit.
Smith averaged 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 blocks and 2.3 steals per game for Choctawhatchee (Fla.) Senior last season. He shot 56.0 percent from the floor, 41.0 percent from beyond the three-point line and 62.0 percent from the free-throw line.
247Sportsā Evan Daniels said this of the three-star prospect earlier this summer.
āSmith has good size, length and athleticism for a wing player. Smith is capable of making threes, has a knack for finding open teammates on drives and has potential as a defender.ā
The 6-foot-6, 195-pound small forward is the Tideās first commitment in the 2019 recruiting cycle, which gives Alabama the No. 37 class in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings, ahead of teams like Baylor, Duke and Virginia Tech to name a few. Other top targets in the class include 247Sports five-star point guard Kira Lewis of Hazel Green (Ala.), who was also recently on campus, and five-star forward Trendon Watford of Mountain Brook (Ala.) to name a couple.
The Tide signed the nationās No. 53 class in the 2018 cycle, headlined by four-star guard Jared Butler. Three-star in-state standout Diante Wood and Mississippi center Javian Fleming also joined the fold.
