Kira Lewis picks Alabama Crimson Tide, will reclassify into 2018 class

Kentucky has already started playing games with its 2018 roster, but the Alabama Crimson Tide are still adding players to theirs.

Avery Johnson has added five-star point guard Kira Lewis Jr., who will reclassify from 2019 to 2018.

Lewis had been considering a reclassification all summer, and it was pretty clear that if he reclassified, Kentucky wouldn’t be the school for him. When he cut his list to 12 and left out UK, it seemed all the more likely he was moving up to 2018.

This is a great get for Alabama. The Hazel Green, Alabama, native was ranked the No. 4 point guard in the 2019 class on the 247 Sports composite. He’s 6-3, quick in transition, has a quality jumpshot and can slash to the rim.

As for Kentucky, this doesn’t hurt much. The Wildcats had yet to offer, and he wasn’t considering them. If Lewis had stayed in 2019 it could have given Calipari a chance to work his way back in, but with Lewis reclassifying, there wasn’t room for him on this year’s roster anyway—especially this late.

This means Kentucky will have one less guard target in 2019, as they figure to add one more to pair with current commit Tyrese Maxey. They’ve also offered Jalen Lecque and are looking into Cole Anthony and Nico Mannion. RJ Hampton is someone to watch for that could reclassify from 2020 into 2019.

This is also added competition to the SEC. Alabama gets a lot better with this addition, and the conference as a whole continues to look stronger and stronger. (Lookout, ACC?)