Men's Basketball Signs No. 16 Class
11/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - University of Alabama head men's basketball coach Anthony Grant has announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2011-12 season. Levi Randolph, Nick Jacobs, Rodney Cooper and Moussa Gueye are slated to join the Crimson Tide on the court next season.
The signing class is ranked No. 16 by rivals.com and ESPN.com and third in the Southeastern Conference by scout.com. The class includes three recruits ranked in the rivals.com top-150 and another that is regarded as one of the top junior college centers in the nation.
"Obviously I'm very excited about the recruiting class that we signed today," Grant said. "We signed four young men that will be great additions to our program. I'm very excited about the talent and abilities that these men bring to the basketball court."
Randolph, a 6-6 shooting guard from Madison, Ala., is ranked a four-star recruit by both ESPN.com and rivals.com and earned a five-star ranking from scout.com. He is also graded as high as the sixth-best shooting guard in the class and the No. 28 player nationally.
"He brings a lot of versatility to our back court," Grant said. "He's got the size and skill level that we need. I'm certainly very excited about adding him to our team. e received great coaching and has a great family. Levi's a big addition to us because not only of his talent, but being from the state as well."
During his junior season he led Bob Jones High School to the Alabama 6A state championship after a runner-up finish the year before under coach Danny Petty. The 2010 6A Player of the Year and state tournament MVP, he was also second in voting for the state's 'Mr. Basketball' honor. He competed in AAU action for the nationally ranked Alabama Challenge organization under coach Robert Shannon.
Randolph's Alabama Challenge teammate Rodney Cooper will also join the Tide in 2011-12. The 6-5 guard from Phenix City, Ala., is a consensus three-star recruit according the major recruiting organizations. He is ranked No. 35 among shooting guards by rivals.com and No. 117 nationally.
"Rodney is also from the state and brings a lot of versatility to our perimeter," Grant added. "Being 6-5, he's a guy that can shoot the basketball and can really excel in our style of play. Rodney is another quality young man with a bright future ahead of him."
During his junior season at Russell County High School he averaged 20.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for coach Sam Moates.
Nick Jacobs is one of two frontcourt players in the class and comes to Alabama from Atlanta's South Atlanta High School. The 6-9, 250-pound forward is a four-star recruit according to ESPN.com and rivals.com. The No. 10 forward in his class, he is also ranked 85th nationally by rivals.com.
"He brings a good deal of size and physicality to our front court and is a much needed help on the interior for us," Grant said. "Jacobs has established himself as a person who's able to score around the basket. As he continues to develop, he'll be a guy at the power forward spot for us that brings the physicality and interior scoring that we need."
Jacobs averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds in his junior season for a South Atlanta program that has produced dozens of major college prospects under coach Michael Reddick. During the AAU season, Jacobs competes for coach Hulio Smith's Atlanta Celtics program.
Joining Jacobs in the paint will be Moussa Gueye, a 7-0, 270-pound center that is currently enrolled at Lake Land College in Matoon, Ill. A native of Senegal, Gueye is considered by all recruiting services as one of the top junior college centers in the nation and rated a four-star prospect by rivals.com.
"When you look at a guy of his size, he'll bring a much needed addition to our front court," Grant said. "He's also a guy with great skill for a man of his size. He has great passing ability and should be able to score for us in the front court."
In his first season at Lake Land he was named the conference's freshman of the year and averaged 10.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game for coach Cedric Brown.
"Our assistant coaches did a tremendous job in terms of recruiting." Grant said. "I want to commend our guys. With the class that we signed, it was a total team effort on behalf of our assistant coaches. This is a very good class for us and I'm proud of all the efforts everyone put in assisting with these signings."
