Alabama strikes with sharp-shooting guard Jaden Shackelford

Alabama made another mark within the Rivals150 thanks to the commitment of Jaden Shackelford. The three-star guard from California gave his verbal commitment to the SEC program during his official visit to Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

Shackelford discussed in his detail his feelings for the Tide. “It is bigger than basketball in Coach (Avery) Johnson’s eyes. He is more concerned with the development of the overall man,” he told Rivals.com. “I honestly never felt they sold me on anything basketball related other than wanting a winning culture and me having an immediate impact on the team.”

A lefty guard from the west coast, Shackelford is regarded as one of the best shooters in high school basketball. While he remained under the radar to some degree, his value in today’s game cannot go unnoticed.

He selected Alabama over Pepperdine, UNLV and Kansas State and gives the Tide an immediate presence on the perimeter. He is a capable three-level scorer that can convert as far out as 23-feet off of the jumper and has evolved into a solid secondary playmaker. His defensive abilities remain underrated, too, where he has good quickness and solid length as a guard defender.

Shackelford had his fair share of standout performances this summer against some of the best competition that the nation had to provide. In 20 games on the Nike EYBL circuit, he made four or more 3-point jumpers in seven separate contests, highlighted by a 9-for-21 outing earlier in the spring. A member of The Truth travel program, he posted per-game averages of 16.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He led the entire circuit in 3-pointers made with 57 in all.

The third commitment in the 2019 class for the Tide, Shackelford will join fellow Rivals150 members Juwan Gary and Jaylen Forbes next fall in Tuscaloosa. The frontcourt remains a top priority for Alabama’s this fall as Trendon Watford and Drew Timme are two others that they have their sights on.