GOLDEN ERA’S HERE
Yes it’s real. No, you’re not dreaming. Alabama basketball is in its golden era.
If you’re waiting to go back to Arby’s until badto-mediocre basketball returns to Tuscaloosa, you might be waiting a while. Good basketball isn’t going anywhere it appears. In fact, elite basketball isn’t so much a flavor of the day in Tuscaloosa as it is becoming more-and-more a staple on the menu.
Fresh off the first Final Four appearance in school history, coach Nate Oats and company have put together what might be the best roster Oats has had in Tuscaloosa. It has that much talent up and down.
That’s even with a draft decision looming for Jarin Stevenson and Mark Sears, Alabama’s AllAmerican guard who is testing the NBA Draft waters. Will it be significant if Sears is back? Without question. But Oats and his staff have already made sure Alabama is going to be in a strong position either way. Sears might just be the difference between the Crimson Tide being the No. 1 team on paper entering the season and a top-10 team. Either
way, the Crimson Tide should enter the season with expectations to compete for the SEC title and another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
When Alabama fell to San Diego State in 2023 in the Sweet 16, it felt like the Crimson Tide had squandered its best shot at a Final Four. It had Brandon Miller, the future No. 2 overall pick, and another first-round pick in Noah Clowney. Then there was an elite rim protector (Charles Bediako), the SEC co-sixth-man of the year (Jahvon Quinerly) and a plenty of other talent.
Yet, without any of those players on the roster, Alabama reached the Final Four in 2024.
Here’s what’s wild: Alabama’s roster looks to have gotten better over the past month since the trip to Arizona.
The Crimson Tide didn’t have a true rim protector on its Final Four team. Now it does in Rutgers’ Cliff Omoruyi. He’s the No. 3 center in 247Sports’ transfer rankings and the No. 13 overall player. His presence should allow Grant Nelson to play more in the No. 4 spot, where he could put together more performances like the one he had vs. UNC in the Sweet 16.
Omoruyi is far from the only quality addition. There’s Houston Mallette, the Pepperdine guard who shot 41.5% from beyond the arc last season. Another is USF’s Chris Youngblood who shot 41.6% from deep a season ago. Then there’s Auburn transfer Aden Holloway, a former five-star guard whom Alabama will look to help reach that fivestar potential.
And those are just the portal additions.
Alabama also brought in a strong freshman class: Derrion Reid, Aiden Sherrell, Labaron Philon and Naas Cunningham. All four are top-50 prospects in the 2024 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite. Two are five-star prospects.
Whether it be via the portal or the high-school ranks, Alabama keeps retooling; Ace recruiter Preston Murphy continues to be a vital part of that.
The latest offseason moves have reminded that Alabama basketball under Oats is about more than one season. He has built something that isn’t about one player. It’s not about one recruiting class either. Oats has constructed a program that sustains success, not one that stumbles into it.
There appears to be no room in Oats’ office for complacency. Only trophies and accolades. As each season passes, that remains unchanged.
Welcome to the golden era of Alabama basketball.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.