Alabama basketball picked up a big-time recruiting commitment on Monday morning.

Over the last few years, the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program has been rising to become a top-tier team. They have been a serious contender over the last couple of years and have continued to improve through both the recruiting market and the transfer portal.

Nate Oats, the men's basketball coach at Alabama, has put in a lot of work. Even though the Crimson Tide are known for football, the basketball team has started making a lot of noise.

On Monday morning, Oats was able to take another big step in the right direction.

As reported by Joe Tipton of Rivals, Alabama has secured a commitment from 2026 four-star small forward Chris Washington Jr.

Washington hails from Providence Christian Academy in Tennessee. He is currently ranked as the No. 26 overall player in the nation for the 2026 recruiting class and is the No. 9 small forward.

Following his decision to commit to the Crimson Tide, Washington spoke out with his reasoning.

“I chose Alabama because they’ve been recruiting me since I was a freshman in high school and they’ve just been keeping in contact with me since then," Washington said. "I feel like Nate Oats, coach (Christian) Pino, and the whole staff believe in me.”

He continued on, offering a potential player comparison for himself. Washington chose NBA guard Brandon Miller, who currently plays for the Charlotte Hornets. In addition, he name-dropped Kevin Durant as a potential comparison as well.

“I’d say I’m a big guard. Maybe Brandon Miller, 2.0. You know, KD (Kevin Durant). I’m a big guard.”

While those comparisons might be a bit high for him at this stage of his career, Alabama certainly hopes he can become that kind of player. The talent is through the roof, but there is a lot of work to do.

Being able to land Washington was no easy task for the Crimson Tide. There were plenty of other schools pursuing him, including Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Villanova.

Once again, Alabama basketball has come through with a big win. The program continues to head in the right direction and Washington could be a huge part of the future for the Crimson Tide.