Alabama has reached never-before heights in program history after reaching the Elite 8 for a second straight season. With the recent sustained success this program has experienced under Coach Nate Oats, of course, expectations begin to grow. With how deep this team was, many expected a second straight Final Four appearance, but Duke dismantled those dreams pretty quickly Saturday night.
There is no shame in losing to the Blue Devils in the Elite Eight, but now the question again is what are the next steps for the Alabama basketball program? The Crimson Tide are a very good team, but how do they go from very good to elite so beating a Duke or a team like last year in UConn can become a reality?
The biggest focus for the immediate future is to bring in players who add length to the roster. Both Duke and Florida showed us that they are right now at a higher level, and a lot of that is their length really bothered the Tide especially on the offensive end. Both teams were able to keep us at bay, and even though the effort was there against both, there was never a feeling a path for victory was there. Based on the current players rumored to be possible additions via the portal and brought in through recruiting, it seems some of these concerns are being addressed immediately.
The other next big step that needs to take place for Alabama to stay at the top of the ultra competitive SEC, as well as on the national scene, is finally getting that new arena built in Tuscaloosa. With how many great coaches that are in the SEC and the elevation of each program in the conference there is a thin line that separates the teams at the top from the middle of the pack. A new arena would do a lot for the men's program and also would do a lot for the women's program, hitting two birds with one stone.
We all know Coleman Coliseum is old, and honestly seemed old when I graduated from UA and that was in 2007. Despite renovations over the years, it's time to upgrade, and continuing to do renovations on Coleman seems like a waste of money. I get it is an expensive investment, but right now, while the iron is hot is the only way to get the ball rolling on the much-needed upgrade. This program is knocking on the door, and these are the types of moves that will open up the door on the other side in response to that knocking being done by Nate Oats and the Alabama program.