Avery Johnson kicked off his 2017 recruiting class with a bang on Thursday by picking up two of the state's top players. 

It began in the afternoon with announcement from Hale County standout Herb Jones. The 6-foot-7 guard is a three-star recruit and ranked as the sixth best player in Alabama.

He shared this note on Twitter.

Just a couple hours later, Pelham forward Alex Reese followed suit and made his commitment to the Crimson Tide by posting this announcement on Twitter.

Reese gives Avery Johnson a top 100 player in the nation and a skilled power forward. The 6-9 forward averaged more than 25 points and 10 rebounds as a junior.

Jones and Reese represent the first two commitments for the class of 2017 and move Alabama to 34th overall in the team rankings.

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