Alabama basketball coach Anthony Grant: One-man recruiting class fills need

[pmull]

This team will be fun to watch. The potential weakness I see is lack of a good big man. I think our big guys will be fine on the defensive end but they are not scorers. Hopefully we will get enough points from guards and small forwards.

"We certainly felt like he was a guy that was going to be a priority for us," Grant said of Pollard Monday on an SEC summer basketball teleconference. "Devonta is someone we've recruited for quite a while - probably one of the first young men we we started to recruit when I arrived. We certainly feel like he has a chance to be a major player in our league and a big asset to our team."

Pollard, a 6-foot-7 small forward, is a five-star prospect who was ranked as the 22nd-best player in the country by Rivals.com. He averaged 23.8 points, 15.7 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots per game as a senior, leading Kemper County High to a Class 3A state championship and earning Mississippi's Mr. Basketball award.
   
At Alabama, he'll be counted on to contribute immediately in the frontcourt to help replace the graduated JaMychal Green, the departed Tony Mitchell and swingman Charles Hankerson, who transferred.

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[pmull]

Here is the link to a similar article from Tidesports titled "Grant Looks Ahead".

Click here for link

[pmull]

More info on Pollard from Rivals.com

Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst Eric Bossi takes a close look at new Alabama signee Devonta Pollard:

On Pollard's skill set:
"Pollard is a high level athlete who is in the process of upgrading his ball handling and shooting. He's extended his range to make him a threat as a three point shooter and he's a factor on both ends of the floor rebounding the basketball. In transition he's a pretty good decision maker when he has to pass and is not surprisingly an excellent finisher at the rim because of his length and athleticism."

On Pollard's position:
"Right now, I see Pollard as more of a combo forward than a pure wing. With his size, he can play some as a four where his quickness advantage helps to overcome his lack of bulk. On the wing, he is generally bigger than a defender and is very good working along either baseline on slashes to the cup."

On Pollard's early impact at UA:
"There's no question that Pollard has the talent level to make an immediate impact at Alabama. He will need to get stronger and he's going to have to adjust to the more complex schemes of college basketball, but the natural talent, reactions and overall feel for the game are all there for him to make a successful transition to college hoops."

Click here for link

[Marshal Dillon]

Potentially, Alabama can have an outstanding team this year. I can see them going 23-7/24-6 in the regular season.


 

[pmull]

I think CAG has got his point across to his players that if you want to play you better be a "team first" player and leave the attitudes at home. The way CAG handled Tony Mitchell will help us in the future.

[Catch Prothro]

Devonta Pollard definitely is a needed addition and should add more inside scoring, but we've seen other freshmen needing more development at Bama to live up to their potential as dominant players.  Bama also has some rising talent big guys who developed well by the end of last season and should be better this year.  I think CAG decided "out with the old, in with the new" just in time last year to get this team geared up for a great upcoming season -- in the NCAA Tournament, perhaps only behind Kentucky in the SEC.

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• pmull

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