Four-star PF Sam Walters Commits to Alabama Basketball

The 6-foot-8, 180-pound forward committed to the Crimson Tide while on an official visit to Alabama.

Alabama basketball’s 2023 class is officially underway. Four-star power forward Sam Walters became the Crimson Tide’s first commit in next year’s class as he chose the Crimson Tide over Florida, Georgetown and LSU among others on Friday.

“Alabama’s system really fits me,” Walters told On3 Sports. “They run a dribble-drive type system, where even the taller guys like me can handle the ball, shoot, pass, and make plays. That’s exactly how I want to play. I don’t want to be just a catch-and-shoot guy or a guy that just stands in the corner.

“At my high school right now, we run the same system as Alabama, so it’s kind of full circle. That’s how I know I’m going to fit here. It’s funny because we have a picture of Coach Oats in our locker room at my school and it’s been up since I was a freshman.”

Roll Tide ♥️🐘 #Committed @VHS_Hoops @fl_Rebels @AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/Fo4FM7oDKQ

— Sam Walters (@SamWalters2023) June 3, 2022

Walters, 6-foot-8, 180 pounds, is rated as the No. 94 overall player and No. 20 power forward in the 247Sports Composite. He has drawn comparisons to former Alabama great Herb Jones for his ability to guard multiple positions on the court. The Villages, Fla., native has been on an official visit to Tuscaloosa, Ala., since Wednesday. Crimson Tide assistant Antoine Pettway has been his lead recruiter.  

This offseason, Alabama brought in a five-person signing class including SI99 members in small forward Brandon Miller (No. 11 overall), point guard Jaden Bradley (No. 16), forward Noah Clowney (No. 55) and shooting guard Rylan Griffen (No. 58) as well as highly-rated JUCO forward Nick Pringle.

This story will be updated.