Tag: Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball

College basketball analyst lists Alabama newcomer among top defenders

The Rutgers transfer was a two-time Big Ten All-Defense selection.

If there is one position that the Alabama Crimson Tide needed to add to the roster during the 2024 college basketball offseason, it was an elite defender in the frontcourt who could protect the rim.

Well, that is exactly what Nate Oats and Co. did, as the Crimson Tide landed a massive addition through the transfer portal in Rutgers frontcourt standout Clifford Omoruyi.

According to college basketball analyst Andy Katz as well, it’s clear that the Crimson Tide landed a real difference maker, in particular on defense where he ranks Omoruyi as the No. 2 defender in the nation entering the 2024-25 season.

On the list, Omoruyi sits behind only Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, and is also one spot ahead of Auburn Tigers center Johni Broome.

Coming to Alabama after four seasons at Rutgers, Omoruyi is two-time Big Ten All-Defense selection that has averaged a combined 10.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 1.8 BPG across 121 games during his collegiate career. Omoruyi is also coming off a 2023-24 season in which he led the Big Ten with 2.9 BPG, as well as making Big Ten All-Defense for the second-straight year.

The experienced transfer should be a true difference maker for the Crimson Tide this season.

Alabama basketball lands Top-100 recruit in the 2025 class

Four-star SF Amari Allen becomes first commit in Alabama basketball’s 2025 recruiting class.

Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide have picked up the first piece to their puzzle on the recruiting trail for the 2025 class as they landed a commitment from four-star SF Amari Allen, a top 100 player in the cycle.

Allen is a Green Bay, Wisconsin native and chose the Tide over the likes of Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nevada, UCF and the Wisconsin Badgers. On3 ranks Allen as the No. 78 player overall in the class and the No. 17 ranked SF.

At 6-foot-7, Allen is very versatile on offense and can play anywhere from the 3 to the 5, but will be an even bigger asset on the defensive end. Allen has only had one official visit with the University of Alabama, but it appears as if his time on campus made a lasting impact saying,

“I chose Alabama because of the strong basketball culture and the opportunity to grow under Coach Oats. I’m excited to be a part of a program that is on the rise and to contribute to its future success.”

For the Crimson Tide, they finished No. 3 in the 2024 recruiting class led by Aiden Sherrell and Derrion Reid. Landing Allen so early in the cycle has to feel like a huge get for Oats staff and will is hopefully the first of many dominos to fall.

The start of Alabama’s 2024-25 campaign is just over a month away as they open the season with UNC Asheville on November 4.

https://twitter.com/tiptonedits/status/1833535902968414600?s=46

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Alabama basketball target sets official commitment date

The four-star prospect recently visited Alabama.

One of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s top basketball targets in the 2025 class has set an official commitment date, as highly-touted center Jaden Toombs will reportedly make his college decision September 26.

Toombs, who recently visited Alabama for the Western Kentucky game, currently holds numerous offers that include programs such as the LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, SMU Mustangs, and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

As mentioned previously, Toombs is one of the premier centers in the 2025 recruiting class, ranking No. 6 at the position nationally according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. A four-star prospect, Toombs also ranks as the nation’s No. 46 overall player, as well as No. 5 in the state of Texas where he attends Dynamic Prep.

Should the four-star commit to Alabama, Toombs would become the first commitment of the Crimson Tide’s 2025 class. After finishing with the nation’s No. 2 ranked class last cycle, will Alabama add their first to the 2025 group later this month?

Former Alabama guard announces retirement from basketball

The former Alabama guard is stepping away from basketball.

After stints with the Villanova Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide and Memphis Tigers former five-star PG Jahvon Quinerly has decided to step away from basketball and pursue off-the-court opportunities.

Quinerly struggled to see much time on the court during his time with Villanova and transferred to Alabama ahead of the 2019 season, but had to sit out due to transfer rules at the time. Over the next three years, he saw a ton of success with the Crimson Tide appearing in 98 career games and was named SEC co-sixth man of the year in 2023, and was the SEC tournament MVP in 2021.

Even though he decided to leave Alabama, Quinerly was a huge piece in what Nate Oats has built in Tuscaloosa. He transferred to Memphis for the 2023-2024 season where he appeared in 32 games averaging 13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 4.9 apg. Quinerly then went undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft. Quinerly stated his retirement saying,

“I made the decision to let go of the game of basketball, which has greatly shaped who I am since I could remember. This game has opened a plethora of doors for me and for that I will forever be grateful, but God has chosen a different path for me.”

https://twitter.com/munzly/status/1832224201291210929

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5-star shooting guard commits to SEC program over Alabama, others

The five-star is going to play elsewhere in the SEC.

Jasper Johnson, one of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s top basketball targets in the 2025 recruiting class, officially made a decision as to where he will play college basketball Thursday afternoon, as the highly-touted guard officially committed to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Johnson made the decision to play for the Wildcats over a list of finalists that also included the Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Louisville Cardinals, and North Carolina Tar Heels.

One of the top players in the 2025 class, Johnson is considered as the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, as well as the No. 2 shooting guard nationally. Johnson also ranks as the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia where he plays at Overtime Elite.

A five-star prospect, Johnson had previously been one of the Crimson Tide’s top targets in the 2025 cycle, but now heads to play for another SEC foe.

https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1831764071357743563

With the commitment of Johnson to Kentucky, Alabama’s 2025 class still sits with no current commitments.

Alabama basketball ranked No. 1 in Jon Rothstein’s pre-season poll

CBS Sports CBB expert ranks Alabama basketball No. 1 in his preseason poll.

For probably the first time in Alabama Crimson Tide history, the basketball team will go into a season with a better chance of winning the national title than the football team. Nate Oats’ squad is coming off of their first-ever Final Four appearance and returns the best roster in college basketball by a wide margin.

After testing the NBA draft waters, Mark Sears, Grant Nelson and Jarin Stevenson all decided to return to Tuscaloosa for another year. The Tide also added five really solid players in the transfer portal G Houston Mallette (Pepperdine), G Chris Youngblood (USF), G Aden Holloway (Auburn) and C Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers).

Alabama is widely projected as the No. 1 team in the country, and with a brutal out-of-conference schedule that includes Memphis, Purdue, Illinois, Houston and North Carolina, it won’t take long to find out how good they are.

College Basketball expert for CBS Sports and FanDuel, Jon Rothstein, also ranks the Crimson Tide as the No. 1 team heading into the 2024 season. Rothstein rounds out his top five with all Big 12 members in Kansas, Houston, Baylor and Iowa State.

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1828819276901601608

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Alabama to host three Top 100 recruits this weekend

This weekend in Tuscaloosa is shaping up to be a loaded one on the recruiting front.

According to a report from On3’s Joe Tipton, the Alabama Crimson Tide will be hosting three Top 100 basketball recruits for an official visit this weekend in Tuscaloosa in the trio of Davion Hannah, Jaden Toombs, and Amari Allen.

The highest-rated of the group, Hannah is considered as a highly-rated four-star combo guard in the 2025 class, ranking as the nation’s No. 26 prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Hannah is also one of the top combo guards in the class, ranking No. 4 nationally, as well as the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri where he attends Link Academy.

Toombs, who included Alabama in his top five just last month, ranks as the nation’s No. 46 overall player, as well as the No. 6 center in the class. A four-star prospect, Toombs also ranks as the No. 5 player in the state of Texas in which he attends Dynamic Prep.

Lastly, Allen ranks as the nation’s No. 98 overall player out of Ashwaubenon High School in Wisconsin where he is the state’s No. 4 prospect. The four-star is also considered as the No. 18 small forward in the class.

With this talented trio of 2025 prospects set to be on campus this Saturday, it only adds to what is shaping up to be a loaded weekend in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama announces date for 2024 Final Four banner reveal

Alabama will celebrate its’ 2024 Final Four team in October.

The reveal date for the Alabama Crimson Tide’s 2024 Final Four banner was officially announced Thursday afternoon, as the program is set to unveil the newest addition to Coleman Coliseum on Friday, October 11.

In addition to revealing the banner, the Crimson Tide will also introduce the 2024-25 team that night as well.

During the 2023-24 season, Alabama made their first-ever trip to the Final Four, where they would fall to eventual national champion UConn in the national semifinal, 86-72.

This put the finishing touches on what was a March run to remember for Nate Oats and Co. that included four consecutive wins over College of Charleston, Grand Canyon, North Carolina, and Clemson.

Alabama’s 2024-25 season is set to officially begin November 4 when the Crimson Tide host UNC Asheville. It was also reported that the Crimson Tide will play a preseason exhibition game in Huntsville against Memphis, which will take place nearly a week before on October 28.

Alabama basketball releases their 2024-25 SEC schedule

Alabama basketball set to open SEC play on Jan. 4 against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Going into the 2024 season, the expectations for the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program have never been higher. The Tide are coming off of their first-ever Final Four appearance and return a ton of production from last year’s team.

The Crimson Tide are widely projected as the No. 1 team in the country going into the upcoming season due to the absurd amount of talent on the roster, despite the fact the UConn Huskies have won back-to-back national titles.

This upcoming season will be Nate Oats’s sixth year in Tuscaloosa, and through the first five, he has already been able to claim 2 SEC regular titles, 2 SEC Tournament titles and was named as the 2021 SEC Coach of the Year. With all of his success, Oats is widely regarded as a top-five coach in the sport and received a nice extension this off-season.

Under Oats, Alabama has tried to prioritize playing the toughest out-of-schedule possible to help prepare for March and the NCAA Tournament. But, with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma, the SEC is going to be arguably the toughest league in the country.

Alabama basketball has officially unveiled their conference schedule for the 2024-25 season and will start play against the Sooners on Jan. 4.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Alabama to face top AAC program in preseason exhibition game

Alabama sets a preseason exhibition contest.

Announced on Monday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide will face off against the Memphis Tigers on October 28, 2024 in the Rocket City Classic.

An exhibition contest, the game will take place prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, and will be held from VBC Propst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama between the two programs.

Led by head coach Penny Hardaway, Memphis is no stranger to the Crimson Tide, as the two programs have met during the regular season twice since Nate Oats took over the Alabama program. This came via a 92-78 defeat in Memphis during the 2021-22 season, with Alabama picking up a victory the next year in Tuscaloosa, 91-88.

The Tigers have been among the top programs in the AAC the last couple of seasons, and are expected to be just that once again this year.

This should be a solid test for the Crimson Tide prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, which is set to begin November 4 against UNC Asheville.