re: UA Basketball Recruiting

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“Just the research that Coach Oats has done and the time he puts in to learning my game before he even called me.” [...] “I think he’s putting something with real potential together. I think that’s the biggest thing that impresses me about Coach Oats.”

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“Bruner says he’s been talking to Oats multiple times per week of late and likes what he’s heard and the direction the program is going under the now second year #Tide coach.” #RollTide

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Alabama Crimson Tide
The frontcourt for Alabama was smaller than others this past season and it was felt at times in the SEC. But adding Bruner at the five-spot would be a near-perfect addition at the center position, an upgrade over rising senior Alex Reese. There’s also a possibility that Herb Jones will remain in the NBA Draft along with John Petty so fortifying the frontcourt with experienced players is the smart move.

It’ll be interesting what that does with James Rojas (top-tier 2019 JUCO recruit) and Juwan Gary, a pair of versatile forwards who missed all of last season with an injury. There’s also four-star power forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton joining the team in the summer as well. But none of them has the defensive/passing ability as Bruner, who’d be an ideal fit for Alabama.

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Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks have a pair of incoming centers joining the team in top-100 Jaylin Williams and 7’3 sit-out transfer Connor Vanover. They have another frontcourt player coming off a redshirt in Abayomi Iyiola, who averaged 10.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg in his last season at Stetson. Arkansas at times played with five guards thanks to no eligible frontcourt players but head coach Eric Musselman has rectified that for next year.

Considering that Coach Musselman is interested in just about every capable transfer, this isn’t a surprise. The real surprise will be how many players transfer out if the Hogs land Bruner, as this will change the roster’s complextion. But the Yale grad transfer is worth causing some upset players.

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Baylor Bears
The graduation of All-Big 12 forward Freddie Gillespie leaves a hole on the frontcourt for the Bears. Rising seniors Mark Vital and Tristan Clark will be back, along with UNLV transfer forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua. All of them are solid rotational pieces but none of them has the offensive capabilities that Bruner possesses.

The Yale forward is a great fit for head coach Scott Drew’s offense. He’s not high-usage at all but is highly efficient when he does get the ball. And his defense fits the Bears well and he can deal with opposing Big 12 frontcourt players as well. Baylor could be a top-10 team once again and is in a position to win now, so landing a grad transfer could only help get the team to the Final Four.

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Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga is always interested in elite grad transfers and Bruner and his playstyle could work very well with a preseason 2020-21 title contender. Of course, there’s one glaring question that could eliminate the Bulldogs from the sweepstakes altogether.

Sophomore Filip Petrusev could very well be going pro after an All-American season but with the NBA Draft in flux, the 6’11 center also could remain in college for another season. And with Drew Timme, Anton Watson, and redshirt freshman Oumar Ballo on the roster, there wouldn’t be any minutes for Bruner to get. Unless Petrusev makes his own decision soon, you can take Gonzaga mentally off of this list.

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Louisville Cardinals
The frontcourt is going to look vastly different next year, with the graduations of both Dwayne Sutton and Steven Enoch leaving, along with forward Jordan Nwora possibly leaving for the NBA Draft this offseason. That leaves Malik Williams, who averaged over 13 rpg per 40 minutes. He and Bruner would be a great frontcourt to work, although it would leave the guards to provide more offensive production than they did this past season.

Of all the options, Louisville may provide Bruner the best opportunity for maximum playing time on an NCAA Tournament-caliber team next season. He may have to play more at the power forward position but Bruner is more than capable of operating anywhere in the frontcourt. His 32% three-point shooting will also help him being compatible with Williams on the court as well.

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Maryland Terrapins
Jalen Smith hasn’t officially declared for the NBA Draft but the projected first-rounder is more than likely to leave, meaning that Maryland needs to find adequate frontcourt starters immediately. Rising sophomore Donta Scott will get increased minutes next year but at the moment, he’s the best frontcourt player the Terrapins have for 2020-21 (assuming Smith is gone).

Bruner would be guaranteed to start with the Terrapins in the Big Ten and would be surrounded by talented guards in Darryl Morsell, Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins. Maryland hopes to copy Texas Tech’s gameplan of adding a pair of grad transfer forwards to remain in the NCAA Tournament picture. But first, they’ll need to land the Yale transfer first.

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Alabama head coach Nate Oats said earlier this week that the 2020 edition of the Crimson Tide basketball team will look “significantly different” than Year 1 of his staff’s time in Tuscaloosa. Bama has already signed four-star power forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton and earned a commitment from five-star combo guard Josh Primo on Friday.

With gaps still to fill, Oats and company have continued pressing for others on the recruiting trail. One name in the mix is Yale grad transfer center  LINK ]Jordan Bruner. The Oklahoma City native cut his list to six on Friday, with UA included in the bunch alongside Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Louisville, and Maryland.

Bruner says he’s been talking to Oats multiple times per week of late and likes what he’s heard and the direction the program is going under the now second year Tide coach. “He’s been describing how they want to play and how he thinks I fit into their system, and the things that he thinks I’ll be able to do and how I’ll be able to help. That’s been a lot of the conversation.”

Bruner is one of the main bigs the Tide is currently in play for to finish off its 2020 class. But Bruner’s size isn’t necessarily what the UA covets so much about him. “I think the emphasis has been more so on somebody that can pass and facilitate, instead of just a big.”

“Just the research that Coach Oats has done and the time he puts in to learning my game before he even called me,” Bruner said of what he likes about the opportunity at Alabama. “And learning about how his pieces are going to fit together. He’s done a pretty good job recruiting this year. I think he’s putting something with real potential together. I think that’s the biggest thing that impresses me about Coach Oats.”

As for a timeline, Bruner isn’t holding himself to anything specific. “It’s probably just going to be a feel thing,” he said. “I don’t really have a set date where I have to cut these schools. You know, whenever I feel like one school is a better fit than another than I’ll drop the other school.”

Bruner is also contemplating the NBA Draft, but nothing is set in stone. “It’s still kind of up in the air,” he said. “I’m not fully sure yet.” Is there a leader or a school standing out from the top six to this point? “Not really,” he said. “When there is I’ll definitely cut my list. I’m not really looking to slow play or anything.”

Bruner averaged 10.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season at Yale, and will have one year of eligibility remaining.

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Morgan, the 6-11 and 190-pounder, said Monday that the programs recruiting him were UCLA, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, San Diego State, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Arkansas, Oregon State, Washington State, Oregon, Syracuse, and Texas.

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