Alabama basketball adds top-50 forward to 2020 class
Alabama basketball added some late fireworks to its 2020 class as it received a commitment from four-star power forward Alex Tchikou on Sunday.
“Three things: The relationship that I had with the coaches, that is the first thing” Tchikou told Rivals.com of his decision. “Second thing is the style of play fit me the best. Lastly, I had a couple of conversations with players that played there and they all told me that the head coach (Nate Oats) lets you play through your mistakes."
Tchikou, a native of Paris, France who played at Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Ariz. last season, is rated as the No. 36 overall player and No. 6 power forward in this year’s class.
The 6-foot-11, 205-pounder handles the ball well and offers a nice perimeter threat for his size. He is the fifth member of Alabama’s 2020 class, joining Josh Primo, Keon Ambrose-Hylton, Darius Miles and JUCO transfer Keon Ellis. The Crimson Tide also added Yale graduate transfer, Jordan Bruner. The Crimson Tide is now ranked at No. 9 in the Rivals team rankings.
Tchikou was previously a part of the 2021 class but recently elected to graduate early. Last week, he discussed the decision to reclassify with Rivals basketball analyst Eric Bossi.
"I think I’m ready to skip my senior (year)," Tchikou said. "I have played against the best seniors in the country this season as a junior and I put numbers against all of them.
"I had a lot of comments from people surprised that I was only a junior. The other reason is that I hope (to be) getting drafted after one year in college, but my original plan was the draft 2022 and I think two years of college is better than one year in high school and one in college."
The addition of Tchikou could put Alabama over the NCAA scholarship limit of 13, assuming John Petty Jr. elects to forgo the NBA draft and return for his senior year. Petty is currently testing the NBA draft waters without an agent and is likely to leave if he can be assured of a guaranteed contract at the next level. He has until Aug. 17 to withdraw from the postponed NBA draft and retain his eligibility.
“As of right now, he’s still telling us, basically, if he gets a guarantee to be in the top 40-45, he’s going to stay in the draft,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said of Petty during an interview with radio station 100.9 FM last month. “If not, he’s going to be back. I think teams are getting all the information they gathered. The one thing, I guess, with pushing the date back is we’ll hopefully know which order the draft is by then. The NBA will have had a lottery, get a draft order. That might help teams decide who they may have made a promise to. So, I think that’s maybe what they’re waiting on.
“Right now, we’re operating as if he’s going to come back. I think that’s the only way you can operate with him, at least. And then as the coaching staff tries to figure out we’re going to play, we kind of operate as if he’s not coming back, and then if he does come back, it’s a pleasant surprise.”
