University of Alabama Basketball Players Help Change Team Culture

Gifted recruits in any sport have their pick of college destinations. Usually, if the school is good enough, a recruit chooses to stay home and commits to the in-state school. But what about the recruits who stay loyal to their home state by committing to a program that isn’t as good as their talent? For three University of Alabama men’s basketball players, their loyalty has been rewarded. 

Herbert Jones, Alex Reese and John Petty Jr., all seniors, are all products of the Yellow Hammer state and members of UA’s 2017 recruiting class. As high school players, all three had obvious talent and received attention.

Herbert Jones started his high school career at Sunshine High School in Newbern, and played there until the school closed in 2015. For his junior season, Jones transferred over to Hale County in Moundville. As a senior, he averaged 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and four assists per game, leading Hale County to the program’s first-ever state title in Class 4A. The shooting guard was a three-star recruit according to his 247Sports Composite, and had 10 offers – including Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech. In his final year at Alabama, Jones has been named both the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year.

Alex Reese was a four-star recruit coming out of Pelham High. As a senior, he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds while also being named the AHSAA 6A Player of the Year. The power forward had 14 offers, including Auburn, Kansas and Tennessee. He was ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Alabama according to ESPN. Now as a senior at UA, Reese contributes valuable minutes as a starter and off the bench – including two huge made 3-point shots in the Tide’s Round of 64 game on March 20. 

John Petty, Jr. attended J.O. Johnson High in Huntsville, leading his team to the Class 5A state title as a sophomore and junior. He was also awarded Alabama Mr. Basketball at the conclusion of his junior season. After the school closed, Petty transferred to Mae Jemison High his senior year. He averaged 20.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, won his third consecutive Class 5A state title and became the third player to win Alabama Mr. Basketball twice. As a five-star recruit, Petty had plenty of interest from colleges before he chose the Tide over Kentucky. In his final season with the Tide, Petty broke every 3-point record in program history – including threes made and threes attempted.

All three players are now SEC regular season and tournament champions and are looking to help the Tide make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. Jones, Reese and Petty stayed home and proved to recruits, along with second-year head coach Nate Oats, that anyone can contribute to a program’s culture change. 

Written by: Reagan Cofield