Nate Oats just completed his sixth season with the Crimson Tide and you might already be able to call him the best coach in Alabama basketball history. He’s had an immense and instant impact with this program, taking the Crimson Tide to the Final Four in 2024 before an Elite Eight run last season, two of his four appearances to at least the Sweet Sixteen since taking the job back in 2019.
The work has been otherworldly and included another impressive season last year, with his Crimson Tide leading the nation in scoring by averaging 90.7 points per game. Alabama hung tough, finishing 3rd place in a historically strong SEC before finishing their 28-win campaign with a run to the Elite Eight. Despite playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, this Alabama team was strong and impressive from beginning to end of last season.
Mark Sears and Grant Nelson were major playmakers for the Crimson Tide after transferring to Tuscaloosa from other programs, but it’s time for the next run of playmakers to make their mark for Alabama. Oats and his staff struck gold with those two, and that’s far from the only great moves for this staff in recent years, but they’ll be leaning heavily on a new crop of talent. However, that’s not to say some major pieces won’t be back from last year’s Elite Eight appearance.
With what we’ve seen in recent years it’s easy to expect another fantastic season from this program, even with changes on this roster. We’ll dive into all the faces who are back and the new ones in Tuscaloosa while also taking a peak at the schedule and what’s to come for the Crimson Tide. Could this be a team that can lead the nation in scoring again?
Projected Starters
Guard – Labaron Philon Jr. (Sophomore)
Philon was a big piece on last year’s impressive recruiting class but he was the one who really stood out for the Crimson Tide. The 6-4 guard out of Alabama put up 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game last season. With Sears gone, expect a significantly larger role for Philon leading this offense, especially if he can take the expected lead forward in his second collegiate season.
Guard – Aden Holloway (Junior)
After a standout freshman season at Auburn, Holloway transferred to rival Alabama last year and secured a solid position in this lineup. He came off the bench and was an important backcourt reserve, averaging 11.4 points per game while knocking down 41% of his 3-pointers. Holloway becomes the lead shooting guard and has the capability to become one of the SEC’s best sharpshooters this year.
Guard – Jalil Bethea (Sophomore)
Last year Bethea was considered a 5-star recruit down at Miami, but was part of a Hurricanes program that really underwhelmed. After a coaching change, he’s a new toy for Oats and company with the Crimson Tide, hoping to build on a season where he averaged 7.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, a recent toe injury will sideline him to start the season but he should be back soon.
Forward – Taylor Bol Bowen (Junior)
A 6-10 forward originally out of Vermont, Bol Bowen headed to Florida State and had two seasons down with the Seminoles before transferring to Alabama this offseason. The former Top 100 prospect averaged 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks last season as a starter in Florida State’s frontcourt, becoming an efficient scorer and impressive shot blocker. The Crimson Tide are hoping he can slide into a major role and build on that as an upperclassman.
Forward – Aiden Sherrell (Sophomore)
Another major piece from last year’s recruiting haul, Sherrell is a 6-10 forward from Detroit who didn’t have a great number of opportunities as a freshman. His initial collegiate campaign was as a reserve off the bench, putting up just 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds a game. However, with Clifford Omoruyi and others gone from the frontcourt, a major opportunity appears for Sherrell, who rates as a solid rim protector.
Key Reserves
Guard – Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (Senior)
Previously a standout at Cal State Fullerton, Wrightsell had been making major strides with Alabama before rupturing his Achilles last November. He played in just eight games for the Crimson Tide, but had become a major part of the equation, averaging 11.5 points and 2.0 assists per game while hitting 42% of his 3-pointers. If fully healthy, he can be a major asset and might get back into the starting lineup before too long.
Guard – Davion Hannah (Freshman)
A 4-star combo guard originally from Branson, Missouri, Hannah is the new freshman in the backcourt for the Crimson Tide. While his outside shooting is still coming together, he’s a great athlete who can make things happen all over the court and has the size to attack the basket as well. We’ll see what kind of run he gets off the bat, but he’s a Top 100 prospect for a reason and he’s deadly in open court.
Forward – Amari Allen (Freshman)
Allen is a 6-8 forward from Green Bay and is another of the three Top 75 recruits in this incoming class. He’s a wing with talent to do the little things on the court and has a great sense about him. Allen can score with ease and do great things in space, though he has work to do to grow on the defensive end. Still, he could be a great distributor and shooter for the Crimson Tide.
Forward – London Jemison (Freshman)
The highest-rated piece of this new freshman class, Jemison is a 6-8 forward out of Connecticut who could work his way into significant minutes right off the bat. He does a little bit of everything, with the build and athleticism to be a solid defender in the frontcourt but also with shotmaking ability and positional versatility. He makes smart plays, knocks down 3’s, and can be an asset for this potent offensive attack.
Center – Noah Williamson (Senior)
Another significant transfer portal addition, Williamson is a 7-0 center out of Latvia who really showcased his talent at Bucknell in recent seasons. He’s coming off a junior season with the Bison where he averaged 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors. He can score around the rim and outside the arc and is a phenomenal rebounder and shot blocker in the paint, giving the Crimson Tide a significant force off the bench.
Guard – Houston Mallette (Senior)
Before transferring to Alabama last season, Mallette really shined as a lead guard at Pepperdine, averaging at least 13 points per game for the Waves for three straight seasons. With all the talent in this lineup, Mallette arrived in Tuscaloosa to redshirt, but appeared in six games last season due to injuries, with very limited production. Across a full season, Alabama is excited to see what Mallette can produce and has made 37% of his 3-pointers in his career.
Schedule Outlook
As per usual, Alabama has quite the difficult schedule. After the home opener against North Dakota, it’s a murderer’s row of opposition, starting with a road trip to St. John’s on November 8. The Crimson Tide host Purdue five days later before facing Illinois in Chicago on November 19. Less than a week later, it’s off to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, getting matchups against Gonzaga, UNLV, and a third opponent.
The Crimson Tide are then back home to kick off December, hosting Clemson as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. They won’t leave their home state in December, but the month won’t come without challenges. Alabama takes on Arizona in Birmingham for the C. M. Newton Classic while two former assistants bring their teams to town, including the Rocket City Classic matchup against Kennesaw State in Huntsville right before Christmas.
With the state of the SEC, there are clearly no off days in this juggernaut of a league, with the conference slate starting with a home date against Kentucky on January 3. The Crimson Tide play three of their league foes twice and it’s no picnic getting Auburn, Mississippi State, or Tennessee twice on the calendar. There is a somewhat soft landing in mid-February for the Crimson Tide to stockpile wins, though many eyes will be on the regular season finale against rival Auburn on March 7.
Season Outlook
It may not feel like it in this era of the transfer portal, but Alabama is replacing a lot of talent this offseason. Losing Sears alone is a major blow, though his departure will allow someone else like Mallette or Philon to really step up this season. Whether or not this team can be a top-level offense again, they have the pieces to be a significant power in the SEC.
We’ll start right there in the backcourt, a group that gets back both Holloway and Philon and could really shine if Wrightsell is healthy and on top of his game. Combine those three with what we’ve seen Mallette produce in recent years and Alabama has a fantastic foursome leading the charge here. This team should have the shooting and playmaking ability to be that efficient and productive offense.
The worries might start in the frontcourt because there’s a lot of change happening under the basket. Nelson wasn’t a traditional big but Omoruyi was and they’ll both be sorely missed. The Crimson Tide are putting a lot of faith in new faces like Bol Bowen and Williamson to adapt into this system and be productive players on both ends while the team really needs Sherrell to take a big leap as a sophomore too.
We spoke on Bethea, a 5-star prospect who can absolutely be an elite presence for this team and a fifth standout in that backcourt, but it all depends on his return from injury. One of the big issues for the Crimson Tide seems to be that reliance on the backcourt to produce. This certainly feels like a team that will be smaller than many opponents, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be productive and explosive.
If everything comes together and those two players return healthy, Alabama can contend for another deep postseason run in a tough SEC. The Crimson Tide will be battle tested by season’s end and we’re going to find out very quickly just what some of these new pieces like Hannah and Jemison bring to the fold. Many questions remain, especially about that frontcourt, but the raw talent is very appealing in Tuscaloosa.