Terrance Ferguson, one of the most athletic players in the class of 2016, made a surprising choice in Alabama under former NBA coach Avery Johnson.
Avery Johnson has been a successful NBA coach, but now he brings his impressive resume to Alabama and he makes his presence felt by reeling a top recruit in Ferguson. The 6-7 shooting guard was ranked 14th in the ESPN 100 and chose the Crimson Tide over schools like Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina and his native Texas school, Baylor.
Johnson used his reputation to good use and moved quickly as ESPN recounts: "Ferguson established a relationship with Johnson and has great confidence in him. Johnson -- who has strong recruiting ties in Texas -- made Ferguson a top priority the day he took over the Alabama program and wasted no time getting face to face with Ferguson and his mother, Rachelle Holdman."
Alabama also one-upped rival Auburn which announced the recruitment of Mustapha Heron, another 5-star player. ESPN noted that "Ferguson reminds us of former UConn star and NBA champion Richard 'Rip' Hamilton, because of his great length and ability to score from a variety of areas on the floor."
Just a footnote on Ferguson, he was one of only four high school players in Team USA U-19. As noted by SB Nation, he won the gold with Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Josh Jackson-the top three ranked players.
Expect Ferguson to be the center of the Crimson Tide offense next season, although he will be ably supported by Avery Johnson's solid 2015 class. Alabama is also eyeing 5-star Dewan Huell, ranked 18th in the 2016 class.