Under Coach Nate Oats, Alabama Basketball has had among the better backcourts in college hoops for the past three seasons. Oats specializes in guard play, producing guys like Jaden Shackelford, Jahvon Quinerly, and JD Davison among others. How will the backcourt look next season?
Alabama’s 2023-24 backcourt took a big hit last week. Senior point guard Jahvon Quinerly opted to enter the NBA Draft, but maintained the right to exercise his final year of eligibility.
Additionally, Alabama will not be adding any true guards in its incoming recruiting class. 2023 guard RJ Johnson has requested a release from his National Letter of Intent, and it doesn’t appear he will be joining the Crimson Tide backcourt.
Jahvon Quinerly’s ultimate decision will likely have the biggest impact on the Crimson Tide backcourt. If he does not return to Tuscaloosa, Alabama will only have two guards returning next season.
Alabama Basketball: Backcourt returnees
Mark Sears was a pleasant surprise in 2022-23, and should be even better next year as a senior. He transferred to Alabama from Ohio prior to this past season and outperformed expectations with the splash he made playing at the SEC level.
The Muscle Shoals native finished second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game while shooting 34.5 percent from the three-point line (fourth on team). He also added 3.5 rebounds (fourth), 2.6 assists (third), and a team-high 1.2 steals, making him easily one of Alabama’s best all-around players.
With Jahvon Quinerly out to start the season, Sears jumped straight into the lineup and started all 37 games for the Crimson Tide this year. With a year of SEC experience under his belt, Mark Sears could take another leap next year. He should be one of the top guards in the conference, and perhaps one of the best in the nation.
Fellow guard Jaden Bradley is also expected to return for his sophomore year. Bradley joined Bama as a highly touted 5-star recruit in the 2022 class. His first year consisted of the typical ups and downs of a freshman in college basketball.
On paper, he put together a solid year. Bradley started 22 games, averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 assists per game, which was good for second on the team.
However, his minutes dwindled towards the end of the season as Quinerly returned to form. Jaden Bradley struggled with his outside shot, and could have been frustrated with his diminished role.
Through the first 26 games the freshman guard scored in every contest, averaging 8.2 points per game with 11 double-figure outings. To that point, he had been a major contributor on the team.
Over the last 11 games he averaged just 2.1 points per game, failing to score in six of those games. His minutes dipped dramatically and he was pulled from the starting lineup during this stretch.
To his credit, Bradley appeared to maintain a positive attitude and continued to impact games in other ways, namely as a distributor and an on-ball defender.
Heading into his sophomore year, Jaden Bradley has to improve his outside jump shot. He hit just seven three-pointers all year (31.8 percent), and was not a threat from the perimeter. Becoming a better shooter will open up the court more for him to utilize his strengths.
Bradley is a true point guard that defends hard, slashes to the basket, and sets his teammates up for easy shots. Mark Sears has some point guard qualities, but is more of a score-first guard. I like this duo returning in the backcourt, but Alabama Basketball certainly needs to add more guards to its 2023-24 roster.
It could use another difference-maker like Jahvon Quinerly, but must add depth at the very least.