Alabama was an enigma last season. There might not have been a more inconsistent or polarizing team in college basketball last season than the Crimson Tide. They beat multiple great teams but lost to multiple pretty bad ones. The Tide lost some really good players but bring in a stellar recruiting class and multiple good transfers. But they still need to play more consistently this season.
You can check out the last team in my rankings here.
Preseason College Basketball Rankings: #17 Alabama Crimson Tide
The best returning player is probably Jahvon Quinerly. The point guard was second on the team in scoring and assists last season. Unfortunately, though remember that he tore his ACL in the NCAA Tournament game loss to Notre Dame. The timetable for his return is currently unclear. Former Texas Tech transfer Nimari Burnett did not play for the Crimson Tide last season due to a foot injury. But, he was a top 40 recruit coming out of high school.
Seven-footer Charles Bediako returns up front. He could be in for a big year this season as a sophomore in Tuscaloosa. Power forward Noah Gurley also returns up front for the Tide. Gurley’s numbers dropped off a lot last year after transferring from Furman, but that was probably largely because he played a lot less than he did for the Paladins.
Alabama brings in the fifth-rated recruiting class. The four-man class is comprised of all top 100 recruits. Two of them are five stars. Those two are Brandon Miller and Jaden Bradley, and they should both have big roles as freshmen and could both be in line to start. Both of them have a lot of potential. Miller is a smooth athlete with a great shooting touch and Bradley is an elite pass-first point guard.
Nate Oates brings in two high-impact transfers, one of which is one of my favorite of all the players that were in the transfer portal this summer. That player is Dominick Welch. The graduate transfer from St. Bonaventure has been one of the better players in the A-10 over the last four seasons. He should be able to easily make an impact this year in the SEC. Mark Sears broke out last year upon becoming a full-time starter. He was an All-MAC selection last season for the Bobcats while averaging just under 20 points per game, as well as six rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Oates’ squad also brings in one of the top JUCO transfers in Nick Pringle (He played at Wofford before going to Dodge City CC.).
Projected Lineup:
C – Charles Bediako (6.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.5 BPG)
SF – Brandon Miller (#15 overall recruit on 247 sports)
G/F – Dominick Welch (12.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG)
PG – Jaden Bradley (#25 overall recruit on 247 sports)
PG – Mark Sears (19.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG)
