By ADAM ZAGORIA
Naas Cunningham, the four-star wing from New Jersey who plays at Southern California Academy, committed to Alabama on Tuesday, he told ZAGSBLOG.
Now ranked the No. 11 small forward in his class by 247Sports.com, the 6-foot-7, 180-pound Cunningham visited Alabama on Nov. 4 and also visited West Virginia in September. He owns offers from a slew of other programs, including Kentucky and Duke.
“I will be taking my talents to The University of Alabama,” he told ZAGSBLOG ahead of his public announcement.
“I chose Alabama because it was the best fit for me in terms of play style. The coaching staff showed a lot of interest and were able to display a plan of what is to come for my future.
“Coach [Nate] Oats and his staff have everything in place when it comes to skill development, strength and conditioning, and nutrition that I need to take my game to the next level. Next year I plan on coming in and being a great teammate, versatile on both ends of the floor, and bringing a winning attitude every day ready to compete.”
Cunningham averaged 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season at Overtime Elite in Atlanta. Early last year, he was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports.com. His father, Erik, said they anticipated him dropping in the rankings because Overtime Elite mostly played a six-team schedule that included its three branded teams along with three high school teams that are informally part of the league. (The league has added dditional high school teams for this season.) “We did anticipate it some, I didn’t think it was going to be this much,” Erik said this summer of the drop in rankings. “But we did anticipate him dropping just for the fact of him being in OTE. The thing about OTE, even though they’re a multi-faceted media company, they don’t do normal high school stuff.” College and NBA scouts at Peach Jam also pointed to the fact that Cunningham needs to work on his strength and conditioning. He averaged 9.4 points and 2.1 rebounds on the NY Rens, which featured Class of 2024 Rutgers target Dylan Harper and reached the semifinals. “The NBA guys say he just has things to work on, more strength, and [be] a more engaged player,” Erik said. “Motor.” Said one NBA scout: “The game is a bit sped up at this stage for him. Decision making and shot selection is an issue. [I’m] not sure he knows how to play in the half-court setting without the ball in his hands and when he does [he needs to make] the right play, which can simply be hitting the open teammate with the next pass compared to an extra dribble or two which bogs down the defense.” Cunningham joins power forward Aiden Sherrell in Alabama’s 2024 class. “Naas will add immediate floor spacing when he hits college,” Southern California Academy coach Julius von Hanzlik told ZAGSBLOG. “His ability to shoot from deep helps any team. His combination of skills and athleticism at 6’8 is unique. He can create his own shot off the dribble.” Oats told ZAGSBLOG in September that he likes tough players from New York and New Jersey. He previously coached New Jersey native Jahvon Quinerly and currently coaches New Jersey product Aaron Estrada. “They’re tough, they’ve played against competition,” Oats said. “The moment doesn’t get too big for them….They’re used to playing competition every night.” Photo: On3 Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookHighly touted 6’7 wing Naasir Cunningham shows NEXT LEVEL game at the @brdrleague! 📈 @NaasCunningham @SocalAcad @theballdawgs pic.twitter.com/B5ep7rdulF
— Nate Buss Hoop Talk (@n8buss) October 19, 2023
