The transfer portal opened for NCAA men’s basketball March 24, and more than 750 players entered their names on the first day — around 450 more than on the first day of last year.
When the portal opened, Alabama had just finished playing in its first two tournament games, leaving head coach Nate Oats with a little less than a week to get some transfer work done before taking on BYU.
Now that the tournament is over after a disappointing 85-65 loss to Duke in the Elite Eight, Oats is already ensuring that there will be much to look forward to in the offseason.
Several key players will not be returning to Tuscaloosa next season, leaving several slots to be filled.
Senior guards Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood, senior forward Grant Nelson and senior center Clifford Omoruyi will all graduate and declare for the draft.
On Monday, redshirt freshman forward Naas Cunningham announced that he will enter the transfer portal. Cunningham redshirted this past season to put on more weight and likely would have only played a minor role off the bench anyway.
Forward Mouhamed Dioubate also announced that he would enter the transfer portal. This is a big hit to Alabama, as he was a significant role player this past season and won the blue-collar hard hat many times.
With big-time shooters and frontcourt prowess leaving, Oats has gone to work in the portal.
Monday night, the Crimson Tide secured its first commitment out of the transfer portal from senior center Noah Williamson from Bucknell after he was in town for a visit on Sunday.
Williamson is 7 feet tall, weighs 250 pounds, and will be an excellent addition for Alabama in the paint, but also from behind the arc.
This past season, he earned Patriot League Player of the Year honors after averaging 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He also made 28 3-pointers, including six in one game.
Following his commitment, sophomore forward Taylor Bol Bowen from Florida State committed to the Crimson Tide on Friday morning. Bol Bowen is just slightly smaller than Williamson at 6-10 and 195 pounds.
This past season at Florida State, Bol Bowen averaged 8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He shot 47.7% on field goals and 41% from behind the arc.
From his freshman to sophomore year, he almost doubled his 3-point shooting percentage and earned himself a lot of playing time, generally 20-30 minutes a game last season.
Williamson and Bol Bowen’s commitments will provide the Crimson Tide with much-needed replacements for the big men they are losing, Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi.
Alabama then landed a commitment from freshman guard and Miami transfer Jalil Bethea. Bethea was previously a 5-star and McDonald’s All-American as a recruit.
Bethea averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season. He averaged 19 minutes of game time but recorded his best game when he played 32 minutes against Syracuse, logging 21 points, four assists and six rebounds.
Oats is looking to make a couple more additions through the transfer portal and has been in contact with many players:
Senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, Sam Houston, averaging 20.5/4/2.1 Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB (17.7/11.4/4.2) Senior guard Jacari White, NDSU (17.1/4.3/2.3) Junior guard Honor Huff, Chattanooga (15.2/1.8/2.3) Sophomore guard Abdi Bashir Jr., Monmouth (20.1/2.6/2.2) Freshman forward Elyjah Freeman, Lincoln Memorial (18.9/8.7/2.3) Freshman guard Martin Somerville, UMass Lowell (13.6/2.9/3.7) Freshman guard Bryce Lindsay, James Madison (13.4/2.8/2.2)Bashir scheduled a visit over Zoom with the coaching staff on Tuesday. He would be a great scoring addition to the Crimson Tide, as he averaged 20 points a game with Monmouth. Last season, he led the nation with 127 3-pointers made. He is also the brother of current Auburn commit Abdul Bashir.
Junior guard Rylan Griffen has also entered the transfer portal out of Kansas. Griffen formerly played for Alabama and had a major role in Alabama’s trip to the Final Four last year. A potential return does not seem entirely likely, but it is a possibility.
The transfer portal moves rapidly, and commitments can happen at any moment. Crimson Tide fans will have to sit back and wait to see what Oats can create in the portal.
The transfer portal is not the only thing fans have to look forward to, however. There is still a top 10 recruiting class that might not be completely finished yet.
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