The Extra Point: A Way-Too-Early Discussion of Alabama Basketball's Roster Changes
It was a disappointing end to the season for the Alabama basketball team as they lost to Notre Dame in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, 78-64.
Life moves fast though and just days after the season ending, the roster changes have already begun for Nate Oats and an Alabama basketball team that will be looking to improve after an inconsistent season.
Here’s a look at some of the roster moves that can be expected for the Crimson Tide this offseason:
The starting backcourt of Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford, and Keon Ellis were the driving force for the Alabama basketball team this season but all of them could now be moving on from the program.
Ellis, a junior college transfer, was a senior this season and will now turn his focus to playing at the professional level. Both Shackelford and Quinerly were juniors this season but have expressed interest in leaving to play professionally and are likely to do so.
JD Davison, the five-star freshman for the Crimson Tide, is also likely to consider leaving for the NBA and is projected to go in the second round in the upcoming NBA Draft. However, after an inconsistent freshman year, Davison could decide to come back to Tuscaloosa and improve his game and draft stock.
Not only could the Crimson Tide lose several players to the professional ranks but also to the transfer portal. Forwards Alex Tchikou and Keon Ambrose-Hylton have already entered the portal along with reserve guard Jaden Quinerly, the brother of Jahvon.
Both Tchikou and Ambrose-Hylton received little to no playing time this last season and will be looking to move onto a program where they will have a larger role.
Three other names to watch out for when it comes to the transfer portal are Juwan Gary, Darius Miles, and Jusaun Holt. All three received fairly significant playing time this season but with an influx of talent coming into Tuscaloosa, they could look to move onto other programs as well.
Luckily, Nate Oats has recruited a talented freshman class to play at Alabama next season and will also have several key players returning. Brandon Miller, Jaden Bradley, Rylan Griffen, and Noah Clowney are all top 100 recruits in the class of 2022 and will look to make an immediate impact for the Crimson Tide.
Charles Bediako, Noah Gurley, and the injured Nimari Burnett were all on the team this past season but will now be called upon to have bigger roles on next year’s team. Burnett, a five-star recruit who originally played at Texas Tech, suffered a torn ACL before the season last year but is an excellent shooter and overall talent and will look to put that on display next season.
Alabama will also look to use transfer portal to their benefit and bring in several players to improve their roster. They have already signed Nick Pringle, a power forward from the junior college ranks, and with the offseason now beginning for many teams, look for the Crimson Tide to begin recruiting transfers from other schools as well.
After an exciting but inconsistent season for the Alabama basketball team, roster changes are certainly coming this offseason and Nate Oats will have plenty of new faces to coach when the season rolls around next year.
Check out the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral’s Clay Miller and Joey Blackwell discuss the potential roster changes for the Alabama basketball team.
Gallery: Alabama Basketball Potential Transfers
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