Alabama wins over Riverside’s Jared Butler for commitment

Louisiana’s top rated prep point guard and third rated player overall has decided to play his college basketball for New Orleans native Avery Johnson at Alabama.

Riverside Academy’s Jared Butler considered offers from UMass, Wichita State, Creighton, Houston, Butler, Texas, Baylor, Alabama and Virginia. Alabama and Virginia, his final two, just edged Texas and Baylor before his final call to commit to the Tide.

Butler was recruited to Minnesota by former Tulane head coach Ed Conroy, now a Golden Gophers assistant. He offered Butler while still in charge was at Tulane.

The 6-foot-2, 180 pound Butler visited the Tuscaloosa campus Sept. 9. Crimson Tide assistant Antoine Pettway was responsible for his recruitment. His style fits the Alabama scheme nicely. He considers himself a scoring guard who can also run the pint. Butler can sign in the early period for the 2018 class on November 8.

An explosive scorer and superb passer, Butler excels on the pick and roll and makes solid decisions. He is a hard worker and very confident in his skills.

You may recall that Butler split time between basketball and football as a wide receiver until this year. He filled in at quarterback for the Riverside Rebels when Jordan Loving missed time with an injury in 2016. Butler considered playing both sports in college at one time.

Alabama is now focusing on 5 star guard Anfernee Simmons (6-4, 177), who recently decommitted from Louisville. Florida and Florida State appear to be front-runners for IMG Academy standout.