Nate Oats is still constructing the Alabama basketball roster for 2025-26. He has two open roster spots. He might not fill both. But I'm confident in saying that at least one more player will be added to the roster in the next month or so.
That player probably won't be Labaron Philon. Philon's draft stock is in the 1st Round range prior to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, which starts next week. He could still work his way into the lottery range. Most believe a guarantee in the 1st Round will be enough to keep him in the draft.
It hasn't been the ideal offseason in Tuscaloosa so far. But there's still talented players who are holdovers from last year's roster, a nice Transfer Portal haul, and an impressive three-man freshman class. The sky is far from falling.
And while Oats is still searching for the final piece or two to the roster, he felt confident enough to state one area where he already feels the team will be much improved next year.
In a video posted to YouTube by AL.com, Oats spoke to reporters at the Senior Bowl Charities Celebrity Golf Classic. Oats believes the 2025-26 Crimson Tide have the potential to be an elite shooting team:
“We’re gonna have a really good shooting team, maybe the best shooting team since I’ve been there. There’s shooting everywhere," said Oats.
Alabama finished 95th in the country this year in shooting 35.3% from three-point range. It's not hyperbole to expect the team to take a signficant jump next season.
Alabama has three-point shooters littered throughout the roster
Alabama returns three proven college shooters. Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell, and Houston Mallette all have proven they can shoot 40%+ from three-point range.
Wrightsell was one of the best three-point shooters in the country in 2023-24, connecting on 44.7% of his attempts from deep. In eight games this past season before rupturing his Achilles, Wrightsell hit 42.2% of his threes.
In his first season at Alabama, Aden Holloway torched the nets. He hit 41.2% of his three-point attempts.
The sample size was too small to read much into Houston Mallette's 50% from three this year across six games, but in 31 games the previous season at Pepperdine, Mallette connected on 41.5% from distance.
In the Transfer Portal, Alabama added Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen, a prototypical stretch-four for Oats's system. He hit 41.4% of his three pointers last season.
Miami transfer Jalil Bethea only shot 32.6% from three with the Hurricanes, but he has the pedigree of a knockdown shooter and should thrive in a better situation in Tuscaloosa following a tumultuous year in Coral Gables.
Perhaps most intriguingly, Alabama has two potential stretch-fives in Aiden Sherrell and Bucknell transfer Noah Williamson.
Sherrell shot 33.3% from three as a freshman. His shot improved throughout the year, and he hit 10 of his final 18 attempts from downtown down the stretch of the season. Williamson hit 31.8% at Bucknell this past year.
Neither guy needs to shoot 40% from deep, but the fact that both are legitimate threats will help space the floor for the Crimson Tide. Oats's system is best when all five guys are a threat to shoot. Alabama didn't have that last season with a non-shooter in Cliff Omoruyi manning the five.
That won't be an issue in 2025-26. Either Sherrell or Williamson will keep defenses honest with their ability to knock down shots.