Opportunity Was Part of the Appeal for UAB COMMIT Corbett

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 14, 2026

Coming into what was nearly a completely clean slate was part of the recruiting attraction for Oak Hill Academy guard Korie Corbett, who became UAB’s latest basketball commitment on Tuesday.

With the addition of Corbett, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound shooting guard from Columbia, S.C., UAB head coach Andy Kennedy now has four players slated to be on his roster for next season. Corbett and November signee Jakobi Sharp of Gadsden City High are coming from high school, 6-foot-11 center Shah Hall played at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa and Salim London is the lone returnee from this past UAB season.

“That definitely played a part of it,” Corbett said. “Just the fact that kind of let me know I can work for and get (an opportunity). The fact that there is only one person returning there won’t be any favoritism or handouts or anything like that. It’s pretty much mano a mano, that’s how I look at it.”

Corbett is coming off a successful high school career for the Ridge View High Blazers, which included back-to-back South Carolina 5A state championships. As a junior, he averaged 16 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 assists per game on his way to being selected as the 5A player of the year. He decided to spend his last season at traditional powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

“I kind of just wanted to experience something new, honestly,” Corbett said. “Just going out of my comfort zone. I felt like I want to be able to see who I am, see what I can take, see what I can't take. Overall, it was a great experience. It definitely helped me a lot. I think it'll help tremendously (entering college), honestly, just from being away from home and knowing how to deal with homesickness and just a little stuff like that.”

Corbett said his list of college offers included South Carolina, Ole Miss, Nevada and Charleston Southern. He said that UAB had been recruiting him for a long time, mentioning that assistant coach Chris Shumate has been leading the effort.

His official visit to UAB came last weekend.

“I had a great experience sitting down and talking with Coach AK,” Corbett said. “Just knowing his history as head coach, that’s what stood out to me a lot. He’s all about getting his players where they want to go and also developing his players. That’s really one of the main things I was heavy on when it came down to recruiting.”

Corbett offered a quick scouting report for those not familiar with his game.

“I would definitely say I'm like a do-it-all combo guard,” Corbett said. “I score from all three levels, can guard multiple positions and really just do whatever is needed.”