Tag: Nate Oats

Two former Alabama MBB players announce transfer destinations

Two former members of the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team, Jaylen Forbes and Raymond Hawkins, have announced where they will…

Two former members of the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team, Jaylen Forbes and Raymond Hawkins, have announced where they will be playing for the 2020 season.

Smith, a guard who just finished his freshman season, was a player Alabama fans were familiar with in his lone year with the program. He stood at 6 feet 4 inches tall. In his time with the Crimson Tide, Forbes averaged just over 10 minutes a game and a field goal percentage of 32%.

Forbes will be transferring to Tulane for his final year of eligibility.

Hawkins, a center who originally committed to the University of Buffalo, followed Nate Oats to Alabama and did not see much playing time, in his one season with the Crimson Tide, Hawkins played in six games.

The California native announced via Twitter that he will be transferring to Long Beach State.

These are the first two commits of Oats to leave Alabama during is time as head coach. However, he, nor the fans, seem to be worried as they look ahead to the top-20 recruiting class he has put together for the 2020 season.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama basketball as the offseason continues!

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Kira Lewis announces he will stay in NBA Draft

Former Alabama guard Kira Lewis jr. took over the Crimson Tide Men’s basketball fanbase during his freshman season in 2018 due to his…

Former Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. took over the Crimson Tide Men’s basketball fanbase during his freshman season in 2018 due to his young age of 17.

Now, after two seasons in Tuscaloosa, Lewis announced that he will remain in the NBA Draft and not return to Alabama for his remaining two years of eligibility.

Lewis made the announcement via social media with a vide titled “It’s time.”

After thanking God, his family and the University of Alabama, Lewis says that he has discussed his future with his family and will hire an agent.

Some early NBA mock drafts have Lewis being drafted in the late first round.

Regardless of where he ends up Roll Tide Wire wishes him the best of luck in this journey, and will keep you updated every step of the way!

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Alabama basketball finishes No. 16 in recruiting rankings

Alabama’s 2020 recruiting class ranks 16thin the nation by Scout.com and the No. 18 overall class according to 247Sports.com.

On Wednesday, Nate Oats announced that the team added four more players to its 2020 signing class which are joining fall signee Keon Ambrose-Hylton as well as one of the nation’s best graduate transfers from Yale, Jordan Bruner. Alabama’s 2020 recruiting class ranks 16thin the nation by Scout.com and the No. 18 overall class according to 247Sports.com.

Oats, who had led Alabama to a 16–15 season before the season was abruptly ended due to the coronavirus, is on a mission to prove that he’s not only the man for the job, but that Alabama can truly become a school with a basketball program able to win national championships as well.

Here is Alabama’s 2020 signing class:

Ambrose was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports.

Bruner, who is one of the top graduate transfers, averaged 10.9 points per game, and 9.2 rebounds per game last season.

Primo was not only rated a 5 star, but he was also rated he No. 27 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class.

Ellis is rated as the No. 3 JUCO prospect and No. 1 combo guard for the 2020, according to 247Sports.

Miles was not only ranked a 4 star, but he also averaged 12.1 points per game for IMG Academy last season.

This is an exciting recruiting class for the Crimson Tide. With these 5 star players joining the talent in Tuscaloosa, this could be a year unlike any other for Alabama.

If Herb Jones and John Petty choose to return to Tuscaloosa for another year of college basketball, we may witness the type of team Nate Oats has been believing in all along.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you up to date on the very latest.

Alabama basketball target Jordan Bruner makes college decision

Yale graduate transfer Jordan Bruner announced on Friday where he’ll be finishing his collegiate basketball career.

Jordan Bruner has finally made his decision on where he’ll finish his collegiate basketball career. On Friday, the Yale graduate transfer announced he’ll be joining the Alabama Crimson Tide.

This is a huge addition to an already impressive 2020 recruiting class for Nate Oats and the rest of the Alabama basketball program.

Bruner was being heavily pursued by several of the nation’s top schools and had recently narrowed his choices down to three: Alabama, Baylor and Maryland.

The 6-foot-9 forward from Columbia (S.C.) brings a versatile skill set to Tuscaloosa, as he almost averaged a double-double for Yale last season (10.9 points, 9.2 rebound per game).

Bruner is also an effective player on the defensive end of the courst, as he averaged 1.7 blocks as well.

In addition to Bruner, the Crimson Tide have also added other key members to its 2020 class within the last couple of weeks. Included in those additions are five-star guard Josh Primo, four-star JUCO guard Keon Ellis and three-star forward Darius Miller.

Alabama already had four-star forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton committed as well.

Combine those with the arrivals of Jahvon Quinerly, Juwan Gary and James Rojas, and this Alabama basketball team is going to look vastly different than it did during the 2019-20 season.

Oats and company are still waiting on any potential return announcements from John Petty, Herb Jones or Kira Lewis Jr. But even if all three choose to stick to leaving early for the 2020 NBA Draft, the Tide look to be in good shape.

Stay tuned for more Alabama basketball and recruiting updates from Roll Tide Wire!

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Alabama basketball lands commitment from 3-star SF

Nate Oats is hot on the recruiting trail and has landed another big commitment from six feet seven inch three-star small forward, Darius Miles from IMG Academy. Miles’ final three schools were Alabama, Boston College and Minnesota. He made his …

Nate Oats is hot on the recruiting trail and has landed another big commitment from six feet seven inch three-star small forward, Darius Miles from IMG Academy.

Miles’ final three schools were Alabama, Boston College and Minnesota.

He made his announcement via a video on Twitter.

Oats now brought Alabama within the top-25 for NCAA MBB recruiting in the 2020 class – the Crimson Tide sits at No. 23. There’s plenty of time left for Oats and his staff to help Alabama climb up the board even higher,

After an impressive first year as head coach, Oats looks to build a brand new team for year No. 2 and he’s just getting started.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama Basketball and recruiting leading into the 2020 season.

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BAMA BEAT: Interview with Alabama coach Nate Oats (Ep. 327)

Cecil Hurt and Hunter Johnson sit down with Alabama coach Nate Oats to discuss navigating the current landscape in sports due to COVID-19.

Cecil Hurt and Hunter Johnson sit down with Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats to discuss navigating the current landscape in sports due to the coronavirus, as well as to talk about the future of the program.

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BREAKING: Alabama basketball lands JUCO guard Keon Ellis

Things are picking up on the recruiting trail for the Alabama basketball program. On Sunday, the Tide landed a commitment from Keon Ellis.

Things are starting to pick up on the recruiting trail for Nate Oats and the Alabama basketball program. On Sunday, the Crimson Tide landed a commitment from Keon Ellis.

Ellis, a four-star JUCO combo guard from Fort Myers (Fla.), made the announcements via his Instagram and Twitter accounts:

Ellis is rated as the No. 3 JUCO prospect and No. 1 combo guard for the 2020, according to 247Sports.

He is also the third member of the Crimson Tide’s 2020 recruiting class, joining four-star prospects Josh Primo (No. 47 overall, No. 8 combo guard) and Keon Ambrose-Hylton (No. 114 overall, No. 22 power forward).

Stay tuned for more updates on Alabama basketball’s upcoming recruiting classes and more from Roll Tide Wire!

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Latest CBS NBA mock draft predicts landing spot for Kira Lewis Jr.

Lewis actually made 48.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc in the Crimson Tide’s final seven games, which suggests he can be a reliabl…

In a sports world that is flooded with an overwhelming amount of uncertainty due to the Coronavirus pandemic and NFL mock drafts, NBA expert Gary Parrish with CBS released his latest 2020 NBA mock draft.

That mock is filled with big-name talents from across the globe and the college basketball community. Some of those names include LaMelo Ball, who is currently playing in Australia, and Georgia’s Anthony Edwards.

However, a name that the Crimson Tide fanbase is more than familiar with can also be found. It’s a little bit further down the mock at the No. 28 overall pick, but it’s certainly there.

Parrish predicts that Alabama sophomore point guard Kira Lewis Jr. will be selected by the New York Knicks with that late first-rounder.

His CBS positional ranking has him listed as the sixth-best guard in the 2020 draft class.

Parrish goes on to explain his reasoning behind the prediction:

“Lewis is a sophomore but will still only be 19 years old on draft night. So he’s young. . And he’s light. But the 6-3 point was super-productive this season — averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds for an Alabama team that finished 60th at KenPom. He shot 36.6% from 3-point range on the season. But Lewis actually made 48.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc in the Crimson Tide’s final seven games, which suggests he can be a reliable, if not terrific, perimeter shooter as professional.”

While Lewis did announce he will be entering the 2020 NBA Draft process, he also made it clear that he has chosen to maintain his remaining collegiate eligibility, which will be two years.

Lewis had a teammate under Nate Oats, junior guard John Petty, who also announced that he will be entering the NBA Draft process, but was not mentioned in this particular mock.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on the journeys of Lewis and Petty throughout the process leading up to their potential life-changing moments!

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BREAKING: Alabama basketball lands 5-star CG Joshua Primo

Alabama basketball landed a huge commitment on Friday with five-star combo guard Joshua Primo out of Ohio.

Alabama basketball got a huge commitment on Friday morning, as Joshua Primo announced that he would be joining the Crimson Tide’s 2020 recruiting class.

The news was announced by several media outlets, but the five-star combo guard from Royal Crown High School in Toronto (Ohio.) made it official on his own Twitter account:

This is a major addition for head coach Nate Oats and the rest of the Alabama basketball program, as it was announced earlier in the week that starting guards Kira Lewis Jr. and John Petty would be entering their names into the 2020 NBA Draft.

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Primo is a four-star prospect and rated as the No. 47 overall player, the No. 8 combo guard and No. 1 player from the state of Ohio.

The rankings for 247Sports specifically, however, rated the 6-foot-6, 180-pound shooter as a five-star while ranking him No. 27 overall and the No. 7 combo guard.

Primo is officially the Crimson Tide’s second commitment for the 2020 class after reclassifying from 2021. He is joined by four-star power forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton, who is the No. 115 overall player.

Stay tuned for more updates on Alabama sports from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY college wire websites!

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Kira Lewis Jr. releases statement entering NBA Draft

It was originally reported yesterday by Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News that Alabama guards Kira Lewis Jr. and John Petty would be “tes…

It was originally reported yesterday by Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News, through Alabama head coach Nate Oats, that guards Kira Lewis Jr. and John Petty would be “testing the NBA waters.”

Less than a day later Lewis, who just wrapped up sophomore season in Tuscaloosa, took to Twitter t announce his decision to enter the 2020 NBA Draft while also retaining his remaining collegiate eligibility.

Lewis, who reclassified to join the 2018 class, began playing at Alabama as a 17-year-old, but  despite his youth, he instantly became a leader and a fan-favorite.

In his two years with the Crimson Tide, Lewis average 34.5 minutes, a field goal percentage of 44.7 percent, 1,031 total points, 260 assists and only 183 turnovers.

In his message, Lewis thanks everyone from the fans, who he claims are the “best fans in college basketball” to his coaches, teammates and family.

There is only one piece bolded within the message: “I have decided to enter the NBA draft process while keeping my eligibility”.

Could this mean a potential return from Lewis? Likely not, according to the tweet shared by Hurt from Oats on Tuesday:

It seems as if the Lewis era in Tuscaloosa is coming to an end, but his legacy will remain.

He was one of the few consistent pieces during a time of uncertainty, which means he will be remembered at Alabama as a pioneer of change within a program that was desperately in need of a new look.

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