Greg Byrne has been willing to invest significant money into Alabama's basketball program. Under Nate Oats, the Crimson Tide has been one of the most consistent programs in the country. In Oats' seven seasons in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has won two SEC regular-season and tournament titles, made the Sweet 16 five times - including four straight seasons - with two trips to the Elite Eight, and the program's first Final Four trip in 2024.
Byrne and Alabama announced plans for a new basketball arena a few years ago, but ballooning costs put those plans on hold. Instead, Alabama invested in a state-of-the-art practice facility that opened this summer. While a new basketball arena might still be in the cards down the road, it doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon.
On Monday night, Byrne announced via his Twitter account that Alabama would be upgrading the video board in Coleman Coliseum:
Work has begun on upgrading the center-hung videoboard and sound system in Coleman Coliseum to elevate the team and fan experience heading into the new season.
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) August 10, 2026
These investments are also designed with flexibility in mind, allowing them to serve our programs well into the future.… pic.twitter.com/dHlCLdLuxJ
Byrne's comment about the video and sound system being "designed with flexibility in mind, allowing them to serve our programs well into the future," likely points to them being able to be moved into a new arena down the road, whenever that actually happens.
The truth is, Coleman Coliseum is fine overall. As much as some fans have complained about the new arena being on hold, that isn't a concern for Oats. He prioritized the practice facility, and that's what he got.
One upgrade to Coleman would change the home environment for Alabama dramatically, and the cost would be minimal.
Greg Byrne needs to finally move the students to center court and get them out of the corner.
Greg Byrne could upgrade Coleman Coliseum significantly by simply moving the students
That's the biggest thing holding Coleman back from providing an elite homecourt environment for Alabama basketball. For the bigger games, Coleman is always packed and loud. But especially for the weeknight home games that not a ton of out-of-town season ticket holders are going to make the trek over to Tuscaloosa for, the environment can be downright bad and not provide any real homecourt advantage.
There's nothing more depressing than watching on TV and seeing empty seats and/or people sitting on their hands and making zero noise. That would change immediately if those seats were occupied by students instead.
There are politics at work in making the seating change. I'm not naive to it. Byrne would have to irk some season ticket holders by moving them away from seats they've had for a long time. But so be it.
I would hope, as Alabama fans, they would understand the importance of turning Coleman into one of the most intimidating environments in the country. Moving seats is a small sacrifice to make that happen. And if you aren't willing to make that small sacrifice, then you're not a true fan. A true fan would be willing to do anything to improve the chances of the Crimson Tide winning games.
Getting the students onto the floor would do just that.
It's time for Byrne to rip that band-aid off.
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