Fernandez & Friends' Alabama Basketball Season Preview

Blue Collar Basketball is back!

Alabama basketball begins its 2026-27 season on Tuesday evening in Tuscaloosa against Sam Houston State. On today's episode of Fernandez & Friends, Theo Fernandez, Laura Vale, and Hunter De Siver broke down every aspect of the Crimson Tide's roster to prepare for the opener.

The show started with a conversation about a freshman who may have slipped under the radar: point guard Anderson Diaz.

We then moved into the stars, Amari Allen and Aden Holloway. How will they play together, and can they take steps forward?

From there, the discussion moved to the need for Alabama to be better on the glass this season. Are the bigs on the roster capable of taking a step forward?

Next, a talk about another freshman. Jaxon Richardson has been compared to Herb Jones by Nate Oats. Can he live up to that billing?

From there, we talked about all of the freshmen, ranking them by how much they would play this season.

The final player discussed was London Jemison. Will the sophomore be able to reach his full potential this year, or will stunted ball movement and limited shots hold him back?

Fernandez & Friends is Alabama Crimson Tide on SI's bi-weekly program. The show is hosted by beat writer Theo Fernandez, who has spent the past two years as the cohost of the Joe Gaither Show, the site's other podcast.

The show will offer fresh, fast-paced content every Tuesday and Thursday morning, as Fernandez reacts to news, analyzes and previews games, and talks about everything relevant in the Alabama sports landscape. There will also be an emphasis placed on interviewing Crimson Tide recruits across sports, giving the fanbase an early look at some of the players they will be watching in Tuscaloosa over the coming years.

Call (205) 462-7340 Extension 800 to leave your thoughts in a voicemail, and you'll be featured on the show. This is the same number used for the Joe Gaither Show, so be sure to specify which program you are calling in for. You can also join us live in the comment sections on all of BamaCentral's social media platforms on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:15 a.m. CT.

The show can be seen on the BamaCentral YouTube channel. Keep up with each show on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Shows can also be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

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