Analyzing the Current State of the Alabama Basketball Roster

Analysis of the current roster moves Alabama has made since the season ended, including what moves still need to happen to maximize the team's potential in 2024-25.

This is an opinion column.

Heavy roster turnover has become the norm in modern-day college basketball, and no team is a better example of that than the Alabama Crimson Tide.

After a season where it made history by advancing to the Final Four, Alabama has already seen five exits through the transfer portal since the season ended, counteracted by three additions through the portal so far.

The roster is far from complete, but it needs a status update. I'm going to divide the roster into three positions (guards, wings, and bigs) and give you a breakdown on where each position group stands, and what Alabama may need to do to sure up its roster as the pieces continue to fall into place.

Bigs

It's been obvious since the season ended that Alabama was going to pursue a true rim-protecting center in the transfer portal, and it seems to have found its top target in Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi. He was one of the best shot blockers in all of college basketball last season, and has the frame and build to slide perfectly into the Charles Bediako role that Alabama was sorely missing this past season.

Grant Nelson still has a decision to make about the NBA Draft, but it seems with the pursuit of Omoruyi that the goal is to slide him back to the '4' slot next to a true center if he returned, even though he played the small ball '5' this past season. During Nelson's excellent NCAA Tournament, he was mostly playing the '4' next to Nick Pringle at the center. If Nelson leaves for the draft, expect Jarin Stevenson to step up into that starting role at the '4' after having another summer to get bigger and stronger.

As far as depth goes, Nick Pringle entered the transfer portal, leaving Mohamed Wague as the only returning true returning '5', but it seems his role will be that of depth in case of foul trouble. In front of Wague I expect 5-star freshman Aiden Sherrell to command some minutes at the '5'. Sherrell is extremely talented, especially on the offensive end, but relying on a freshman at center is never wise.

The smart plan would be to develop Sherrell behind a transfer center for a season, especially a defensive-oriented center, giving tons of lineup flexibility and not having to ask him to do too much as a freshman.

A lot of what Alabama wants to do with its bigs is very contingent on landing a true center out of the portal. Omoruyi is and should be option No. 1, and he's expected to visit Alabama after he just completed a visit to Georgetown this past weekend. If things fall through with Omoruyi, there are other names that have entered the portal in the past few days that I think Alabama should consider, such as Ohio State's Felix Okpara, Tennesee's Jonas Aidoo, or even Moussa Cisse of Ole Miss.

Guards

For the purposes of this breakdown, I'll only be considering players that can play the lead guard spot as guards, even though there are other 'guards' that I'll classify as wing players.

First of all, Mark Sears has his own decision to make regarding the NBA Draft. If he returned, he'd be a preseason All-American and one of the best players in the sport. But whether Sears stays or goes, Alabama needed to bring in another point guard to avoid him having to play nearly 40 minutes a game again, compounded with the loss of Aaron Estrada running out of eligibility.

That's why Auburn transfer Aden Holloway is here. He's a talented kid who never really put it all together at Auburn, struggling to consistently hit shots from the floor and very clearly losing a lot of confidence in the process. It wasn't a successful freshman year for the standards of any former 5-star, but that's why he's sought out a change of scenery.

I don't believe Alabama has brought Holloway in to be the starting point guard of this team. It appears he's in Tuscaloosa to develop first, and serve as a backup option until he comes into his own, something I think Alabama's offensive system will greatly aid him in. If Sears is back, he'll obviously be the starter, but even if he isn't, I expect Alabama to bring in an older transfer to man the starting point guard position. One potential option is Virginia Tech's Sean Padulla, who is reported to be visiting soon.

Then there's Latrell Wrightsell, who has yet to make an official announcement that he's returning to use his COVID year, but the expectation is that he will do so. He'll be one of the veteran returners on next year's team and will likely slide into a starting role at the 2-guard spot, but he has the ability to play lead guard if Alabama was ever in a pinch and truly needed him to.

The need here is simple: a starting point guard. Ideally, it would be Sears, and I fully believe Alabama is prepared to compensate him well if he doesn't like his NBA feedback, but if he opts to go pro, there's no reason not to believe in Oats' ability to find a guard to lead lead and facilitate his offense.

Wings

The wing spot, or players that mostly play the '2' or the '3', is the position that's seen the most turnover since the season ended. Rylan Griffen entering the portal was a big loss, as he was set to be a returning starter and take another leap into his junior year, while Sam Walters and Kris Parker also hit the portal, losing some depth at the position.

But Oats has done an excellent job bringing in replacements for what was lost. Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette and South Florida transfer Chris Youngblood are two players who shot over 40 percent from three last season and are good scorers, immediately replacing the production lost from Griffen and Walters.

Both Mallette and Youngblood will be seniors, and either one could be trusted with a starting role. That also means either one could serve as a gunner off the bench, providing more scoring depth options. Mallette has good length while Youngblood has a bulkier build, and both should be solid defenders at the very least.

The wildcard of the wings is 5-star Derrion Reid. He's the highest-rated player in Alabama's top-5 recruiting class, and ranks as a top-15 player in the class overall. He's not the typical 3-and-D wing that Oats typically employs, but he's more of a slasher. He's got a decent 3-point shot, but his strength is his inside finishing and is versatility.

Reid projects to be a freshman that's ready for big-time minutes from day-one, and if that's the case if gives Alabama a ton of lineup versatility. Reid could play at the '3' if Alabama wants to go big, but he's got the frame to play a small ball '4' if Alabama wants to put more guards and shooters on the floor.

The depth at the wing spot will come from Mo Dioubate, a defensive stopper and strong rebounder, and Naas Cunningham, and athletic shotmaker who's a talented, but raw freshman.

There's still room for Alabama to bring in another wing if it chooses to do so, but it's not the highest priority by any stretch. There's certainly upside to taking someone who could immediately contribute, such as 5-star recruit Liam McNeeley, who Alabama has been linked to, but with the current roster it's not a necessity.

Overview

Oats and his staff have done a good job so far this offseason filling needs and positioning themselves to fill even more. A center and point guard are must-adds, whether its Sears and Omoruyi or two different options. If it is those two guys though, Oats is going to have put together one of the best rosters in the country on paper, and the expectations are going to skyrocket with good reason.

Check out BamaCentral's 2024-25 Alabama basketball roster tracker for a complete breakdown on where the roster stands.