Alabama Women's Basketball Using Off-The-Court Bonding to Breed On-The-Court Success
MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. – The transfer portal has done a lot to change the landscape of collegiate athletics in the past few years, and one of the most recent teams to undergo a massive intake of transfer portal players is Alabama women's basketball.
Head coach Kristy Curry's 2022-23 squad sports six newcomers, with five being incoming players from the transfer portal.
Alabama's current roster boasts nine players who were Division-I starters last season, including all five Crimson Tide starters from a season ago. Alabama added starters from four different teams around the country: Illinois' Aaliyah Nye, Georgia's Sarah Ashlee Barker, North Dakota State's Ryan Cobbins, and Georgia Tech's Loyal McQueen. Alabama also added West Vriginia's Jeanna Cunningham through the transfer portal as well.
“It is an experienced roster, but it’s a roster that’s going to have to take some time to blend together and mesh together, learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses," Curry said at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. “I feel like we’ve added depth and versatility at every position.”
Last season, depth was an issue for Alabama, specifically in January when multiple Crimson Tide players were dealing with COVID-19 issues. 95 percent of scoring for Alabama's team last season is returning, and Curry is excited about the talent on this season's team.
I feel like with our returning core, their commitment to come back to Alabama, [...] I think this team is hungry," Curry said. "That’s the momentum that carried us into the summer. […] I don’t think anyone can expect more than we do of ourselves.”
The adjustment to recruiting with the transfer portal in addition to high school every season has been a big adjustment for Curry, who has been coaching for over two decades. Despite the change, though, Curry has expressed a desire to adapt with the times.
“[The transfer portal] has definitely changed the landscape. I think it’s definitely a piece of what we look at in recruiting as far as how our roster is made up, what our needs are," Curry said. “This is my 24th year as a head coach and you have to understand how the game is evolving. I think that we are allowing that to work for us and not against us. We’re working hard to build our roster at home and then keeping our eyes open on the recruiting trail in all areas.”
When there are so many new faces coming in to a team that has a lot of established pieces already, Curry believes it is important for the team to do things outside of basketball in order to come together on the court.
“From taking a team retreat, to meeting some for coffee, to having a meal together. We went for pedicures a week ago, we’re doing a book club, we’re doing so many things that have nothing to do with the game," Curry said. "The quicker this team can understand one another, the better we will be. I think that will impact 94 feet.”
Senior center Jada Rice, who is returning to exercise her fifth year of eligibility, echoed Curry's sentiment about the importance of team bonding.
“I think we as a team and the staff has emphasized culture," Rice said. "We’ve been hanging out all the time as friends not just as teammates.”
Rice referenced the aforementioned trip to get pedicures as a day that stuck out to her that reinforced team comradery.
“I thought that was really special," Rice said. "I think the team that we have now is really focused on what our goals are. Days like that are really helpful.”
The togetherness doesn't stop off the court though. Fifth-year senior and preseason All-SEC second team selection Brittany Davis believes the newcomers will help Alabama significantly as a threatening team on the court.
“I think we’re gelling together well, actually" Davis said. "With practicing it takes time, but it’s been good for us. With the newcomers there’s a whole lot of depth, so that’ll make things better than it was last year.”
Curry referenced an 'iron sharpens iron' mentality with the competitiveness that comes in practices that feature nine different Division-I starters.
“Practices are really competitive," Curry said. "I think if you asked me today what a starting lineup would be, it’s interesting because I think we have a lot of different lineups we could start based on our opponent. I feel like we really like our depth.”
Curry understands that the transfer portal is here to stay and is a way of life for today's era of college basketball. She openly invites this new challenge and has multiple specific things she wants to see from the team as they gel.
“We’re always going to all have new faces. With the portal and the landscape in recruiting, it’s going to be something each and every year that we’re trying to blend our roster and bring them together," Curry said. "We’re doing as much as we can do on the floor as well as off the floor to build the toughness, the character, the continuity, the cohesion, consistency is really going to be important.”
Alabama fans will get the chance to see this talented roster in action for the first time on Oct. 7 in Coleman Coliseum when the Crimson Tide opens the 2022-23 against Alabama A&M.
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