Alabama basketball loses player to Transfer Portal who Nate Oats said "exemplifies" the program

Alabama basketball suffered a blow in the Transfer Portal on Friday, losing a player who has embodied the culture of Nate Oats' "blue collar basketball."

Sophomore forward Mo Dioubate has decided to enter the Transfer Portal, per a report from On3:

Dioubate posted a message to Instagram confirming the report and saying goodbye to Alabama.

Dioubate becomes the second Alabama player to enter the Transfer Portal since the Crimson Tide's season ended last Saturday night in Newark with a loss to Duke. He's the first contributor to last season to go as Naas Cunningham, the other portal entry, took a redshirt this past season.

There's no sugar-coating this loss and what Dioubate meant to this team this year. He graded out as the best defender and let the team in BPM (box plus-minus). Alabama was always a better team when he was on the court. He grew from an energy and effort glue-guy as a freshman into a legitimate weapon as a sophomore without losing that energy and effort that he built his reputation on.

Dioubate averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in just 16 minutes per game this season. Pound-for-pound, there probably wasn't a better rebounder in the country this past season than Diobuate. He will be sorely missed next season.

Oats has been complimentary of Dioubate the entire season, going as far as saying that Mo "exemplifies what we’re trying to build this program into."

Dioubate led the team in hard-hat wins, awarded to the player who accumulates the most blue collar points in any given game. Without him, Alabama will need someone else to step into that role next season. It's a role that doesn't always get a lot of press, but it's vital for a winning team.

Where does Alabama turn to replace Mo Dioubate?

Replacing Dioubate won't be easy. Alabama recently hosted LSU transfer Corey Chest on an official visit this week and while there's a lot of smoke with him and Ole Miss at the moment, Oats and company might re-engage with him now that Dioubate has entered the portal. His path to playing time just got a lot clearer.

Dioubate's replacement could also already be on the roster. Freshman Derrion Reid has a similar build, athleticism, and defensive versatility. He probably couldn't hold up as a small-ball five like Dioubate could, but with the addition of Taylor Bol Bowen in the Transfer Portal on Friday, that's probably not as necessary.

Reid still has a decision to make himself and could ultimately decide to move on, too. The roster remains fluid, as it always is this time of the year.