Dizzy yet?
The Alabama basketball offseason is just a few weeks old and the roster already looks quite different from the group that played Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament. From the transfer portal to the NBA draft, it’s been a busy time for the transaction wire and there’s still a few key dominos to drop.
Three weeks after the season ended in San Diego, let’s take a look at who is coming, who is going and who still has a decision to make.
First, the math.
Alabama has 13 scholarships like every other men’s basketball team. It used all 13 last year.
Who’s back
We should note this list is subject to change since basketball players have until May 1 to enter the transfer portal and one entered this week so everything is written in pencil.
- The scholarship players who’ve yet to indicate a departure or are considering one …
- F Noah Gurley: 14 starts, 6.8 points per game, 3.5 rebounds
- F Darius Miles: 2 starts, 5.8 ppg., 29.4% 3-point shooting (25-for-85)
- C Charles Bediako: 30 starts, 6.7 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 51 blocks
- G Nimari Burnett (Tore ACL before the season after transferring from Texas Tech).
Who’s arriving
Having only three returning players who participated last season isn’t ideal, but not quite as bad as LSU whose entire roster either went pro or entered the portal.
Alabama has the benefit of the highest-rated signing class in program history set to arrive this fall. The five-man group was rated No. 3 by both 247Sports and Rivals highlighted by McDonald’s All-Americans Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller.
- F Brandon Miller
- G Jaden Bradley
- G Rylan Griffen
- F Noah Clowney
- F Nick Pringle
And the transfer portal works both ways. After bringing in both Burnett and Gurley last season, Alabama picked up its first incoming transfer of this cycle on Thursday.
- G Mark Sears (Ohio)
Who’s leaving
This is where the water gets murky because there’s still a lot to determine here. Let’s start with the players who have officially entered the transfer portal.
- F Juwan Gary: 16 starts, 6.5 ppg., 3.4 rpg.
- G Jusaun Holt: 0 starts, 0.7 ppg.
- F Keon Ambrose-Hylton: 0 starts 1.0 ppg.
- F Alex Tchikou: 0 starts, 0.0 ppg
None of these moves were shocking as only Gary was a starter at any point in their Alabama career. Holt and Tchikou served suspensions last season and Ambrose-Hylton played in fewer games as a sophomore than as a freshman.
Tchikou was the No. 65 ranked player in the 2020 signing class but an injury sidelined him as a freshman, and he had just three scoreless appearances last season. He didn’t see action after playing three minutes against Miami in late November.
Then there’s the NBA draft. As of now, only one underclassman has entered his name into the process.
- G Jaden Shackelford: 32 starts, 16.6 ppg., 35.1% 3-point shooting (101-for-288).
The lefty guard entered last year before pulling his name out, entering the transfer portal and then returning to Alabama.
He said he was hiring an agent this time around but it’s not clear if it’s an NCAA-certified agent that would allow him to return if he wanted to exit the process.
And there’s one senior who is graduating and moving on.
- F James Rojas: 3 starts, 5.4 ppg.
Who’s still deciding
This is where things get complicated. With all the previous moves, and assuming Shackelford will not be at Alabama next fall, the Crimson Tide are sitting on 10 scholarship players.
- And there are three of the highest profile players who are still making decisions for the 2022-23 season.
- G JD Davison: 6 starts, 8.5 ppg., 143 assists (to 95 turnovers)
- G Keon Ellis: 33 starts, 12.1 ppg., 36.6% 3-point shooting (67-for-183)
- G Jahvon Quinerly: 27 starts, 13.8 ppg., 137 assists (to 98 turnovers)
All three could opt for the NBA draft and it would be shocking if all three were back in Tuscaloosa next season. Ellis and Davison have been second-round picks in mock drafts while Quinerly is coming off a hot and cold junior season.
A torn ACL suffered in the NCAA tournament loss to Notre Dame could impact the decision-making process.
It’s also worth noting that both Quinerly and Ellis took part in senior day activities in February but players have returned for another season following participation in the past.
Bottom line
This is an evolving process but we wanted to give you the reset three weeks after the 2021-22 season ended. The sequel to the Crimson Tide’s 2021 SEC title run wasn’t quite what everyone expected so Nate Oats enters a big fourth season with a few key pieces still up in the air.
Here’s a quick chart that helps explain everything as it stands now.
| Back | Incoming | Outgoing | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| N. Gurley | B. Miller | J. Gary | JD Davison |
| D. Miles | J. Bradley | J. Holt | K. Ellis |
| C. Bediako | R. Griffen | Ambrose-Hylton | J. Quinerly |
| N. Burnett | N. Clowney | A. Tchikou | |
| N. Pringle | J. Shackelford | ||
| M. Sears | J. Rojas |
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