Kentucky makes Top 8 for '24 4-star SF Amier Ali

One of the country’s top-scoring wings is beginning to narrow down his list.

On Monday afternoon, four-star class of 2024 small forward Amier Ali announced that he is down to just eight finalists. Kentucky cracked the list, as did Texas, Arizona State, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan, and Arkansas. The 6-foot-8 native of Columbus, OH is considered the No. 38 rising senior and the No. 11 overall small forward, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He plays his high school ball at basketball powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

Ali has taken just one official visit so far to Florida State but intends to take his second to Ohio State beginning May 6th, a school he said in the past he cheered for growing up. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Ali plans to take visits in the future to Kentucky, Arizona State, and Arkansas, although no dates have been locked in at this time.

NEWS: 2024 four-star wing Amier Ali has named his top eight schools.

He’s scheduled one official visit with more on the way: https://t.co/UfjQ1UjHXc pic.twitter.com/NypP7jkzzM

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 24, 2023

Kentucky was one of the first schools to reach out to Ali once college coaches were allowed to do so last summer. Ali publicly announced through social media in April 2022 that he had earned an offer from the Wildcats. Contact has been sporadic between the two sides since then, but there is a clear level of interest from Kentucky’s end.

“They (Kentucky) like me a lot and I like them. The coaches and I gel really well,” Ali told KSR over the weekend. “They’re just trying to get me, pushing really hard, checking on me daily. They think I’m a bigger guard who can really fit in their system with all those good players they have there.”

Ali is suiting up for the Houston Hoops AAU squad once again on this summer’s Nike EYBL circuit. The opening session just wrapped up in Atlanta, GA over the weekend, where the lanky shotmaker put up per-game averages of 13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from distance, and 64.3 percent from the free throw line. Houston Hoops went 2-2 during the three-day event.

Amier Ali Scouting Report

“Amier Ali is a shot-maker; that is to be considered his superpower. He plays with the utmost confidence. He is confident in catch-and-shoot situations, with range that extends beyond the three-point arc. He can also knock down a two and three-dribble pull-up in the mid-range. He is an average athlete with average length. So he can struggle to get past his man off the bounce in the half-court. This leads to some tough shots and shot selection questions. Also, there are some defensive questions there as well. When the shot is not falling, how is he helping the team? When the shot is falling, however, he can string off a good number of points in a row.” – On3’s Jamie Shaw