Nate Oats and Alabama basketball are hard at work piecing together the puzzle in the Transfer Portal for next season's roster. On Monday, the Crimson Tide landed a key commitment from Noah Williamson, the Patriot League Player of the Year at Bucknell this season. He's a legit 7-footer with an inside-out game and was a critical need for Alabama with both Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi exhausting their eligibility.
Right now, it's hard to project where the Crimson Tide goes from here. As things currently stand, Alabama has only one roster spot available. With four outgoing seniors and three incoming freshmen, that left only one spot. Redshirt freshman Naas Cunningham entered the portal, opening up a second spot that was quickly filled by Williamson.
There are expected to be others. Star freshman guard Labaron Philon is reportedly on the fence between returning to Tuscaloosa and entering the NBA Draft. At some point, there are likely to be another portal entry or two (or even three).
A dead period began on Thursday, running for one week. During that dead period, there can be no in-person meetings between players and coaches. So no on-campus visits can be conducted, though coaches can still talk to players via phone calls, Zoom, etc.
There are plenty of dominos waiting to fall. One of the big ones is what happens with the upcoming House settlement that might throw some actual NIL guardrails out there, but perhaps as important, might allow teams 15 scholarship spots instead of 13. Obviously, an additional two scholarships will drastically change how Oats and company go about building this roster.
For now, we'll continue operating under the assumption of a 13-scholarship limit until the change is official.
Let's take a look at what Alabama's positional priorities are in the Transfer Portal as things currently stand.
Alabama's biggest Transfer Portal needs to improve the roster
1. Bigger guards
Alabama's most glaring weakness was on full display against Duke in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils had a massive length advantage with a starting five all standing 6-6 or taller. Mark Sears and Aden Holloway are both barely 6-0.
It was a sacrifice Oats and company were willing to make and only a select few teams could really make Alabama pay for it. Now, with Sears running out of eligibility, the Tide will hope to get bigger in the backcourt.
Holloway will return and you can get by with a single guard his size if you can surround him with bigger players. It's easier to hide him on defense that way, too. Regardless of whether Philon returns, Alabama will be in the market for a ball-handling big guard. If Philon leaves, that number probably swells to two.
Alabama has been connected to Miami (FL)'s Jalil Bethea (6-5) and Jacksonville State's Jaron Pierre (6-5). Both of those guys can be lead guards. The Tide could also bring back Rylan Griffen (6-6) after he spent a year at Kansas. Griffen would seemingly be a separate piece from the others as he is more of an off-ball guard/wing, but his size, shooting, and defensive ability would be a welcome addition to the Crimson Tide's roster.
Alabama has also met via Zoom with Monmouth transfer Abdi Bashir Jr. (6-7) who was the most prolific three-point shooter in college basketball last season. Like Griffen, he's more of an off-ball guard/wing.
2. A stretch four who can play spot mintues at the five
Regardless of what happens with Jarin Stevenson and Mo Dioubate, Alabama could use a more traditional four/hybrid five-man. Both Stevenson and Dioubate might be better served playing the three anyway, with the ability to play the four as well.
Currently, the Tide has been linked to a handful of players who fit this mold, including Florida State's Taylor Bol Bowen (visited Alabama on Wednesday), LSU's Corey Chest (visited Monday), and UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg.
Bol Bowen and Lendeborg can both stretch the floor. Chest is a non-shooter, but an energy/effort glue-guy who would infuse some much-needed toughness and defensive versatility into the rotation.
All three guys have a bevy of suitors, with Lendeborg going through the draft process and potentially staying in the NBA Draft with first-round potential.
3. A 3-and-D wing
This would, theoretically, be the slot that Rylan Griffen slides into. Bashir could fit this mold, too, though his defensive metrics are a bit concerning.
This spot would be a bit of a luxury item at the moment, but adding some shooting after losing Sears and Youngblood is important. Of course, Alabama added some talent on the wing in the recruiting class that could play a role, too.
Whether Alabama pursues a player of this ilk likely depends on whatever else happens with the current roster. Will there be more attrition? For now, a big guard and a 4/5 hybrid is more of a priority for Alabama's only remaining spot. But if two more spots open up, I would expect one of them to be filled with a player who fits this mold.