Decision Day: Will Alabama basketball land elite 2023 SF Kaden Cooper?
After initially making plans to commit during the month of October, prized 2023 prospect Kaden Cooper is finally ready to announce his college decision. The coveted senior will commit later today and is also expected to sign during the Early Signing Period, which lasts until Wednesday.
Cooper never officially released a top schools list before his commitment, but told BamaInsider last month who his five finalists are. Here are the details for his upcoming decision, as well as a look at who is trending for him.
Commitment Date: Nov. 12
Finalists: Alabama, Gonzaga, Kansas, LSU, and Oklahoma
Time: 1:00 p.m. Central/2:00 p.m. Eastern
How Cooper will announce: Cooper is likely to announce on his Twitter and/or Instagram.
Discussion: Talk of Champions Message Board
Who is trending for coveted 2023 SF Kaden Cooper?
Kaden Cooper has kept things close to the vest in his recruiting process. His official visits have been to each of his finalists, with Alabama receiving the last one in late September. Since then, Cooper has not spoken with the media much and did not take any additional visits, to our knowledge.
The native of Ada (Okla.), who now plays for The Skill Factory in Georgia, does have a leader on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. According to the RPM, Alabama has an 87.9 percent chance of landing Cooper. That number is fueled by an On3 RPM pick made by National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw (75 percent confidence) on Oct. 6.
If Bama does indeed come out on top today, then a lot of credit should be given to Nate Oats. Cooper spoke highly of the Crimson Tide head coach and his philosophy on offense during our conversation last month.
“I like their play style,” Cooper previously told BamaInsider. “They get up and down the floor. While I was there, [Coach Oats] was really stressing defense while they were watching film. They were watching film about just defensive plays… I think that’s big.
“I like his offensive IQ,” Cooper added. “Runs a lot of post sets. A lot of film he showed was of [the San Antonio] Spurs. The Spurs like to run a lot of five-out sets. I think that translates very well to the NBA. Overall, I think Bama has something good going.”
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Cooper is still considering Alabama despite them already having signed someone at his position: Mouhamed Dioubate. The main reason why they remain in contention for him is what he alluded to above.
“Really, just their playing style,” Cooper said. “Come in and just operate the way I operate. I don’t really think there’s a reason; I just feel like they fit the way I play and I can be successful there.”
Whoever adds Cooper to their 2023 class today is getting one of the best basketball players in the country. The On3 Consensus tabs Cooper as the No. 45 overall prospect in this recruiting cycle. He’s also listed as the No. 8 small forward and the fifth-ranked senior in the state of Georgia.
An addition of Cooper would be huge for a Bama program that just signed three top-100 recruits this week. Cooper would join an Alabama class that features Sam Walters (No. 76), Mouhamed Dioubate (No. 96), Davin Cosby (No. 97), and R.J. Johnson (No. 202). That class currently checks in at No. 27 overall in the 2023 On3 Consensus Basketball Team Recruiting Rankings.
Stay tuned to see if the Tide can earn commitment No. 5 in their 2023 class later today.
