Five-star guard Reese Alston, the son of former NBA guard Rafer "Skip 2 My Lou" Alston, committed to LSU on Thursday. Alston, ranked No. 9 overall in the 2027 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, chose the Tigers over Louisville, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wichita State.
The Houston Second Baptist product becomes the third member of LSU's 2027 recruiting class, joining four-star combo guard King Gibson and Ahmad Hudson, who is also committed to the Tigers football team as a five-star tight end. With Alston's addition, LSU now holds the No. 2-ranked recruiting class for the 2027 cycle. He is also the first five-star high school recruit head coach Will Wade has landed since returning to LSU.
The commitment signals a new roster-building approach for Wade, who aims to construct his 2027-28 squad around high school talent after relying heavily on the transfer portal and international players for the 2026-27 season. Wade has been outspoken about his "unconventional roster," which features several players fighting in court for a fifth year of eligibility.
According to 247Sports Director of Scouting, Alston can consistently "create offense for himself and his teammates." He is described as an offensive engine who thrives as the primary initiator of his team's attack, with adequate positional size and length, deceptive strength and balance through contact, good open-floor speed, and sneaky leaping ability. He is also noted as an underrated on-ball defender capable of picking up opponents full-court.
Alston's commitment comes amid a flurry of top-ranked decisions: four-star forward Asa Montgomery committed to Duke, while five-star center Lewis Uvwo committed to Providence, becoming the highest-ranked player in the 2027 cycle to announce. In a CBS Sports report on the NIL arms race in college basketball, LSU was placed in Tier 3 with a budget range of $15.1 million to $17.5 million, alongside Miami, Arizona, USC, Michigan State, and SEC rivals Missouri, Auburn, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina.
