Alabama Basketball: Crimson Tide roster still loaded for 2021-22 season

Despite the recent news coming on Wednesday surrounding Alabama Basketball, the Crimson Tide still roll into the 2021-22 college basketball season with an absolutely loaded roster.

Alabama Basketball head coach Nate Oats received an update to his 2021-22 roster Wednesday as freshman Joshua Primo announced his intentions to remain in the NBA Draft. This was a fairly expected move for the Crimson Tide as Primo has always been rumored as a potential First Round pick, and ensured that with a strong showing recently at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine.

However, the other news from Wednesday that may have taken some fans by surprise was leading scorer Jaden Shackelford entering the NCAA Transfer Portal. While this does not necessarily mean that Shackelford is 100% gone, there is no denying that it would be a blow to lose a starting guard of his caliber this late in the offseason.

Now set to enter the 2021-22 season as a bonafide Preseason Top 10 team nationally, these potential losses to fan-favorites will certainly hurt, but Alabama is set to be just-fine going forward.

Alabama Basketball enters 2020-21 with a loaded roster.

When looking at the current Alabama Basketball roster going into the season, it’s clear as to why this team will be ranked so highly before even playing a game.

Starting with the backcourt, Jahvon Quinerly and incoming 5-star freshman JD Davison will most likely feature starting roles, while other guards including Keon Ellis, Nimari Burnett, and Jusaun Holt will play big roles as well. Also remember, Shackelford can still choose to return as well.

When looking at the frontcourt, incoming freshman Charles Bediako and Furman transfer Noah Gurley will most likely start, while Juwan Gary will also be a candidate to start. Don’t forget about year two of Keon Ambrose-Hylton and Darius Miles either, along with the upcoming debut of Alex Tchikou who missed the 2020-21 season due to injury.

While the roster is still loaded despite the recent news, there is still potentially more room to add maybe 1-2 more players via either transfer or reclassification. Remember, the Transfer Portal still currently sports a few big name players, and could still receive some big names over the next couple of weeks, while the Crimson Tide are also linked to numerous top players in the Class of 2022, many of which have already visited Tuscaloosa over the last month.

While the recent news could be concerning to some Alabama Basketball fans, it shouldn’t be because this team will still be a favorite next season. The talent and depth on this team entering the 2021-22 season is evident, and will make Alabama one of the top college basketball teams in the country next season.