Alabama Basketball lands 5-star forward Derrion Reid

On Friday afternoon, Coach Nate Oats and the Alabama Basketball program received a commitment from 5-star forward Derrion Reid out of Prolific Prep in Napa, California. Reid chose the Tide over Georgia and Florida State.

According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Derrion Reid is the 14th best player in the country, the third-ranked power forward in the nation, and the top player in the state of California. 

Reid will be a very athletic and polished addition to the Alabama frontcourt, and has worked extensively to develop his perimeter game. 

With his commitment, Alabama Basketball should shoot up the rankings in the 2024 cycle. Bama had the 23rd-ranked class prior to adding Reid.

Derrion Reid joins a pair of 4-star forwards in Aidan Sherrell and Naas Cunningham to give the Crimson Tide a trio of top-60 players in the frontcourt. Interestingly enough, all three hail from the state of California, and Reid and Sherrell are teammates at Prolific Prep. The duo should bring chemistry to Tuscaloosa, and should add to the winning culture of the Alabama Basketball program under Coach Oats.

In the current state of college sports, amidst the chaos of the transfer portal and the unpredictability of NBA Draft decisions, there’s no way to know which players Alabama Basketball will retain from its 2023-24 roster. With that being said, it's comforting to know that Bama will have a baseline level of talent and athleticism with this recruiting class coming in. 

This group, along with any other players Oats signs in this cycle, will be joined by returnees and transfer portal additions to make up the 2024-25 roster. Nate Oats is one of the sport’s best coaches in terms of offseason work and roster reconstruction, so there will be no lack of talent in Tuscaloosa as long as he’s at the helm.