A Look at Alabama Basketball's Updated Roster

Despite a cancelled postseason and the looming threat of COVID-19, Alabama basketball is on a roll.

The current situation has not harmed coach Nate Oats and his staff’s ability to recruit one bit, as over the past several weeks the Crimson Tide has picked up four commitments, moving them up to the No. 15-ranked recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite.

In total, five new players have announced their intentions on coming to Alabama, with four-star power forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton of Toronto, Canada already having signed his letter of intent.

Four players have announced their departure, but three of those players are testing the waters of the NBA draft and remain eligible should the draft process not proceed to their liking.

After finishing 16-15 in Oats' first season as head coach, there are many improvements to be made on the roster, but the incoming players that he along with assistant coach Bryan Hodgson have secured are solid progress on the road to recovery.

With that, let’s take a look at the Crimson Tide’s roster where it stands as of right now.

Departing: James ‘Beetle’ Bolden, Kira Lewis Jr., John Petty Jr., Herbert Jones

With Bolden playing for Alabama last season as a grad-transfer, his eligibility is cashed out. Bolden is the only Crimson Tide player that will 100 percent not be returning to the Crimson Tide this fall.

On a teleconference a couple of weeks ago, Oats announced that Kira Lewis Jr., John Petty Jr. and Herbert Jones will be testing the NBA draft process. However, none of the players hired agents and therefore will retain their eligibility should they not like their draft grade following workouts and performing for NBA scouts.

Of the three leaving, Lewis is almost guaranteed to be leaving the team for the pros. In the 2019-2020 season, the sophomore led the team in field goals made (206), free throws made (105), points (573), assists (162) and average points per game (18.5). On defense, he also led the team with 56 steals.

John Petty Jr. is another member of the Crimson Tide whose departure is likely. In a successful junior campaign, Petty led the team in three-pointers (85) and rebounds (190) and finished third on the team in points (421). He also tied for third on the Alabama roster in blocks (19) and also finished third on the team in steals (33).

Jones is the least likely on the team to follow through with the draft process. While the junior wing had a solid year despite a recurring injury to his left wrist that left him limited to one arm for the last third of the season, Jones valiantly maintained a spot on the bench and helped the Crimson Tide in close games. On defense, Jones was a big boost for Alabama, amassing 173 rebounds, 34 steals and 19 blocks.

Despite jumping up to become one of the Alabama fan-favorites, Jones’ departure is unlikely. He still has an entire year of eligibility left to prove his worth to the NBA but from where he sits currently, he is unlikely to receive a high draft grade.

Returning: Javian Davis, Jaylen Forbes, Juwan Gary, Jahvon Quinerly, Alex Reese, James Rojas, Jaden Shackelford, Galin Smith

The Crimson Tide has eight players returning to the team in 2020, and with three of those players not seeing action last year due to ineligibility or injuries Alabama is forming a team with some special players on its roster.

Starting off, Jaden Shackelford is returning for his sophomore season. Shackelford was lightening in a bottle for the Crimson Tide last year, averaging 15 points per game and finishing second in the team in threes with 84. When Shackelford was hot last year, the team around him was also ignited.

2020 will see Jahvon Quinerly finally step onto the court for Alabama. Quinerly transferred in from Villanova but was deemed ineligible for competition by the NCAA. Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, he still has three years of eligibility remaining despite the ineligibility ruling. While his stats from Villanova aren’t exactly eye-popping, Quinerly played off the bench but is expected to be a starter at Alabama.

In addition to Quinerly, both James Rojas and Juwan Gary will also be making their on-court debuts for the Crimson Tide. Both players went down with knee injuries prior to the 2019 season and supported the team from the bench for the year.

Rojas, a 6-8, 215-pound forward, was named a first-team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association. While at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, Rojas was also named the 2019 Jayhawk West Conference Player of the Year, finishing third in the conference in scoring with 19 points per game and collecting 6.8 rebounds per game.

Prior to his arrival at Alabama, Gary was the No. 64-ranked player in his recruiting class according to ESPN and was also the No. 12 overall best small forward.

Alex Reese, Javian Davis, Jaylen Forbes and Galin Smith are all returners who shared playing time on the court for Alabama last season. Of those players, Reese had the most starts with 26. While he was cold at times, Reese was still able to finish fourth on the team in field goals made (95) and third on the team in rebounds (150).

The remaining players will add depth in Forbes as a wing and with Davis and Smith in the low post.

Committing: Keon Ambrose-Hylton, Joshua Primo, Keon Ellis, Darius Miles, Jordan Bruner

Oats and Hodgson have impressed so far in the offseason, loading on five commitments over the past couple of months.

As stated at the top of the story, forward Ambrose-Hylton has already signed his letter of intent last November for the Crimson Tide and fills the gap left by Bolden. Ambrose-Hylton comes into Tuscaloosa as the No. 3-ranked recruit out of Ontario.

With center Raymond Hawkins having entered the transfer portal and showing no signs of returning, Joshua Primo’s commitment on March 27 fills that vacancy on the roster. Also from Ontario, Primo is the No. 1 recruit from the Canadian province and is the No. 8 combo guard in the 2020 class according to the 247Sports Composite.

On April 5, Alabama added another commit in Keon Ellis. Ellis is a JUCO transfer out of Florida Southwestern State College in Fort Myers, Fla. The No. 3-overall JUCO transfer will add much depth at the guard position.

Joining the 2020 class is strong forward Darius Miles of IMG Academy. While he more than likely won’t have the immediate impact that is expected from players like Primo and Ellis, Miles has a long frame that excels at ball-handling and can finish at the rim.

Finally, graduate-student transfer Jordan Bruner is the icing on the tasty cake of incoming Crimson Tide players. A 6-9 strong forward out of Yale, Bruner is arguably the top grad-student transfer in the nation. While at Yale in 2019, Bruner averaged 10.9 points per game and just under 10 rebounds per game at 9.2. One of the most well-rounded players in the Ivy League, Bruner will be a nice fit on Oats’ roster.

Verdict:

If all three players that are testing the NBA draft waters leave the Crimson Tide, then Alabama has enough slots to plug in its remaining three commitments. The likelihood that Lewis and Petty leave is high, but with the possibility that Jones returns for his senior season, Alabama will have to trim the fat regarding one of its returners.

Including Quinerly, Rojas and Gary, the Crimson Tide will have eight players who will be new on the court in 2020. With this recruiting surge by Oats and his staff, Alabama has set itself up to contend with the powerhouses of the SEC. All vacancies have been filled and much depth has been added to the roster.

In 2019, Alabama finished with the No. 3 offense in the nation and averaged 82 points per game. With the new and updated roster, the Crimson Tide looks to have even better numbers in 2020.

With the team now filled out and the roster near completion, next season can’t get here fast enough.