Men's Basketball Season Preview
110 Seasons of Alabama Basketball
- Alabama is in its 110th season of basketball in 2022-23. The Tide's first season of hoops came in 1912-13. There was no season in 1943-44 due to World War II.
- Alabama returns three starters and five letterwinners from last season's 19-14 campaign, adding seven newcomers to the roster
- UA welcomes the nation's No.3-ranked signing class, its highest ranked in program history, including junior college transfer Nick Pringle, a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller, along with four-star prospects Rylan Griffen and Noah Clowney
- Additionally, Alabama welcomes two highly-touted transfers to the Capstone, Dom Welch and Mark Sears
- The Tide holds an all-time record of 1,736-1,082-1 (.616), which includes an 824-638 (.564) record in SEC play. In 2021, UA became the third team in the SEC and 34th team in NCAA history to reach 1,700 program wins. Only Kentucky and Arkansas have more wins than the Crimson Tide.
- UA won the program's eighth SEC regular season championship last season, finishing with a 16-2 league record which tied for the most wins in the conference in program history. In addition to claiming the 2021 crown, the Crimson Tide also claimed regular season titles in 1934, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1987 and 2002.
- Alabama has won seven SEC Tournament titles, most recently in 2021 over LSU. It was the first tournament title by the Tide in 30 years, with the last coming in 1991. In all, the Tide has won 15 combined championships - the eight regular season titles ranking third-most and the seven tournament championships ranking second-best in the league.
- UA has made 38 NCAA (22) or NIT (16) appearances in program lore. The 2022 NCAA tournament marked the first time the Tide has appeared in back-to-back NCAA tournaments since 2006.
- The Tide made its 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2022. Alabama owns a record of 21-22 (.489) in NCAA Tournament games.
Welcome Seven Newcomers
- Head Coach Nate Oats has assembled the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history, including a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller, along with four-star prospects Rylan Griffen and Noah Clowney.
- Alabama's freshman contingent is led by Bradley and Miller, who became just the second pair of Alabama signees to be named McDonald's All-Americans in the same year
- Bradley is a consensus five-star prospect, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 point guard and No. 17 overall prospect in this year's class
- Miller, the 2021 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year, is also a consensus five-star prospect, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 3 small forward and the No. 11 ooverall prospect in the 2022 class
- Alongside Miller and Bradley, Rylan Griffen and Noah Clowney also join the freshman class
- Griffen joins the Tide as the No. 3 shooting guard and No. 49 overall player in the 2022 class, according the 247Sports
- Clowney was rated the consensus No. 1 prep player in the state of South Carolina, considered by Rivals as a 4-star player
- To go along with the No.3-ranked signing class in the country, Oats also welcomes transfers Dom Welch and Mark Sears to the Capstone
- Welch comes to the Tide after a standout career at St. Bonaventure, where he finished his four years ranked third in program history for three-pointers (257) and with 1,198 career points
- Sears, joining UA after two seasons at Ohio University, is a two-time All-Mid-American Conference performer and a 2022 finalist for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top mid-major player in the nation.
- Alongside the seven newcomers, redshirt sophomore Nimari Burnett will be eligble to suit up for the Tide after a season-ending knee injury early in the 2021 season
- Burnett, a Texas Tech transfer, was rated as a five-star prospect out of high school by ESPN and played in the 2021 McDonald's All-American game
The Returnees
- Head coach Nate Oats will welcome back three starters from the 2021-22 campaign, Jahvon Quinerly, Charles Bediako and Noah Gurley
- Quinerly returns to Tuscaloosa afte ranking second on the Tide in scoring (13.8ppg), assists (4.2apg), field goals made (165) and attempted (401). He also totaled 23 double-digit scoring games, including five 20-point contests, in the 2021-22 campaign.
- Meanwhile, Bediako returns to the Tide's lineup after an impressive freshman campaign, where he earned SEC All-Freshman Team accolades. He led Alabama in blocks with 51, ranking fifth-best in the SEC. He also led the team in field goal perfecntage (.692) and total dunks for the season (43).
- Gurley finished the 2021-22 season averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. He also recorded 25 blocks, second only to Bediako.
Preseason Honors
- Freshman Brandon Miller and senior Jahvon Quinerly both garned preseason recognition from around the league. Both were selected to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team, the second straight preseason All-SEC recognition fro Quinerly.
- Quinerly was also named to the watch list for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award, which recognizes the top point guard in Division I men's college basketball. He was one of ten finalists for the award in the 2021-22 season.
- Miller also earned additionally recognition leading into his freshman season, as one of 20 candidates named to the 2023 Julius Erving Award Watch List by the Naismith College Basketball Hall of Fame. The awarrd recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball.
- Charles Bediako also earned preseason recognition. The sophomore was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List, which recognizes the top center in Division I men's college basketball.
JD Davison Selected in 2022 NBA Draft
- JD Davison was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 23rd pick in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft Thursday night, giving the Crimson Tide its fourth NBA Draft pick in the last three years.
- Davison's selection gives the Tide four draft picks in Nate Oats' three seasons, the best three-year stretch for the Tide in terms of NBA Draft picks in 35 years.
- In the 2021-22 campaign, Davison was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, finishing the season leading the team with 4.3 assists per game., ranking seventh in the SEC.
- He saw action in all 33 of the Tide's contests, making six starts. He also earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors twice, with the first following the Tide's win over then-No. 3 Gonzaga, where he scored a season-high 20 points while adding five rebounds and three assists.
