There will be no reunion between Rylan Griffen and Alabama basketball. The former Crimson Tide transfer who spent last season at Kansas just committed to play for Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M:
Griffen visited Alabama last week and had seemed likely to land in Tuscaloosa for a while now. That seemed increasingly likely following Cedric Coward's decision to commit to Duke over Alabama. Instead, Griffen and Oats could not work things out and now the talented 6-foot-6 wing will take his talents to College Station instead.
Make no mistake about it. This was as much Oats's decision as it was Griffen's. Alabama did not "miss" on Griffen. He did not choose Texas A&M over Alabama. He chose the Aggies because he didn't get what he wanted from Oats and the Crimson Tide.
Griffen had an outstanding sophomore season for the Crimson Tide in 2023-24. He averaged 11.2 points per game and shot 39% from three-point range. He was an integral part of Alabama's Final Four team. His decision to enter the Transfer Portal last year was a disappointment.
Griffen struggled in his season at Kansas. His numbers went down across the board, and he averaged just 6.3 points per game while shooting 33.6% from the floor. Still, he seemed likely to return to form at Alabama in a familiar system and would have been a helpful player.
Where Nate Oats turns from here to finish Alabama's roster is anybody's guess
It felt like Alabama was all-in on Cedric Coward and Rylan Griffen was the backup plan. Now that Alabama ended up with neither, it's anybody's guess where Oats pivots from here.
Alabama hasn't been linked to any other player in the Transfer Portal to date, at least not publicly. Oats and lead assistant Preston Murphy are working, but they're moving more in silence recently. There was no link between the staff and Coward until late in the process.
There are several intriguing options going through the NBA Draft process right now. We know Alabama hopes that Labaron Philon ultimately returns, though that is feeling less and less likely.
St. John's RJ Luis, Texas Tech's Darrion Williams, and Florida State's Jamir Watkins are three interesting players who are in the portal and going through the draft process. None of them would come cheap, but who does anymore?
The deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to college is May 28th. The NBA Draft Combine is May 11-18 in Chicago. That means it will likely be a few more weeks before we know for sure what Alabama's roster will look like for next season.