Fans of Alabama Crimson Tide hoops are unsure of what to make of adding Brandon Garrison to the 2026-27 roster. As a Kentucky Wildcat for two seasons, Garrison was not a game-changer. He played 584 minutes for Kentucky last season and reached double figures in scoring only four times. Garrison is an ineffective three-point shooter, at 28.1% for his three-season college career. His free-throw shooting is poor at 60.7%. Sharing Kentucky's center role with Malachi Moreno, Garrison was an effective rebounder and shot blocker.
It can be argued that Garrison was a better player as a freshman at Oklahoma State than he was at Kentucky. Garrison had plenty of company among players underperforming for Kentucky coach Mark Pope.
There is a different take on the addition of Garrison. Nate Oats stated that Alabama must get bigger. At 6'11" and 245lbs., Garrison makes the Crimson Tide bigger. As a former McDonald's All-American, he may still have potential that can thrive in Nate Oats' dunker role.
It is pointless to debate how Garrison compares to Aiden Sherrell. They are very different players. It is unknown if Oats sees Garrison as a starter, but he is not coming to Tuscaloosa to play marginal minutes. Does the addition of Garrison mean that Alabama no longer needs Cade Phillips? That too is unknown. A guess is that Phillips remains an option.
Alabama Crimson Tide 2026-27 Roster
What is known about the Alabama 2026-27 roster is that Alabama now has 11 players. The status of six of them: Aden Holloway, Amari Allen, London Jemison, Davion Hannah, Keitenn Bristow, and Collins Onyejiaka is unclear. Recent rumors are that Jemison, Hannah, and Bristow will return. Allen may opt for the NBA. Onyejiaka's health problem may or may not be resolved. While Holloway intends to return, he does not control that decision.
Nate Oats made Alabama bigger with Brandon Garrison. He may have made the Alabama Crimson Tide a good deal better as well.