By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Class of 2026 point guard Ikenna Alozie will visit Alabama the weekend of Sept. 6, he told ZAGSBLOG.
Alozie, the 6-foot-2 guard out of Dream City Christian (AZ) and the Utah Prospects Nike EYBL AAU program, recently released a top eight schools list that includes Alabama, Arizona, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and Washington. He plans on visiting all of his finalists before making a decision. He previously visited Washington in September 2024.
The guard said narrowing down his list have made things a little easier for him. He’s getting less texts and is able to focus on building relationships with each of his finalists.
“Two years ago, I didn’t even know I was going to be in this position,” Alozie said. “I didn’t even know I was going to have offers like that. But I’m just grateful, and I just thank god everyday.”
Alozie hails from Nigeria. In 2021, he moved to New York to pursue his basketball dream. He suited up for the Patrick School his freshman season in 2022 and was an instant contributor. He also stood out for the NY Rens on the Nike EYBL circuit the summer of 2023.
The next summer, Alozie moved to the Utah Prospects on the 3SSB circuit, and his elite play led Utah to a 3SSB championship. He transferred Dream City Christian for his sophomore season and has been their leader ever since. He’ll be suiting up for Dream City again his senior year.
Alozie has always been a top-notch defender and elite scorer. It’s why he’s rated so highly by rankings services. But this summer, he’s really taken steps in other areas of his game.
“It’s been about growth for me this summer,” Alozie said. “I’m just trying to grow in different areas of the game, just taking my time day-by-day. Just stacking up days honestly. Just being a leader, being vocal. I think I tend to talk a lot now instead of like the past few years where I didn’t talk a lot.”
The top-20 prospect averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 20 games with the Prospects this summer. He also shot 44.6% from the floor and grabbed 29 total steals.
With his finalists set, here’s how Alozie broke down each program:
Alabama: “I just love the way they play their guards honestly, especially the freshman… Just the relationship we got, you know. Every game after the game [Nate Oats] shows me stats and things I need to improve on and all that.”
Arizona: “They are at every game. They are here every time. Every game I have, they encourage me. They let me know before the game… Obviously, it’s right there. I go to the games most of the time. I just love the way coach Tommy [Lloyd] uses his guards especially too.”
Gonzaga: “I don’t really know much about them because they started recruiting me late. But I’m just going to take my time to see how my style of play will fit their basketball.”
Houston: “They always keep in contact, let me know how each game goes… The defense part I think I kind of correspond to, what they got going on there. Coach [Kelvin] Sampson, he’s always bringing up Hakeem Olajuwon. He’s from Nigeria.”
Kansas: “I think I fit pretty good. The style of play is different. The culture they have there is crazy. Obviously, I’m trying to see how they’ll do this year. But the relationship with me and coach [Kurtis] Townsend, coach Bill Self, they’re just letting me know they’re coming hard for me.”
Kentucky: “It’s been good. Me and coach Cody [Fueger] and coach [Mark] Pope, they’ve been to my school. It’s just, we all share the same relationship. It’s going to be hard for me to make this decision.”
Louisville: “They’re just consistent. The consistency with me is what I really value a lot. The way [Pat Kelsey] runs his guards off ball screens and all that, the mindset of the culture they have there, it’s just great.”
Washington: “I love the atmosphere. I love the way it was because I went there. It was pretty. The guards they have there are phenomenal and the history of coach [Danny] Sprinkle with his guards from where he was at before have been good.”
ZAGSBLOG spotted the head coach of each of Alozie’s finalists, besides Gonzaga and Kansas, courtside to watch him play in North Augusta. Gonzaga and Kansas still had assistants present.
A commitment timeline is currently unclear for Alozie.
“Honestly, when my heart feels like I’m ready to commit, I’ll just do it,” he said.
What will be some important factors in choosing a final school?
“Just finding a home,” Alozie said. “You know, I’ve been away from home for a while. So just finding a place I can call home again and where they’ll have my back. And not just on the court, off the court at the same time.”
Alozie is ranked the No. 20 overall prospect in the 2026 class by 247Sports.
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