Alabama
Final Four Banner Reveal
Men's Basketball Reveals Final Four Banner, Introduces 2024-25 Squad
10/11/2024 11:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide participated in a three-point and dunk contest prior to the intrasquad scrimmage
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama men's basketball unofficially opened the 2024-25 season with its Final Four Banner Reveal ceremony, Friday night inside Coleman Coliseum. Members of last year's squad received their Final Four rings prior to the scrimmage.
It's here and it's beautiful.#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/NLvxWVPqoP
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) October 12, 2024
The night began with the introduction of the 2024-25 team and coaching staff. After introductions, Aden Holloway, Houston Mallette, Labaron Philon and Mark Sears all competed in the three-point contest. Sears laid claim to the three-point contest title. The fifth-year man lit it up from beyond the arc, outlasting impressive shooting debuts from Holloway and Mallette. In the final round of the event, Sears scored 23 points to Mallette's 15.
Following the three-point contest, Naas Cunningham, Grant Nelson, Clifford Omoruyi, Derrion Reid and Jarin Stevenson took the floor to compete in the dunk contest. The Tide's freshmen shined in their introduction to the fans, as Cunningham and Reid advanced to the final round of the contest, along with Stevenson. Reid took the crown after wowing the crowd by leaping over Big Al and finishing the play with a powerful one-handed slam.
The highlight of the evening was the Final Four ring ceremony to honor the members of the historic team that made program history for advancing to the 2024 Men's Final Four in Phoenix, Ariz. for the first time in school history. Following the ceremony, fans looked to the rafters of Coleman Coliseum for the unveiling of the Final Four Banner that honors the teams' historical and legendary accomplishments on the hardwood.
Blue Collar Ring ?? pic.twitter.com/xgkD7l3BHZ
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) October 12, 2024
The preseason showcase ended with a scrimmage between the Tide, who split into two teams for two 12-minute halves of action. The White team came away victoriously, outscoring the Crimson team, 61-57. The White team led at the half, 33-21, after constant back-and-forth and entertaining action. The second half saw much of the same, as the Crimson team erased the 12-point deficit to pull within two, ultimately falling short of completing the comeback.
Sears and Omoruyi led the Crimson squad with 18 points each, while Philon added 18 points of his own for the White team. Both teams competed at a high level on Friday night, the White team was led by Preston Murphy, while the Crimson squad was led by Ryan Pannone. Coach Oats monitored both sidelines throughout the duration of the scrimmage.
Up next for the Crimson Tide is an exhibition game against Wake Forest on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. CT at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham. The first regular season game of the season will be on Nov. 4, against UNC Asheville. Tickets are available for both games on RollTide.com.
