How Preston Murphy 'swished it' with Alabama basketball's latest transfer portal commit

With the typical confirmation tweet from Crimson Tide recruiting ace Preston Murphy, Alabama basketball has its second commitment from the transfer portal.

On Friday afternoon after reports circulated that Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen would be coming to Tuscaloosa, Murphy posted a hype video of some of Alabama hoops' greatest moments, starting with a clip from 'The Battle Rap,' a viral 2022 showdown between viral figures Supa Hot Fire and Blueface.

With the crowd cheering "Airball" in the background, Supa Hot Fire says "I shoot, I miss it," falling into the arms of those surrounding him before immediately being pushed back to his feet for a line you can almost hear Murphy spit himself after he found out he picked up the 6-foot-10 Seminoles forward out of the portal:

"Sike, I swished it."

Here are three things to know about Murphy's latest dunk on the college recruiting space:

How Bol Bowen landed in Vermont

After he reclassified from the 2022 class to the 2023 recruiting class, Bol Bowen's high school career ended at Brewster Academy - Wolfeboro (N.H.) However, his journey on the court began in Jericho, Vt. where he has lived since the age of 2, which is when his parents fleed the Second Sudanese Civil War from Bol Bowen's birthplace of Egypt.

No sophomore slump for 6-foot-10 forward

Bol Bowen, who entered the transfer portal on Mar. 19, adjusted to his new role as a starter well after averaging 11 minutes off the bench as a freshman. His sophomore season, Bol Bowen spent about 25 minutes per game on the floor to average 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, with a field goal percentage of 47.7% and a noteworthy three-point shooting percentage of 41.4%. Although he's only taking around two shots from deep per contest, it's still better than the 21.2% shooting percentage he put together from three-point range as a rookie.

FSU transfer brings much-needed length after loss of veterans

No 6-foot-11 veteran bigs like Grant Nelson or Clifford Omoruyi to be had on the 2025-26 roster sent Alabama on a mission to find length in the portal, and the Crimson Tide already has one piece in 7-footer Bucknell transfer Noah Williamson.

Bol Bowen will offer Alabama some much-needed reach after losing Omoruyi's whopping 7-foot-6 wingspan. The FSU transfer's measures out to 7-foot-2 from fingertip to fingertip.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.