Alabama Basketball: Avery Johnson pulls in another 5-Star guard

Alabama basketball added to its 2018 class on Friday when Top 30 player, Kira Lewis committed to Avery Johnson. Lewis will re-classify from the 2019 class.

In the Alabama basketball 2017 signing class, the Crimson Tide was rated as the No. 8 among all Division 1 teams. The jewel in that class was 5-Star, Collin Sexton. With Sexton moving up to the NBA after one season, the Tide needed a point guard. PG, Jared Butler was signed in the 2018 class. Butler, a 4-star recruit is believed to not have been cleared to play for health reasons.

The 2018 point guard situation took another turn on Friday. Top 30, 4-Star (5-Star rated by 247Sports) Kira Lewis committed to Alabama basketball. Lewis has been a priority target for the 2019 class but he decided to re-classify to the 2018 class.

Originally it was expected Lewis could not join the team until December. The latest plans are for Lewis to enroll in August, making him immediately eligible.

How good is Lewis? A year ago he was a not a highly rated recruit. Then he exploded at the high school level and in the high-profile AAU circuit.

On the basis of two 4-Star players, Juwan Gary and Jaylen Forbes, Alabama basketball has the No. 7, 2019 class. Lewis will bump that ranking higher, far above the current No. 53 national ranking.

Lewis is from Hazel Green, AL, near Huntsville. He is the No. 3 rated PG in the 2019 class. Lewis had offers from over 30 schools. Included in those offers were Kansas, Indiana, Louisville, Tennessee, Auburn, Vandy, LSU, Baylor, UCLA and Xavier. Kentucky was probably the biggest threat to Alabama basketball because Kira grew up a Wildcats fan.

How good is Kira? Check out the video below.

One way to measure Kira is to compare him to Collin Sexton. Sexton is faster. Who isn’t? Lewis is a better outside shooter and he attacks the rim more efficiently. It is too early in Kira’s career to make defensive comparisons. Perhaps, he does not have swagger equal to Colin. Maybe he cannot yet carry a team on his back. But he is good, very good. Good enough to take over the 2018 point guard role in a few games, even with a late arrival.

Lewis is a long six-foot-three best described as a slasher. Though rated by the recruiting services as a point guard, he is more a combo guard. Avery will have flexibility with him, though it is hard for most Alabama basketball fans to not want Kira running the team at the point.

Lewis has played AAU ball with another priority Crimson Tide recruit in the 2019 class, Trendon Watford. Watford is a 5-Star, rated as the No. 14 player in the nation. Memphis is believed to lead for Watford but now Avery, Antoine and Kira can triple team him to choose the Crimson Tide.