How Alabama Freshmen Performed in Season Opener Against North Dakota

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Every scholarship player that saw time on the floor during No. 15 Alabama men's basketball's 91-62 season-opening win over North Dakota scored on Monday night.

This includes all four freshmen. The quartet will have a lot of eyes on them this season, and they all got off to solid starts in their respective collegiate careers.

Amari Allen, a 6-foot-8 player who is listed as a forward but head coach Nate Oats has often referred to as a guard, became a surprise starter after guards Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightsell Jr., plus forward Keitenn Bristow, were not dressed for warmups due to injuries they sustained during practice.

Oats also tabbed Allen the most surprising freshman on Oct. 6, and in 32 minutes on Monday, he showed why. Allen scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished five assists, swiped three steals and snatched a block.

"I thought Amari did some really good things," Oats said after the game. "Shoot, his stat line was pretty good. On the night, he was able to get 12-7-5 in only one turnover, led the team in plus-minus with a plus-30, won the Hard Hat, the blue-collar stuff. So, I think he was about the right stuff.

"Amari's pretty good [at decision-making]. I think Amari’s got more to him, just kind of around the offense, moving guys around. I thought some of his defensive playmaking, he made some big plays on defense."

Allen evaluated his first game as a college basketball player.

"There were some nerves coming in, can't lie," Allen said after the game. "But all of my teammates are really supportive. The older guys just told me, go out there, play hard and let the game come to you. That's basically what I just did and we ended up playing hard as a group."

Forward London Jemison also finished in double-figures, as he scored 12 points with four rebounds and a steal in 24 minutes. The 6-foot-8, 205-pounder and the consensus No. 38 prospect in the nation at the time of his commitment went 1 of 6 from downtown, but Oats was still pleased with his overall performance.

"London made some good plays...He plays hard, he goes to the O-boards, he makes shots," Oats said. "He didn’t shoot it great tonight, but he’s a shooter. He hit the one three. I think he’s got a lot more in him as a shooter and even as a rebounder. He had two O-boards, but maybe we can get more out of him on the defensive glass, too.”

Guard Davion Hannah just missed the double-digit club as he scored nine points with three rebounds, three steals and two assists in 25 minutes. Oats said on Oct. 15 that Hannah is "maybe as good a perimeter defender as this program has seen since maybe Herb Jones," and that "he can guard one through four." That showed a good bit on Monday night.

"I think Davion’s defensive intensity is there," Oats said. "I think he’d be a really great lockdown guy for us. He over-drove it. He had four turnovers, way too many for a guy that doesn’t handle it as much as he did. But I think he’ll learn from it. He’s really coachable. He’s a great kid. I think his effort, you saw his athleticism when he went up and got that dunk."

OH MY DAVION HANNAH!#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/l2um1zDH9g
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 4, 2025

Preseason All-SEC sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr. assessed what he saw from this trio of freshmen as well. He scored a career-high 22 points with eight assists, and looks forward to continuing to work with this young core.

"Ever since we started practicing, I've been seeing those guys grow and grow every day," Philon said. "All three of those guys, they just played so hard and it fits perfect for us because coach Oats doesn't have a problem putting three or four of them on the floor at the same time. They're going to play hard, they're going to make winning plays and that's what we need. It showed tonight, I think. All three of those guys played well and they really put the work in outside of practice."

Center Collins Onyejiaka, a 4-star prospect who was originally a member of the 2026 class, reclassified and officially committed to Alabama over the summer. He was the last Alabama scholarship player to score, but Coleman Coliseum lit up when he did. He only played a combined 11 minutes in the Crimson Tide's two scrimmages and saw very little action on Monday, but Oats liked what he saw.

"We were able to get those freshmen some quality minutes," Oats said. "Even Collins, six minutes of action, was able to get five rebounds."

All this being said, the Alabama freshmen will mostly play tougher competition from here on out. The Crimson Tide begins a four-game stretch against ranked opponents, with the next coming on Saturday on the road against No. 5 St. John's.

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