Ever since Nate Oats arrived at Alabama in the spring of 2019, fans could see that he was building a potential monster in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide play fast, let shots fly, they have athletes all over the floor and their style produced the program’s first ever Final Four in 2024.
Despite some key losses, Oats and his program look to have constructed a roster that can compete for a return trip to the last weekend of the tournament.
High School Class: Derrion Reid, Aiden Sherrell, Labraon Philon and Naas Cunningham.
Transfer Class: Clifford Omoruyi, Aden Holloway, Chris Youngblood and Houston Mallette.
While high-scoring guard Mark Sears still has to make a decision about the NBA Draft, guard Latrell Wrightsell and big-man Grant Nelson are back. Also, the Tide have absolutely cleaned up on the recruiting trail.
Counting transfers and high schoolers, the Tide’s recruiting class ranks No. 2 overall and features a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in Derrion Reid and the long and Aiden Sherrell. Flipping Philon from Kansas in the spring added more pop to what is going to be a very deep backcourt while Omoruyi was the best defensive post player in the portal and even unlocks what the Crimson Tide want to do offensively.
They’ve got experience, they have shooting, they have toughness and they’ve got a transfer from their most bitter rival, Auburn.
Welcome to the new era of Alabama basketball.
A veteran of the high school basketball scouting industry who has been covering grassroots basketball since 2000, Eric Bossi is as plugged-in as it gets. Bossi loves Alabama basketball’s incoming 2024 haul, but the longtime McDonald’s All-American Game voter isn’t just praising the Crimson Tide. Bossi thinks eight other programs — including Arkansas, Duke and UCLA — knocked it out of the park this spring. Subscribers to 247Sports can read all of Eric’s intel.
Transfer portal dominoes are still falling, so now is the perfect time to sign up for 247Sports. Bossi delivered a loaded transfer portal notebook last week that correctly nailed Omururyi to Alabama, No. 1 transfer Kadary Richmond to St. John’s and many others. A subscription to 247Sports includes inside scoop on your favorite team, access to all content across the 247Sports network and exclusive access to the analysis and opinions of experts like Bossi.
