The Alabama basketball season is here. After three consecutive trips to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, including back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight, and the program's first Final Four in 2024, Nate Oats will look to keep the momentum moving forward despite the loss of a Mount Rushmore player in Mark Sears.
Alabama's roster looks a lot different than it did last year, such is life in today's college basketball environment with the Transfer Portal. Five players return from last season's team, but only three who logged minutes down the stretch of the season.
Latrell Wrightsell and Houston Mallette are back, but both suffered season-ending injuries that kept them sidelined for most of the season.
Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway, and Aiden Sherrell are the returnees who logged minutes in March.
Alabama added four from the Transfer Portal: Taylor Bol Bowen (Florida State), Jalil Bethea (Miami), Noah Williamson (Bucknell), and Keitenn Bristow (Tarleton State).
Oats brought in a four-man recruiting class: Amari Allen, Davion Hannah, London Jemison, and Collins Onyejiaka. Based on the two scrimmages, Allen, Hannah, and Jemison are likely to have roles on this team, while Onyejiaka may get spot minutes here and there.
Alabama has finished its two-game exhibition schedule, earning wins over Florida State and Furman. With the regular season getting started on Monday in Coleman Coliseum against North Dakota, let's take a look at the Tide's likely starting five for the beginning of the season.
Alabama's projected starting lineup for 2025-26
Point Guard: Labaron Philon
We'll start with the most obvious starter: sophomore point guard Labaron Philon will not only be the Tide's starting point guard this season, but he'll be the team's engine. He's the best player on the roster, and his performances in the Crimson Tide's exhibitions should have Alabama fans ecstatic about his second-year leap.
Philon scored 28 points against Florida State and added 16 against Furman in only 20 minutes. He was hyper-efficient, showing an improved three-point shot and looking totally in control of every part of his game.
Philon should be on the short list for SEC and National Player of the Year. He's that good.
Shotting Guard: Aden Holloway
If you had asked me before the two exhibitions, I would have told you it was unlikely that Oats would start a Philon/Holloway backcourt this year. With the Tide's biggest weakness last year being its size on the perimeter, I figured Oats would want a little more length and might opt for freshman Amari Allen instead.
While it could change when Miami (FL) transfer Jalil Bethea returns from injury, for now, it seems obvious that Holloway and Philon will start alongside one another, at least in the early part of the season. Holloway started both exhibition games and played well.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about Holloway is how much better he looked on the defensive end of the floor in the two exhibition games. Oats praised his improvement on that end a couple of weeks ago,
Latrell Wrightsell could also factor into the starting rotation at the two spot as he continues his recovery. I expect Oats and the staff to be overly cautious with Wrightsell early in the season, bringing him along slowly.
Small Forward: Houston Mallette
This is another spot that could change once Bethea returns from injury, but for now, it seems likely that Houston Mallette will be the starter in this spot next Monday. The Pepperdine transfer missed the majority of last season due to knee issues, but was granted a medical redshirt to return this year. His three-point shooting will be a nice boost to the offense, and he always gives maximum effort. His leadership will be invaluable, too.
Don't be surprised, however, to see Allen make a run at this spot. The 6-foot-8 true freshman has played with high energy and effort on both ends in the exhibition slate. He was Alabama's leading rebounder against Furman, and that effort undoubtedly got the attention of Oats and the staff. Oats has been effusive in his praise of Allen in the preseason.
Power Forward: Taylor Bol Bowen
This spot seemed like a slam dunk over the summer, but Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen only started one of the two exhibition games. He got the start at the four against the Seminoles, but Tarleton State transfer Keitenn Bristow started over Bol Bowen against Furman on Sunday.
I would still expect Bol Bowen to be the starter this year, but it was clear after the Florida State game that Oats wasn't overly happy with how he had played. Starting Bristow over him was a message, one that Bol Bowen will likely take to heart.
Center: Aiden Sherrell
Sophomore Aiden Sherrell started both exhibition games over Bucknell transfer - and Patriot League Player of the Year - Noah Williamson, but Williamson didn't play against Florida State. He made his debut against Furman.
It's unlikely to matter which of the two big men starts; they'll both see similar minutes. They turned in encouraging performances against Furman. Sherrell showed a softer touch near the rim than a year ago, though he's got to do better at cleaning up the class and defending the rim.
Williamson looked noticeably lighter than he was last year at Bucknell, a necessary requirement for him to play at Alabama's advanced pace. He set good screens and had an impressive drive to the basket for a bucket against the Paladins.
Early in the season, expect both guys to get around 15 minutes per game with Bol Bowen/Bristow filling out the other 10 in small-ball lineups.