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Alabama Basketball: Avery nabs big recruit while Pearl stumbles

By Ronald Evans

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 10: Avery Johnson the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide gives instructions to his team in the game against the Ole Miss Rebels during the second round of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 10: Avery Johnson the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide gives instructions to his team in the game against the Ole Miss Rebels during the second round of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The fortunes of Alabama basketball and the hardwood thumpers on the ‘Plains’ are diverging. Avery Johnson pulled a top priority recruit away from Georgetown.

As we wrote earlier, the FBI probe lingers over many programs, including Alabama. So far for Alabama basketball, no recent news indicates any Tide players have eligibility issues. Looking away from that still disturbing blip on the Tide’s radar, everything else about Alabama basketball looks great.

On Friday, a top priority recruit for the 2018 class announced his decision to join Alabama basketball. Javian Fleming is a 6-foot-9, 230 pound Center from Canton, MS. Fleming had more than 20 offers, including many top SEC schools. His final choice came down to the Tide or Georgetown.

Fleming is a 3-Star recruit and the 13th best Center in the 2018 recruiting class. His relationship with Alabama basketball assistant Antoine Pettway was an important reason for choosing the Tide.

Fleming will need to hone his offensive game. He will enter next season’s Tide roster capable of helping the Tide’s inside defense. His greatest current strength is rebounding.

Take a look at Javian in action. It is good to see he can put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket.

Aubie Roundball Trending Down

While Alabama basketball is ascendant, Auburn is heading in an opposite direction. Earlier this week the Tigers announced Austin Wiley and Daniel Purifoy are indefinitely suspended due to the FBI probe.

Thursday night the Auburn basketball program hit a new low. The Montgomery Advertiser wrote the perfect headline to describe the debacle, Dead and Barry’d.

The Tigers lost an exhibition game to Division II school, Barry University. Auburn went down by five points in overtime. It may or may not be a new all-time low for Auburn basketball. In the Tony Barbee tenure, Auburn lost to Division II, Columbus State. If the suspensions of Wiley and Purifoy are lengthy, (or permanent) Auburn will be for a long season.

It is sad but perhaps important to remember many Tide fans once loudly proclaimed Anthony Grant must be fired so Alabama could hire Bruce Pearl. Thankfully, the University of Alabama ignored such foolishness.

More praise for Tide freshman

Alabama basketball has been abuzz for months about super-star freshmen, Collin Sexton and John Petty. Both are expected to be future NBA stars. Lately, some new buzz coming out of Tuscaloosa is about another true freshman, Herb Jones. Jones was a bit of an under-the-radar recruit, but he is already turning heads.

Check out this tweet.

And this one.

Anytime an NBA scout comments on the defensive talent of true freshman, it is big news. When that true freshman is an Alabama basketball player who is not expected to start this season, it is a statement of how far the program has come under Avery Johnson.

Next: Saban and Smart- Only Stable Coaches in SEC Football

The LSU game is another big football recruiting weekend in Tuscaloosa. Check in with us throughout the weekend as we cover who visits and hopefully report on a couple of new commits.

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