After losing in the Sweet 16 to what many believed to be the best team in college basketball, the Alabama Crimson Tide intends to invest in its future.
Eventually, ‘close but no cigar’ isn’t going to cut it — which is why Alabama’s athletic department is pulling no punches in its pursuit of a national championship.
And AL.com’s Nick Kelly offered insight into what may be next for the head coach Nate Oats and his program.
Firstly, barring a massive setback, Labaron Philon is all but gone, and it shouldn’t be a surprise.
Philon was easily a top-five guard in college basketball, averaging 22 points per game and five assists, while shooting 40% from 3-point range.
Last season, when Philon pulled himself from the Draft an hour before the deadline, it was with the intention to position himself as a lottery pick.
That’s exactly what he has done, and that’s what Oats is hearing too.
“I don’t really think he’s got much of a decision,” Oats said on Friday after the loss to Michigan. “He’s one of the best players in college basketball. He came back to do what he did to play his way up into the lottery. From everything I’m hearing, that’s what he did.”
So, who’s up next? It may already be someone who the program is awfully familiar with.
Guard Aden Holloway seemed like he was on his way out the door with his partner in crime. He was playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 16 points per game and leading the SEC from 3-point land shooting at a 44% clip.
But after his recent legal battles, it’s believed that Holloway both hurt his draft stock, and even limited his NIL opportunities elsewhere.
Kelly writes that should Holloway be cleared of both the legal and university conduct hurdles, the door would be open for Holloway to return to the Tide. And after Oats offered immense public support to his talented guard, it would make sense for Holloway to stick around.
Beyond that, fans should expect a dramatic budget boost.
Annually, Alabama has continued to invest more into its basketball program, and this past season, the budget was set at $8 million. Kelly reports that the budget could slide up to as much as $12 million to set the school up for a National Championship run.
As a result, Oats and Co. already have commitments from four-star Jaxon Richardson, along with Qayden Samuels and Tarris Bouie.
We should also expect Alabama to be active in the transfer portal. Earlier, Joe Tipton of On3 reported that Kennesaw State guard RJ Johnson will be entering the transfer portal.
Johnson was initially an Alabama commit out of high school, but followed former Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway to the Owls.
Kelly also reported that two players in the portal could already be on the Tide’s radar: Louisville guard Adrian Wooley and NC State guard Matt Able.
Wooley, a Tuscaloosa native, was also with Kennesaw State before heading to the Cardinals last season, and his first season in power conference play did not help his case, only averaging 8.7 points per game, down from 18.2 points, as well as shooting 35% from 3, which was down from his 42% clip two seasons ago.
Able brings a lot of intrigue. He’s a 6-foot-6 guard who can stretch the floor and is more than comfortable using both hands at the basket.
With Oats’ run-and-gun system, Able would be a quality fit for this program.
In this world of college sports, good recruiting isn’t just the main source of program building, it’s become just one part of a large operation.
And from the looks of it, Alabama isn’t just chasing a National Championship, it plans to invest like it expects to win one.
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