Former Alabama basketball player Rylan Griffen is in the Transfer Portal. His season as a Kansas Jayhawk did not go as planned. That is true for many facets of Kansas basketball in the 2024-25 season.
Griffen did not gain the full confidence of Bill Self. Rylen also did not shoot well as a Jayhawk. All his Kansas stats were down from his sophomore season in Tuscaloosa. Was the problem that Rylen fit better in the Nate Oats system than the Bill Self system? Or did Rylan's basketball skills deteriorate? Followers of Kansas basketball say Griffen lacked confidence, which led to a downward spiral of inconsistent play.
Though in the Portal, Griffen did not rush to visit other schools. A one week Dead Period begins on Thursday. At this point, nothing confirms that Griffen wants to play for Alabama again.
A rumor last year was that NIL was why Rylen left, and the dissatisfaction was mostly from his father. The rumor included that the father brokered a deal with Bill Self.
Based on message board chatter, some Alabama basketball fans are opposed to a return by Griffen. Most 'no' perspectives claim Alabama can do better than Griffen.
Mark me down as one who disagrees. Four 'ifs' must be considered. If he wants to come back, and if Nate Oats wants him back, and if a fair NIL offer is acceptable. One more important 'if' is, would Griffen be content with a meaningful 20-22 minutes a game? He averaged 26 minutes as an Alabama sophomore. He would likely get less in 2025-26.
Why wouldn't Alabama Basketball want a Rylan Griffen return?
If all the ifs are resolved, why wouldn't an Alabama basketball fan want Rylen Griffen back? Almost every Alabama fan was pleased with Chris Youngblood in the recent season. Youngblood shot 44.7% overall and 38.8% from three. He was 84% from the foul line and averaged 2.3 rebounds a game. He played 25.3 minutes per game.
In the 2023-24 season, Rylen Griffen shot 45.4% overall and 39.3% from three. He was 81% from the line and averaged 3.4 rebounds per game.
The Youngblood and Griffen stats come close to being equal. In addition, Youngblood made more turnovers than assists, while Griffen had 46 assists to 30 turnovers. More importantly, Griffen, at 6'6", and quicker, was a much better perimeter defender than Youngblood.
If Nate Oats believes Rylan Griffen cam make Alabama better, I'm all-in on his return.