Alabama's season ended on a sour note losing a tough, close game to UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen. I have already posted my post game thread and will not get into the game or comment on it ITT as I have lived the 24 hour rule and will now look towards next season. Alabama will have a terrific team next season with arguably more talent than this year's team. Alabama will lose 4 seniors off this team, two which are starters and All-SEC players (Herb and Petty), as well as role players Jordan Bruner and Alex Reese. Bruner was making a tremendous impact this season before injuring his knee and having to have surgery. After the surgery he wasn't the same and played sparingly in the tournament because he could not move well. Alex Reese was a guy that gave his effort every game whether he played 10 minutes or 30, he busted his tail for this team. He hit a shot that will always be remembered sending Alabama into OT against UCLA and played great the first two games of the NCAA Tournament. If we are talking impact players, Alabama is losing two of those guys in Petty and Herb.
Recruiting:
Alabama currently has the #14 recruiting class in the country according to Rivals, but I believe Alabama will finish in the top 10 before it's all said and done. Let's take a look at who is already committed. #13 player and 5 star JD Davison is the crown jewel of this class as Alabama beat out LSU and Auburn for his commitment as Antoine Pettway's relationship with JD won in the end. JD is a 6'3 Derrick Rose/Russell Westbrook type of player athletically at the point guard position. He is an elite passer, average shooter, but can finish at the rim better than any PG I have seen in recent years. He is a program changing player similar to Collin Sexton, except JD may be here for more than one season which would be incredible. The next signee is Langston Wilson, the #2 JUCO player in the country out of Georgia is a 6'9 220 lb forward that has elite athleticism and finishing ability. If you don't believe me then just watch his highlights. He will likely factor in as a key role player in the front court similar to what Keon Ellis contributed this past season. Jusuan Holt is the final signee of this class....so far. Holt is a 6'6 forward who is a shooter that can develop into great role player and possible starter in 2-3 years. He will likely take a year to get bigger and used to the college game, but he will develop into a solid shooter and facilitator.
The guys that Alabama are after, in recruiting and transfer portal, are two very familiar names. The first one is Charles Bediako, who is a top 30 player in the country and 6'11 220lb big man that controls the paint. He is not very athletic, he is not fast for a big guy, but he understands his body and how to use it to score and rebound. He has the ability to step out and shoot, but he definitely has to develop that part of his game to unlock the next level of his potential. He is a guy I could see averaging 15 points/10 rebounds by his junior or senior season. The other name is Nimari Burnett, who was a top 30 player in 2019 and was going to choose Alabama up until the week of his commitment date where he chose Texas Tech. It was a surprise move that, if you remember, I was very shocked because I had Alabama landing Burnett for a long time. Now, Alabama has the opportunity to land him again. He entered the transfer portal nearly 1/4 of the way through the season due to playing time. He has set a commitment date for April 9th and all signs are pointing towards him picking Alabama, but we all have been there before with him. I think this time around will be different. He fits like a glove in Alabama's system, because he is a 6'4 guard who can shoot, pass, dribble, and defend with his length. He would be a significant addition. Another guy that Alabama has reached out to in transfer portal is Myreon Jones, the former PG from Penn State who averaged 15 ppg, originally from Birmingham. There is a chance Alabama takes him, but landing him and Burnett would require two players to transfer, and I will get to that in a moment.
Next Year's Roster:
Alabama returns plenty of talent from this past year's squad. Here's the returning roster:
Jahvon Quinerly
Jaden Shackelford
Keon Ellis
Joshua Primo
Juwan Gary
James Rojas
Darius Miles
Keon Ambrose
Alex Tchikou
Of those 9 guys coming back, 5 played significant minutes this season with Tchikou predicted to play significant minutes before his injury. Plenty of experience coming back, including five guys capable of scoring double digits every game (JQ, Shack, Primo, Ellis, Gary). Alex Tchikou is a huge question mark, because he is a Kevin Durant style player who can dribble, pass, and shoot at 6'11, but he is bigger than KD. If he can average 10-11 points while stretching the floor, that would be huge for this team to have that kind of addition. JQ, Primo, and Shackelford will all likely average double digit scoring next season barring injury, so adding someone like Tchikou that could average 10-11 or one of Ellis/Gary/Davison average double figures will be best case. With Herb and Petty, they had the ball in their hands a lot which stopped the ball movement far to often. Next year's squad will have a lot of guys that can share the ball, but can also create their own shot. Now, with the possible additions of Nimari Burnett and Charles Bediako, one of these players will have to transfer. All signs point towards James Rojas, who saw his minutes dwindle down the stretch of the season and into the tournament. Could someone else transfer if Myreon Jones decided to come along with those 2? Sure, but I won't get into that could possibly be until it looks like that will happen.
Next year's team looks to be extremely talented and more suited for Nate Oat's style of play overall than this past seasons team. If they land the players I mentioned, then Alabama will be a top 3 team in the SEC once again and a preseason top 25 team.
Recruiting:
Alabama currently has the #14 recruiting class in the country according to Rivals, but I believe Alabama will finish in the top 10 before it's all said and done. Let's take a look at who is already committed. #13 player and 5 star JD Davison is the crown jewel of this class as Alabama beat out LSU and Auburn for his commitment as Antoine Pettway's relationship with JD won in the end. JD is a 6'3 Derrick Rose/Russell Westbrook type of player athletically at the point guard position. He is an elite passer, average shooter, but can finish at the rim better than any PG I have seen in recent years. He is a program changing player similar to Collin Sexton, except JD may be here for more than one season which would be incredible. The next signee is Langston Wilson, the #2 JUCO player in the country out of Georgia is a 6'9 220 lb forward that has elite athleticism and finishing ability. If you don't believe me then just watch his highlights. He will likely factor in as a key role player in the front court similar to what Keon Ellis contributed this past season. Jusuan Holt is the final signee of this class....so far. Holt is a 6'6 forward who is a shooter that can develop into great role player and possible starter in 2-3 years. He will likely take a year to get bigger and used to the college game, but he will develop into a solid shooter and facilitator.
The guys that Alabama are after, in recruiting and transfer portal, are two very familiar names. The first one is Charles Bediako, who is a top 30 player in the country and 6'11 220lb big man that controls the paint. He is not very athletic, he is not fast for a big guy, but he understands his body and how to use it to score and rebound. He has the ability to step out and shoot, but he definitely has to develop that part of his game to unlock the next level of his potential. He is a guy I could see averaging 15 points/10 rebounds by his junior or senior season. The other name is Nimari Burnett, who was a top 30 player in 2019 and was going to choose Alabama up until the week of his commitment date where he chose Texas Tech. It was a surprise move that, if you remember, I was very shocked because I had Alabama landing Burnett for a long time. Now, Alabama has the opportunity to land him again. He entered the transfer portal nearly 1/4 of the way through the season due to playing time. He has set a commitment date for April 9th and all signs are pointing towards him picking Alabama, but we all have been there before with him. I think this time around will be different. He fits like a glove in Alabama's system, because he is a 6'4 guard who can shoot, pass, dribble, and defend with his length. He would be a significant addition. Another guy that Alabama has reached out to in transfer portal is Myreon Jones, the former PG from Penn State who averaged 15 ppg, originally from Birmingham. There is a chance Alabama takes him, but landing him and Burnett would require two players to transfer, and I will get to that in a moment.
Next Year's Roster:
Alabama returns plenty of talent from this past year's squad. Here's the returning roster:
Jahvon Quinerly
Jaden Shackelford
Keon Ellis
Joshua Primo
Juwan Gary
James Rojas
Darius Miles
Keon Ambrose
Alex Tchikou
Of those 9 guys coming back, 5 played significant minutes this season with Tchikou predicted to play significant minutes before his injury. Plenty of experience coming back, including five guys capable of scoring double digits every game (JQ, Shack, Primo, Ellis, Gary). Alex Tchikou is a huge question mark, because he is a Kevin Durant style player who can dribble, pass, and shoot at 6'11, but he is bigger than KD. If he can average 10-11 points while stretching the floor, that would be huge for this team to have that kind of addition. JQ, Primo, and Shackelford will all likely average double digit scoring next season barring injury, so adding someone like Tchikou that could average 10-11 or one of Ellis/Gary/Davison average double figures will be best case. With Herb and Petty, they had the ball in their hands a lot which stopped the ball movement far to often. Next year's squad will have a lot of guys that can share the ball, but can also create their own shot. Now, with the possible additions of Nimari Burnett and Charles Bediako, one of these players will have to transfer. All signs point towards James Rojas, who saw his minutes dwindle down the stretch of the season and into the tournament. Could someone else transfer if Myreon Jones decided to come along with those 2? Sure, but I won't get into that could possibly be until it looks like that will happen.
Next year's team looks to be extremely talented and more suited for Nate Oat's style of play overall than this past seasons team. If they land the players I mentioned, then Alabama will be a top 3 team in the SEC once again and a preseason top 25 team.