re: Tide Hoops | Recruiting

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Easily one of the most sought after point guards in the class of 2022, five-star Jazian Gortman had coaches chasing him throughout the month of July at Nike's Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C.

The explosive 6-foot-1 product of Columbia (S.C.) Keenan is ranked No. 11 overall by 247Sports and has a knack for getting to the lane to make plays for himself and others and hitting big shots during crunch time. He's also one of the most fierce competitors in the country when he wants to be and can be a total pest on the defensive end thanks to his quickness, length and ability to side his feet on the perimeter.

During the month of July, I started to hear information circulating that college may not be in the cards for Gortman. Since then, the buzz that Gortman could be looking to head the professional route has only picked up steam. In fact, I've heard it enough that I'm going to go ahead and make a Crystal Ball selection that Gortman will choose to pursue professional options rather than play college ball.

Now, Gortman did take some visits during June and places like Florida State and Wake Forest have been under heavy consideration while some others like Alabama and Miami just to name a few had been working hard to get him on campus. So, I don't know that I would totally rule out the chances of Gortman headed to college.

However, based on the information that I'm currently getting, I do think that it is much more likely that Gortman eventually picks the professional route -- Overtime Elite sounds like the most probable option if he does so -- and I wouldn't count on him taking any more college visits before doing so.

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NEWS: The field for the PK85 in 2022 is tentatively set, according to multiple sources.

Duke
UNC
Villanova
UConn
Xavier
Gonzaga
Alabama
Florida
Michigan State
Purdue
West Virginia
Iowa State
Oregon
Oregon State
Portland
Portland State

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Alabama basketball set for mid-December road game at Memphis

The Alabama men’s basketball team has added a true road game to its 2021-22 schedule.

The Crimson Tide will travel to Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to take on the Tigers at FedEx Forum, the University of Memphis announced Tuesday as it revealed its non-conference schedule. The game time and television channel will be designated at a later date.

"We've put together a challenging home schedule to start the season," Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway said in a release. "These first couple of months will certainly help prepare our team for conference play, and we are excited to play in front of Tiger Nation at FedExForum."

Last summer, Alabama announced a home-and-home series with Memphis with the Tigers set to visit Tuscaloosa this season, but that is no longer the case. While Memphis will likely make a return trip to Coleman Coliseum in 2022, that game hasn’t officially been announced yet.

The Tigers are coming off a 20-8 (11-4 AAC) season in 2020-21 in which they won the National Invitation Tournament. Memphis was 1-1 against SEC teams last year, losing to Auburn by a score of 74-71 in the regular season and beating Mississippi State, 77-64, in the NIT title game.

Alabama and Memphis have previously met on the hardwood eight times, and the Tigers have a 5-3 edge in the all-time series. The Crimson Tide won the most recent meeting in 2017, 82-70, when the two teams played in Annapolis, Md., but UA is 0-3 in games played in Memphis.

With the addition of the Tigers, Alabama's non-conference slate is starting to take shape. The Crimson Tide is set to play host to Baylor and Houston, face Gonzaga in Seattle, face Colorado State in Birmingham and take part in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, which includes a field of Drake, Iona, Kansas, Miami and North Texas. Alabama will open against Iona.

UA will face three of the Final Four teams from last season in Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston.

“I’m about playing really good teams and getting exposed and getting better,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “(Baylor)’s a non-conference game -- it’s not your typical non-conference game because it comes in the middle of conference play with the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. But we’re playing Gonzaga in Seattle, we’re playing Houston at home, we’re playing Baylor. We’ve got three out of the four Final Four teams from last year, so we’re not shying away from anybody.

“I’m looking forward to it. Even if they’re not all wins, I think they all make us better. As long as we’re getting better every game, exposing our weaknesses, turning around and get better at them and then put ourselves in a better shot to win the SEC, that’s what we’re about.”

In addition to the Memphis news, the Crimson Tide will also reportedly take part in the PK85 tournament in 2022. According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Alabama is among the 16 teams that will take part in the event, along with Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, UConn, Xavier, West Virginia, Iowa State, Purdue, Michigan State, Florida, Gonzaga, Oregon, Oregon State, Portland and Portland State. The 16-team field is expected to consist of two 8-team tournaments and will be held in Portland at the Moda Center and Memorial Coliseum in November of 2022.

PK85 is an 85th birthday celebration for Nike co-founder and chairman emeritus Phil Knight.

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