Amari Allen's preseason All-SEC selection sets the stage for monster sophomore year

It's hard to believe that college basketball season is here, but Alabama will tip off Nate Oats' eighth season in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday against Sam Houston.

There's plenty of optimism brewing that the Crimson Tide will once again have a team capable of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. A large reason for that optimism was the return of sophomore guard Amari Allen, who initially entered the NBA Draft and went through the process before deciding on a return to Alabama despite being projected as a late first-round pick.

Alabama - and Allen - hope his decision to return will produce a Labaron Philon-like leap in year two. This is his team now.

On Thursday, the SEC coaches gave Allen an added vote of confidence by naming him to the preseason All-SEC first team, alongside Florida's Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu, Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner, and Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard:

Amari Allen is poised for a serious sophomore leap for Alabama

Prepare yourself for something with Allen this season:

He's going to be the team's point guard. When Aden Holloway gets back on the court after serving his two-game suspension, the senior will slot in next to Allen as Alabama's shooting guard. Allen came back to Alabama to be on-ball more, something that will be critical for his NBA future considering he's actually 6-foot-5 without shoes and not the 6-foot-8 he was listed at last season.

Holloway will have on-ball time, too, but Allen is the point guard.

He'll have to cut down on some of the turnover issues we saw during the three exhibition games, but Holloway's return will help space the floor even more and give Allen better driving lanes. Even without Holloway, Allen was terrific in the trio of exhibition matchups against Furman, Ole Miss, and Auburn.

He put up averages of 20/5/4 on shooting splits of 53/54/84.

That's elite production on elite efficiency. He only took 36 shots and came away with 61 points. He picked his spots, got to the rim, drew fouls, and knocked down open looks from three. He never forced anything and looked comfortable and in control each game.

The game came easy for him. And it's important to remember that these performances didn't come against scrubs. It was against the preseason favorites in the SoCon and two SEC opponents. That makes his performances that much more impressive.

While a small sample size, the way he played in the preseason gives credence to the belief that he could be in for a Philon-type leap. If that's the case, with the talent and depth that Oats has built around him, then Alabama could seriously outperform preseason expectations and be right in the thick of the Final Four race.

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