Alabama basketball reached the NCAA Tournament last season. In order to accomplish that feat again, the incoming 2018 recruiting class needs to play a role.
The beginning of the Avery Johnson era at Alabama has been a mixed bag so far. While the program has improved by one victory in each of his first three seasons at the helm, the team is yet to exceed expectations and become a consistent top-25 team over the course of a season. The Crimson Tide did reach the NCAA Tournament this past season but that was mostly expected considering the amount of talent (most notably from the freshman class) on the roster. It is no secret that Coach Johnson can be an excellent recruiter and has been a successful coach in a lot of different situations.
In 2018-19, though, Coach Johnson will finally have an experienced roster in Tuscaloosa. Although Collin Sexton, Braxton Key, and Ar’Mond Davis are now gone, the majority of last season’s roster is returning. Assuming the roster experiences growth as a whole, ‘Bama could once again be competing for an NCAA Tournament bid during this campaign.
Coach Johnson had this to say about the experience on the roster (247Sports):
"“We have what we think is the best continuity since I arrived at Alabama in three years with the guys that we have coming back. John Petty’s going to be better next year. Donta Hall took a step forward, and he has another year. And you can go on and on down the roster. So, we think with another year of a great offseason program and development of our players and with the kids that we have coming in, we think it’s the making for having an even stronger season next year.”"
However, experience and returning talent alone will not carry Alabama back to the NCAA Tournament. This is where Coach Johnson’s incoming 2018 recruiting class comes in. Even though this class might not be rated as highly as Alabama’s 2017 class was, there are still reasons to be excited. This class brings in three players with varying skill sets and they could all play important roles right away. The Crimson Tide will have a deep rotation in 2018-19 and these three newcomers will be a part of that. Here is a look at what each incoming freshman can bring to the table.