Avery Johnson and Alabama got some great news Monday when Top 100 recruit Jared Butler announced for the Crimson Tide.
Butler, the highly sought after point guard from Reverse, Louisiana, announced his intention to sign with Alabama, becoming the first 2018 commitment for the class.
https://twitter.com/J_Hooper11/status/920077754758025217
With the expectation being that Collin Sexton and John Petty are more than likely one and done in Tuscaloosa this year, Johnson has found at least one of their replacements in Butler.
Butler chose Alabama over the likes of Virginia, Baylor, Southern Cal, Wichita State and Texas, continuing Johnson and his staff’s strong momentum on the recruiting trail.
Butler will join Tevin Mack, a transfer from Texas that will have to sit out this year, in the crop of players who will be eligible for the Tide in the 2018-2019 season.
Javian Fleming, a 6-9 center from Mississippi, could possibly become the next highly touted recruit to join the 2018 Crimson Tide recruiting class as he narrowed his list to Alabama and Georgetown on October 1.
As for Butler, he has shown some similarities to Sexton.
He isn’t as flashy, but he is another scoring point guard that goes all out on the defensive end of the court, and that’s certainly an attribute that Johnson and his staff love.
Also like Sexton, the Tide staff was able to get Butler early in the recruiting process before he was known nationally.
They established a strong relationship that would become too much for other programs to overcome, which has become a staple of their recruiting style thus far in Tuscaloosa.
Butler’s strong defensive foundation also makes him a natural fit for Johnson’s hard-nosed defensive system.
Keep track of the latest Tide basketball recruiting happenings on Twitter by following @TideHoopsNews.