Tag: Sam Walters

Alabama transfer forward Sam Walters commits to Michigan

Former Alabama forward Sam Walters has found his new home

Not long after [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team wrapped up its magical Final Four run to end the 2023-24 season, freshman forward Sam Walters entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. On Monday, Walters announced his commitment to the Michigan Wolverines.

The former four-star recruit averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this season for the Crimson Tide. He also shot 42.7% from the field and nearly 40% from three.

Walters is a native of The Villages, Florida, who chose the Wolverines over a final group of Ohio State, Louisville, and Kentucky.

His commitment was announced on X (formerly Twitter) by Joe Tipton of On3.

Stay connected to Roll Tide Wire for around-the-clock coverage of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Michigan basketball adds yet another transfer to the fold on Monday

Dusty May is cookin’! #GoBlue

Dusty May has been on a huge tear when it’s come to adding talent to the Michigan basketball roster. It took a month after being hired before May really started seeing dividends paying off, but they have in a big way over the extended weekend.

It started with Justin Pippen, son of Scottie Pippen, committing to the maize and blue on Friday. North Texas shooting guard Rubin Jones quickly followed. On Saturday, prized Yale center Danny Wolf pledged to the Wolverines and on Sunday, Auburn point guard Tre Donaldson joined the mix. Former Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr. committed on Monday.

Michigan appeared to be in good shape for another in Alabama forward Sam Walters, and that turned out to be true as Walters committed to the Wolverines on Monday afternoon.

The second commitment of the day and sixth of the last four days, May is starting to put together a solid roster.

A four-star both as a recruit and via the transfer portal, Walters is considered to be the No. 29 small forward available in the portal per 247Sports.

Alabama Basketball forward Sam Walters expected to enter transfer portal

The Alabama basketball team saw its fourth scholarship player enter the transfer portal, as forward Sam Walters now looks for a new home.

The Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program saw its fourth scholarship player enter the NCAA transfer portal on Monday evening. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Sam Walters plans to enter the transfer portal.

Walters was a four-star prospect out of Villages Charter School in The Villages, Florida. He was regarded as one of the top power forwards in the country in the 2023 recruiting class.

Upon arriving in Tuscaloosa, Walters cemented a key role off the Crimson Tide bench. As a freshman, Walters averaged 5.4 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game in 12.3 minutes per game. He shot 42.7% from the floor and 39.4% from beyond-the-arc.

Alabama will certainly miss Walters’ scoring prowess from three-point range. It will be interesting to see which direction Alabama chooses to go with one scholarship spot available at this time. That is subject to change with multiple players still to announce their decisions for the forseeable future. The likelihood of Walters returning to Tuscaloosa seems unlikely at this time.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program and its involvement in the NCAA transfer portal.

Everything Nate Oats said following Alabama’s thrilling overtime win over Florida

Nate Oats discusses Alabama’s thrilling overtime victory over Florida

In one of the best college basketball games of the season, the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide outlasted the No. 24 Florida Gators, 98-93 in overtime from inside Coleman Coliseum.

The Crimson Tide would overcome a 10-point second-half deficit before making a thrilling comeback to send the game into overtime. Alabama would outscore the Gators 13-8 in the extra five minutes of play.

With the win, Alabama holds on to its lead in the SEC standings with an 11-2 record in conference play, and with just five games remaining in the regular season, coach [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Tide are on their way to another SEC regular season title.

Following the win Coach Oats would speak to the media about his team’s thrilling overtime victory. Below is everything he had to say:

Alabama Basketball: Tracking the offseason roster movement

Roll Tide Wire updates the offseason roster turnover for Alabama basketball!

It would be an understatement to say it has been a busy offseason for Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats. Aside from the roster turnover that we will break down momentarily, coach Oats has also had to replace his entire coaching staff over the past couple of months.

Now, to the roster turnover that Oats and the Tide have experienced this offseason. Whether it’s eligibility being exhausted, the transfer portal, or early exits to the NBA, the Alabama basketball roster has undergone some significant changes.

Roll Tide Wire gives a complete breakdown of who’s gone, who’s returning, and who’s coming in.

Alabama MBB signs four recruits during early National Signing Day period

On Wednesday, four recruits signed with the Alabama basketball program during the early signing period.

Four Alabama commits made it official on Wednesday as they signed their letters of intent. The Crimson Tide inked signatures on early National Signing Day from shooting guard Davin Cosby Jr., point guard R.J. Johnson, power forward Mouhamed Dioubate, and power forward Sam Walters. At this time, Alabama has the No. 13 overall class in the country, according to 247Sports’ recruiting rankings.

Head coach Nate Oats likes to add players to his system that can stretch the floor, play multiple positions, and hustle on the defensive end of the floor. It appears that this class is going to bring that to Tuscaloosa.

Not to mention, the coaching staff is also pushing to add four-star small forward Kaden Cooper, as well. The Oklahoma native recently announced that he will be making his college decision on Saturday, Nov. 12.

One thing that should stand out about this class is its versatility and length. Each of the four recruits that the Tide have signed are 6-foot-3 or taller. That can certainly present challenges on the defensive end of the floor for opposing teams. Coach Oats’ emphasis on the recruiting trail has worked in years past. It will be interesting to see how this class performs when they arrive on campus.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball as well as Alabama basketball recruiting news.

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Alabama MBB lands Top-100 prospect, Sam Walters

Nate Oats and Alabama start off the 2023 recruiting class with a bang!

 

[autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide have landed their first commitment in the 2023 class with Top-100 prospect [autotag]Sam Walters.[/autotag]

Walters is a massive commitment for the Tide as he brings a much needed combination of size and maneuverability to Tuscaloosa. A 6’8 power forward coming in at 180 lbs, Oats and company will look to add on some size and strength, while maintaining the versatility of his game. Walters is from Villages Charter School in Florida and had offers from the likes of Georgetown, LSU, Wisconsin, and many other big time programs.

The Tide have had a lot of success with power forwards recently like Herb Jones and they are optimistic that Walters will have the same impact. While they are different players, having an elite defender and rebounder while still being able to get a bucket is a big time grab for Alabama.

When asked about his style of play, Walters said, “I’m very versatile, can handle, shoot, pass, rebound… I just try to do everything, block shots, rebound; just things to help us win.”

This is a massive win for Oats on the recruiting trail, and hopefully just a kickstarter for the rest of the class!

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

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Alabama Morning Drive: ‘Bama vs. Texas set to air on FOX

The latest news and notes involving the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday morning.

Good Tuesday morning and welcome back to another edition of Alabama Morning Drive. Monday got the week started off with a bang and we want to carry that momentum into the remainder of the week.

A lot has happened over the last 24 hours and we are going to do our best to fill you in with the latest and greatest involving the Crimson Tide of Alabama.

One of the biggest stories of the day was the release that the much anticipated week two matchup between Alabama and Texas is set to air on FOX.

Unfortunately, with FOX picking up the TV rights, it appears that the [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and [autotag]Steve Sarkisian[/autotag] matchup is destined for a noon eastern kickoff time.

Let’s take a look at a few more stories that Alabama fans should be taking note of this Tuesday morning. I’ll give you a hint, it is a recruiting-focused edition.

Rutgers basketball latest to offer Florida four-star forward

Sam Walters, a four-star from Florida, got an offer from Rutgers basketball this week.

Sam Walters pulled in an offer from Rutgers basketball this week, putting the Scarlet Knights fresh in the mix for one of the top big men in the nation.

The 6-foot-9 forward plays his high school ball at The Villages Charter (The Villages, FL). Last season, he averaged 24.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He also averaged 1.9 blocks per game.

Walters is a four-star recruit according to Rivals and ranked the No. 28 player in the nation.

The Rutgers offer is the second in less than a week for Walters. Last Saturday, Walters pulled in an offer from Alabama.

He currently holds offers from Florida, Georgetown, LSU, Ole Miss, South Florida, Stetson, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech in addition to his recent offers from Alabama and Rutgers.

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As with most players recruited by Steve Pikiell, Walters has good shooting range and is strong defensively.

Walters tweeted about the offer on April 26:

 

Rutgers has also been heavily involved with Gus Yalden, a four-star power forward from North Carolina who has been on-campus multiple times.

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The Rutgers 2022 recruiting class was a solid one, featuring two commits.

New Jersey three-star guard Derek Simpson was the first member of the 2022 recruiting class to commit to Rutgers when he gave his verbal last August. Antwone Woolfolk, a three-star power forward from Ohio, committed to Rutgers last fall.