Alabama forward transfer Sam Walters commits to Michigan basketball
Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Dusty May is continuing to build his roster through the NCAA transfer portal, and he’s landed another commitment. Former Alabama wing Sam Walters is the latest pledge.
Walters took an official visit to Michigan beginning April 21. He also saw Ohio State during his recruitment, which began when he entered the portal April 15.
The 6-foot-10, 198-pounder played one season with Alabama and has three years of eligibility remaining. On3 ranks Walters as the No. 71 overall player and 17th-best power forward in the NCAA transfer portal.
Playing on the wing at both forward spots, Walters averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game in 37 appearances off the bench for Alabama. He shot 48.1 percent on twos (25-of-52), 39.4 percent on threes (39-of-99) and 82.5 percent from the free throw line (33-of-40).
Alabama finished the 2023-24 season 25-12 and made a run to the Final Four as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual national champion UConn, 86-72, in Phoenix.
Walters is a jump shooter through and through, with 101 of his 151 field goal attempts coming on jumpers. He had a 57.9 effective field goal percentage on those looks as a freshman, ranking in the 92nd percentile in the country. Despite playing just 12.3 minutes on average, he got off 2.7 three-point attempts with 1.1 made threes per game. Ninety nine of his 101 jump shots came in catch-and-shoot situations.
The Athletic ranks Walters as the No. 68 overall player in the portal and highlighted his ability to shoot.
“Walters is a 3-point specialist who doesn’t need much room to shoot,” CJ Moore wrote. “The big lefty has a quick and high release, and he shot a solid 39.4 percent from 3 as a freshman, averaging 5.4 points in only 12.3 minutes per game. Walters was a floor spacer for the Crimson Tide, but he wasn’t afraid to put it on the floor and attack shot blockers at the rim.
“Walters is able to cross match onto perimeter players and can also handle himself against bigs. On the perimeter, he uses his length to give him some extra room to defend the ball and contain the dribble. You see his build and expect that he’d play soft, but he has some fight to him and can handle himself when a ball handler’s eyes light up and he decides he wants to take on Walters.
“He can play both forward spots. He shot 82.5 percent at the free-throw line, which is a good indicator that his shooting efficiency should continue with even more volume.
“It’ll be interesting to see what Walters becomes because his potential is enticing. With his size and stroke, he’ll be a guy NBA folks will be keeping an eye on.”
Alabama head coach Nate Oats said last November that the goal was for Walters to play with more physicality.
“He put on 20 pounds since he’s got here,” Oats said at the time. “He’s just not used to playing like he’s 200-plus pounds. Welcome to the 200 club, Sam. Now, you can go ahead and use the 200 pounds and drive the ball with some physicality and show some physicality on D.
“But one thing he does at an elite level is shoot the ball, and he’s going to space the floor for us. His size, you’ve got to really play him pretty tight to close out late. He’s going to have it off, and he’s making a really high percentage of open shots. If he gets a catch-and-shoot three, everybody in the gym that’s been watching us practice for the last couple of months thinks that things going in.”
The Michigan target was a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 69 overall prospect in the 2023 class. He attended The Villages (Fla.) Charter School, which is located northwest of Orlando.
