Alabama Basketball: New signees for ’21 class and other roundball news

Alabama Basketball: Early signing period begins and other Crimson Tide roundball news.

Alabama basketball fans are excited about the upcoming season. The first game is a couple of weeks away on Thanksgiving Eve. Nate Oats’ Alabama Crimson Tide team opens the 20-21 season against Jacksonville State in Tuscaloosa.

The Early Signing Period for the ’21 class is Wednesday, Nov. 11 through Friday, Nov. 13. Currently, the ’21 Alabama basketball class has three commits, all of whom are expected to sign on Wednesday. The trio of one 5-Star and two 4-Star recruits gives the Crimson Tide the nation’s No. 13 class as rated by the 247Sports Composite.

The 5-Star is J.D. Davison from Letohatchee, AL. Davison is ranked as the No. 1 point guard and the overall No. 9 recruit in the ’21 class. Davison is a gifted athlete with a physical build allowing him to get to the rim. He finishes strong, is a superb passer and an above-average outside shooter. National basketball experts expect Davison to make an immediate impact for the Crimson Tide next season.

Small forward, 4-Star Jusaun Holt is from Georgia. The 6-feet-6, 200-pound player has a body similar to Herbert Jones with the potential to develop strong defensive skills. He is a better shooter than Jones was coming out of high school. Holt will need some time to add weight to his slim frame.

The second 4-Star is rated the No. 1 JUCO power forward. Also from Georgia, Langston Wilson is 6-feet-9 and 200 pounds. He is a polished offensive player on the inside and can also shoot from the perimeter.  Until he adds weight and bulk, his inside game may suffer against bigger and stronger SEC players. With another twenty or so pounds, Hughes can become an elite SEC player.

Another ‘big-get’ for the Crimson Tide would be  5-Star, Charles Bediako. Several national recruiting experts have Bediako signing for the Crimson Tide later. Alabama basketball coach, Nate Oats must hold off Ohio State, Duke, Michigan and others to rein in Bediako.

Alabama basketball has an interesting regular-season scheduled. After Jacksonville State, the Tide will play in the Maui Classic, relocated this year to Asheville, NC. The first game in North Carolina will be Stanford, followed by either UNC or UNLV. A third game opponent will follow.

In December, the Tide has Clemson in Atlanta, Furman, Houston and East Tennessee State in Tuscaloosa.  The SEC regular-season opener is Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 29.

The tough SEC schedule includes two games against Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Auburn and single games with Florida and Tennessee. On Jan. 30, the Crimson Tide will travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma.

The best news out of Tuscaloosa, coming from Nate Oats and Tide players, is the improved outside shooting of Herbert Jones. With that one added strength, Herbert will be one of the SEC’s best on both ends of the court.

Home court advantages will be different this season. Basketball crowds can affect games more than football crowds, but not so much in the coming season. The Coleman Coliseum capacity is expected to be less than 3,000.