Braxton Key, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound small forward from famed Oak Hill Academy (VA), committed to Alabama on Wednesday.
Key, formerly Braxton Blackwell, also considered Kansas, Vanderbilt and Texas.
“Next year I’ll be attending the University of Alabama,” Key told Scout.com. “I really just love the coaches there. Coach [Avery] Johnson, coach Scott [Posphical], coach [Antoine] Pettway and then coach [Bob] Simon has been recruiting me since freshman year. We go way back. That helps a lot. I feel comfortable with their team.”
Key transferred to Oak Hill from Tennessee for his senior season, where he now plays alongside Harry Giles, Mario Kegler and a loaded team.
“Braxton’s upside is tremendous,” Oak Hill coach Steve Smith told SNY.tv. “He is so skilled for a player of his size. At 6-7 and 220 pounds, he can score the ball, pass and handle, rebound, and defend on and off the ball. He will play and contribute as a freshman because he’s physically ready. What I love most about Braxton is that he is a great player whether he is scoring the ball or not. You can’t say that about many of the good ones!”
He joins a 2016 recruiting class that includes 6-7 small forward Terrance Ferguson of Advanced Prep International and 6-6 shooting guard Ar’Mond Davis of College of Southern Idaho.
Key also told Scout he plans to work on bringing 6-10 DeSoto (TX) big man Marques Bolden to Alabama. Bolden is also considering Duke, Kentucky and Kansas, among others.
“We need Marques bad,” Key told Scout. “We feel like we are one step from achieving our goals. We are going to work hard to recruit him.”
