re: Tide Hoops | 31-6 (16-2)

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Rylan Griffen, four-star guard
Primary recruiter: Bryan Hodgson

Griffen popped up on Hodgson’s radar the summer before his junior year. Hodgson started watching Griffen on the AAU circuit and immediately could tell Griffen had a scorer’s mentality.

“Man, he just had a knack for scoring the basketball,” Hodgson said. “Coach (Nate Oats) always says you can find a role for those guys.”

Hodgson wanted to find that role, so he kept making trips to Dallas to build a relationship with the four-star guard and his family. Hodgson talked plenty with Griffen on the phone, too. They discussed Alabama’s games, Griffen’s games and even some NBA games.

“I probably spent more time on the phone with Rylan than I did anybody,” Hodgson said.

They talked seemingly every day. Sometimes more than once.

Hodgson said Griffen quickly realized Alabama would be a good fit for him because of how many 3-pointers Alabama shoots and how the Crimson Tide gets up and down the floor.

“As much as I was recruiting him, he started really falling in love with what we were doing,” Hodgson said. “It was really a mutual deal. Both sides realized this was the place.”

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