Final Four Run Caps Off Aaron Estrada's 5-Year College Basketball Career

Estrada came to Alabama for his final season of eligibility, and made a memorable run that will last him a lifetime.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — When the buzzer sounded in State Farm Stadium on Saturday night, Aaron Estrada walked off the floor for the final time as a college basketball player.

After five seasons and four different schools, the curtains closed on Estrada's career, one which saw ups, downs, and a more than memorable final five games that will stick with him forever.

A native of Woodbury, New Jersey, Estrada began his career at in-state St. Peter's. He only spent one season with the Peacocks before transferring up to high-major, landing at Oregon for his sophomore season. He didn't stick in Eugene, playing only nine games and averaging less than 15 minutes a game.

He then went back down to the mid-major level to Hofstra, and not only found his footing, but thrived, being named the CAA player of the year two consecutive seasons playing for the Pride. Thanks to an extra COVID year, Estrada entered the transfer portal for his final year of eligibility and landed in Tuscaloosa, hoping to do something he'd never done before, play in the NCAA Tournament.

“A lot of people don’t even make it to the NCAA Tournament," Estrada said. "Up until this point, I’d never been to the NCAA Tournament. I can’t even really describe what the experience is like, you’ve got to be here to get the full experience. As a kid, when you watch the games, you only see what’s on TV. You don’t get to come back in the locker room, and see all the media and stuff. I’m happy with the season that we had, and we made history as well.”

But not only did Estrada make the NCAA Tournament with Alabama. He won, and won again, and kept winning until the Crimson Tide found itself in Phoenix with a FInal Four patch on its crimson jerseys.

“I couldn’t ask for any other way to finish my college career.," Estrada said. "This being my final season, just to go to a Final Four, it was a special experience, with a special group.”

The Final Four was not only something Estrada dreamed about, but something he and his teammates started discussing as early as the summer, when he first got to Tuscaloosa.

"I started going over to his house in the summer, and we started talking about the Final Four, we really did," Rylan Griffen said. "We started talking about how this team is going to be the team that gets Coach Oats in the Hall of Fame, we talked about that all summer. To see that come into real life, it's unbelievable. It shows you dreams can come true, even when you're just talking with your homeboys about random stuff."

At 23 years old and a fifth-year college player, Estrada was the oldest player on the Alabama team. He was able to be a leader and a mentor to many of the younger players, with the Crimson Tide rostering five freshmen who had never played college basketball before.

"As a player, as a leader, he’s taught me a lot," freshman Jarin Stevenson said. "Whether it’s mentality stuff, going out making plays, pushing me to play harder. He’s been a great leader.”

Estrada finished the season as Alabama's second-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on the season. He had a plentiful amount of notable performances, including a triple-double against Ole Miss, only the third player in Alabama history to do so. But his impact on the team went further than just his ability to stuff the stat sheet.

“He’s been a huge blessing to the team," Latrell Wrightsell said. "He brought a culture to us, the ‘Bama culture that now is a standard for us. He meant a lot for this team. He was a great glue guy, great core guy, great leader, great mentor for some younger guys. I love that dude, I hope everything the best for him.”

It took him a winding road to get here, but Estrada's college career comes to a close with his name writ in crimson flame as a key piece on Alabama basketball's first-ever Final Four team.