Falcons’ Knox signs with Bama

TUSCALOOSA | Justin Knox of Central High School was wrapping up the photo session at his Wednesday press opportunity.

The 6-foot-8½ center for the Falcons had just finished signing a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Alabama basketball team. He was, naturally, the center of attention for the newspaper and television cameras on hand.

But as the session closed, Knox asked the photographers to wait for a moment.

“I want one with all my teammates," he said. “They have all helped me get here."

As his Central teammates gathered around Knox, Falcons coach Robert Watson said that the gesture reflected the qualities other than basketball skills that make his star player special.

“He’s very humble but very articulate," Watson said. “When you meet him, he’s so quiet that you wonder if he is going to be aggressive enough. But when you put him on the basketball court, he’s a competitor.

“He’s just coming into his own as a basketball player. He’s got great skills at his size. He can handle the ball and shoot the jump shot. He might grow another inch or an inch-and-a-half, too. We’ll use him this season the way the Miami Heat uses Shaq (center Shaquille O’Neal). We’ll run everything through him.

“I think in college, he’ll play four years, get his degree and be able to go on to the next level. I truly believe that. Alabama is getting a fine young man."

Knox is one of three players who were scheduled to sign with Alabama as the early signing period for basketball prospects began on Wednesday. Guard Rico Pickett of Decatur, generally considered the state’s top prospect, signed with the Crimson Tide at a ceremony at Decatur High School on Wednesday morning. Guard Senario Hillman of Irwinton, Ga., was also scheduled to sign with Alabama on Wednesday, but the school had not received his scholarship papers in time to make an official announcement.

Hillman’s teammate, forward Dontrell Taylor, had committed to Alabama over the summer but was not expected to sign Wednesday and may be looking at mid-major programs that could promise quicker playing time.

Both Pickett and Hillman are considered to be among the Top 50 prospects in the nation by recruiting analysts.

Knox, who averaged eight points and eight rebounds at Central this season, is not as well-known on the national level, but attracted the interest of several colleges with his performance on the summer camp circuit.

“LSU offered me," Knox said. “Florida recruited me pretty hard. There were a lot of others."

Knox chose to stay close to home, although he said his family would have supported a decision to play elsewhere.

“I just looked at which program wanted me the most and would be the best fit for me," he said. “It will help out as far as giving my mother a chance to see me play, but I chose Alabama because it was the best program for me as a player and a student.

“My mother (Vanessa Knox) always puts school first. We have study hall before basketball practice and that helps. I study after practice and I study on weekends."

Knox said he was glad to sign early so he could concentrate on his senior season at Central, which begins tonight when the Falcons play in their own Red and White Classic.

“This has been a great day today. I’m excited about it and I am excited about our season starting tomorrow," Knox said.

UA women sign four

After adding seven newcomers in her first recruiting class to the UA women’s basketball program last season, coach Stephany Smith signed four more players for her second class.

Caitlin Hollifield, Tierney Jenkins, Varisia Raffington and Daleisha Carn will join the team for the 2007-08 season.

“We’ve talked a lot about forward progress with this program," Smith said. “With this class, we have once again made forward progress. They are as talented, if not more, than the class we just brought in. These players are all very versatile, so we feel that with this group we are covering all of our bases."

Hollifield, perhaps the most decorated of the group, hails from Powell, Tenn., where she stars for Powell High School and head coach Clay Young. Hollifield, the No. 48 player in the nation according to Scout.com, was a Tennessee Sportswriters Association first team all-state performer last year and is a three-time Street & Smith honorable mention All-American honoree.

A native of Tallahassee, Fla., Raffington competes for Florida High and head coach Lisa Kelly. She earned Florida Sportswriters Assocation 3A first team All-State accolades a season ago after leading Florida High to the Florida class 3A state title. She captured the championship game MVP honors after scoring 13 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Raffington helped her team reach the regional finals as a sophomore.

Carn, the second of two signees from the Sunshine state, is in her senior season at Englewood High School in Jacksonville, Fla. Competing for coach George McCloud, Carn is a four-star recruit according to FloridaHoops.com and is listed among the top recruits in the region by HoopGurlz.com.

The second recruit from Tennessee in the group, Jenkins helped lead her Wilson Central High School team under the tutelage of head coach Bud Brandon. Last season, Jenkins led Wilson Central to the Tennessee Class AAA state title after helping her team to a Sweet 16 appearance as a sophomore.

Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0229.