Alabama Men's Basketball Adds Transfer Daniel Giddens
5/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama head coach Avery Johnson announced Tuesday the signing of highly-rated transfer Daniel Giddens to the men's basketball program. Giddens, a 6-10, 230-pound power forward/center who played his freshman season at Ohio State, will sit out the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
"We are pleased to welcome Daniel to the University of Alabama men's basketball family," Johnson said. "We're excited to add someone who has great character and a high competitive spirit. He will sit out a year in which he can learn more about our system, while also expanding his game on the court.
"We want to thank his family, his dad Harvey, his mom Wendy and his little brother David, for having the confidence in our program that we would be the best fit for Daniel on the court and in the classroom."
During his freshman season at Ohio State, Giddens saw action in 33 contests, while making seven starts. He averaged 3.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 18.2 minutes per game. Giddens improved as the year went on, averaging 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game in the Buckeyes' four postseason contests, including going for a season-high 11 points in a loss to Florida in the second round of the 2016 National Invitation Tournament.
Coming out of renowned Oak Hill Academy, Giddens was a consensus top 50 player and top 10 center in the nation as he helped his team to a 47-1 record in 2014-15. While at Oak Hill, he was a part of multiple tournament championships, including the Captured Phenom Hoop Classic, Marshall County Hoop Fest and Nike Extravaganza, among others.
Prior to his time at Oak Hill Academy, Giddens, a native of Marietta, Ga., played at Wheeler High School where he averaged 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game while leading his team to the Georgia Region 5 title. He was also a member of the USA Basketball Men's U-16 National Team that won the gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship.
The addition of Giddens, who was considered as one of the top transfers available this offseason, has caught attention of both fans and college basketball experts around the country. At the time of his signing, Giddens was rated by ESPN.com as the No. 2-rated player in its "Best Available Transfers" in the nation.
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