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The Tuscaloosa News
How Alabama basketball built an epic recruiting class fueling a March Madness run
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- How Alabama basketball built an epic recruiting class fueling a March Madness run
Alabama basketball assistant coach Antoine Pettway has seen his share of freshman recruiting classes at UA, having spent time as a player, director of operations and an assistant coach over the past 20 years.
He said the 2022 recruiting class is the best with which he's been associated.
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"It's been great to be around these guys," Pettway told The Tuscaloosa News. "They're really, really good dudes and they want to win. They came in and wanted to be a part of something special, and they worked like they want to be part of something special. It's been awesome to be a part of."
The 247Sports Composite ranked the class No. 3 in the country behind only Duke and Arkansas. The group has been integral in Alabama's success this season, winning the SEC title and SEC Tournament while earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Brandon Miller was named the SEC player of the year, and Jaden Bradley and Noah Clowney earned spots on the All-SEC freshman team.
As the Crimson Tide (31-5) prepares to face No. 5 seed San Diego State (29-6) in the Sweet 16 on Friday (5:30 p.m., TBS), here's the story behind the recruitment of Alabama's best class of all time, as told by the coaches who recruited them.
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Brandon Miller, five-star forward
Primary recruiter: Bryan Hodgson
Not long after Hodgson got his assistant coaching job at Alabama, he started looking up athletes in the younger classes to recruit. Soon, he learned about Miller.
Eventually, when Alabama was playing Vanderbilt, Hodgson decided to stop at one of Miller's high school games in Nashville when Miller was in 10thgrade.
"Fell in love with him right away," Hodgson said. "Just the length, athleticism, basketball IQ. Once I was able to start calling him once that deadline passed, reached out and built a relationship with him and his family."
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That included getting Facetime video calls from Miller at random times at night. Hodgson would answer, even when he was in bed.
"He literally would say, 'What are you doing?' I'd say, 'I'm in bed. What are you doing?' He'd say, 'I'm just laying here,'" Hodgson recalled. "We would just talk about life."
Hodgson had to be on his A-game to land Miller, whose dad played football at Alabama . The five-star forward had interest from all over the country, making trips to Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and more.
"Every time he would visit those places, I would be a little bit nervous," Hodgson said. "He would always tell me, 'Coach, I love Alabama. That's where I want to be.'"
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Even with pro opportunities also making a strong push, Miller eventually backed up those words.
"When he called me and finally told me, 'I'm putting it out I'm coming to Alabama,' I was ecstatic," Hodgson said.
Jaden Bradley, five-star guard
Primary recruiter: Bryan Hodgson
Hodgson started paying attention to Bradley early.
Hodgson is from Jamestown, New York, while Bradley is from Rochester, about 2.5 hours away. So Hodgson knew about the accolades Bradley had all the way back to middle school.
"Jaden has been a high-level player since he was a young kid," Hodgson said.
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Hodgson is good friends with the person who works out Bradley back home. He started building a relationship with Bradley's family, with whom he has several mutual friends.
Once Bradley made the move to powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Hodgson started visiting him there to continue building the relationship.
"We've had a lot of success with point guards," Hodgson said. "That was something he wanted to be a part of."
Rylan Griffen, four-star guard
Primary recruiter: Bryan Hodgson
Griffen popped up on Hodgson's radar the summer before his junior year. Hodgson started watching Griffen on the AAU circuit and immediately could tell Griffen had a scorer's mentality.
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"Man, he just had a knack for scoring the basketball," Hodgson said. "Coach (Nate Oats) always says you can find a role for those guys."
Hodgson wanted to find that role, so he kept making trips to Dallas to build a relationship with the four-star guard and his family. Hodgson talked plenty with Griffen on the phone, too. They discussed Alabama's games, Griffen's games and even some NBA games.
"I probably spent more time on the phone with Rylan than I did anybody," Hodgson said.
They talked seemingly every day. Sometimes more than once.
Hodgson said Griffen quickly realized Alabama would be a good fit for him because of how many 3-pointers Alabama shoots and how the Crimson Tide gets up and down the floor.
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"As much as I was recruiting him, he started really falling in love with what we were doing," Hodgson said. "It was really a mutual deal. Both sides realized this was the place."
Noah Clowney, four-star forward
Primary recruiter: Antoine Pettway
Pettway got a call from AAU coach Demond Stephens that he needed to check out a "really good" big man from South Carolina.
So, Pettway made a trip to the Palmetto State to see Clowney.
"I watched him play one game, and I called Nate Oats," Pettway said. "'We got to get you to Rock Hill tomorrow, man. I just saw one of the best bigs in the country.'"
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The next day, Oats was in South Carolina. The recruitment began from there.
If there were any lingering doubts, Pettway knew Alabama had to have Clowney once he saw him at the NBA camp in Orlando.
"He went down there and tore it up," Pettway said. "As he played and we saw him even more, we knew he had to be a priority."
Pettway said Oats turned up the recruiting on Clowney after the NBA camp.
"I'll never forget the night he called me to tell me he was coming to Alabama," Pettway said. "We were super excited because we knew the potential he had and the impact he could have as a freshman for us."
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Nick Pringle, three-star forward (junior college)
Mar 16, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; Alabama forward Nick Pringle (23) puts down a dunk at Legacy Arena. Alabama advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 96-75 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
Primary recruiter: Bryan Hodgson
Hodgson had no idea who Nick Pringle was. Not until a junior college jamboree in Dallas.
Hodgson was watching Dodge City (Kan.) Community College play when he saw the future Alabama forward.
"There's this 6-9, 225-pound kid out there grabbing rebounds with his ears above the rim," Hodgson said. "Then I watched a couple possessions and he's switching ball screens and sitting down and guarding guards. I watch him get up and down the floor at a high, high level."
Hodgson called Oats. "I think I found an option for us at the five spot."
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Soon thereafter, Oats went up to Kansas to see Pringle. Oats felt the same way as Hodgson.
"We told Nick how we use our bigs," Hodgson said. "We showed him film of how bigs fit into our system. It was a matter of weeks and Nick had committed to us."
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Alabama built the recruiting class fueling its March Madness run
