Bama basketball prospect Jarin Stevenson set to announce commitment Wednesday

By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Sam Thornton

TUSCALOOSA- Jarin Stevenson, the No. 22 overall prospect in the class of 2024 has told 247 Sports that he plans to announce his college commitment Wednesday after cutting his list of potential landing spots to three schools. The Pittsboro, North Carolina, native will decide between UNC, Virginia and Alabama to join their front court.

While Stevenson will announce his loyalties Wednesday, he will not make a decision on reclassifying into the 2023 class until later this summer. Reclassification in Stevenson’s case would make the most sense for a commitment to Alabama, where there’s a glaring hole at the power forward position compared to UNC’s front court with veteran forward Armando Bacot returning.

If Stevenson elects to reclassify, he would be an immediate replacement to former Alabama forward Noah Clowney. Standing at 6 feet 10 inches, Stevenson has drawn comparisons to Clowney in frame and play style.

He prides himself on being a versatile player on the block, showing the ability to not only dictate the glass but also push the floor when needed. Stevenson’s 36% shooting from 3-point range this season at Seaforth high school exposes his allusiveness as a big man, which Alabama head coach Nate Oats can further develop in his modern professional play style.

“I like Alabama’s play style. They have an NBA offense and they also have good defense, too. Coach Oats is pretty cool. They’re great people,” Stevenson told 247 Sports.

What Oats has done to influence his players into the NBA can’t be overlooked. The play from projected No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft Brandon Miller along with Clowney was taken to another tier of excellence with Oats redefining their talents.

That impact has been noticeable during an impressive recruiting period for Oats, where it seemed for a moment that a rebuilding year was imminent for Alabama with forward Charles Bediako joining Miller and Clowney in the upcoming draft.

Instead, Oats persuaded guards Jahvon Quinerly and Mark Sears to return for another season while they had their names in NBA Draft waters. In addition, he collected a trio of standout transfers to fill the holes of the roster including Aaron Estrada, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and the No. 1 overall transfer portal prospect Grant Nelson.

Another challenging task was posed when all three assistant coaches for Alabama left for head coaching positions elsewhere. Oats responded by bringing in former New Orleans Pelicans assistant Ryan Pannone for more NBA exposure to the program.

Landing Stevenson would create one of the most exciting front courts in the country with Nelson if he decided to flip his classification to this year. Only a month ago, there was little hope that Alabama could develop a front court identical to last season’s.

Now, it could turn out to not only be superior, but also further innovate Oats’ NBA coaching style which Stevenson could be persuaded to join this year in Tuscaloosa.