Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball

The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I men's basketball. The program plays in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In the conference it trails only long-time basketball powerhouse Kentucky in SEC tournament titles, is third behind Kentucky and Arkansas in total wins, and is second behind Kentucky, in SEC regular season conference titles. Alabama was retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion for the 1929–30 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.[3] The team has appeared in the NCAA tournament 23 times, most recently in 2023. Alabama's current head coach is Nate Oats.

Alabama Crimson Tide
2023–24 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Alabama
First season1912-13
All-time record1769–1088–1 (.619)
Head coachNate Oats (4th season)
ConferenceSEC
LocationTuscaloosa, Alabama
ArenaColeman Coliseum
(Capacity: 15,316)
NicknameCrimson Tide
Student sectionCrimson Chaos
ColorsCrimson and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions
1930
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2004
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1976, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987*, 1990, 1991, 2004, 2021, 2023
NCAA tournament round of 32
1975, 1976, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987*, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2018, 2021, 2023
NCAA tournament appearances
1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987*, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
*vacated by NCAA[2]
Conference tournament champions
1930, 1934, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2021, 2023
Conference regular season champions
1930, 1934, 1939, 1940, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1987, 2002, 2021, 2023

The men's basketball program has spent most of its history in the shadow of Alabama's football team, but has risen in stature over the past several decades. Under former coach Mark Gottfried, the team achieved a No. 1 national ranking briefly in 2003, and competed for an NCAA Regional Tournament championship in 2004. The program was notable as a regular conference basketball contender in the 1980s and early 1990s under the direction of coach Wimp Sanderson and in the 1970s under coach C. M. Newton. As of 2023, Alabama has nine NCAA tournament Sweet 16 appearances.

In the 2003–04 season, the team defeated #1-seeded Stanford in the NCAA tournament, and reached the Elite Eight round where they lost to the eventual national champion, Connecticut. Under Oats, the team has continued to craft its own distinct tradition, with SEC titles in 2021 and 2023, and their best-ever season in the latter as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

History

Former coaches with at least five years with the Crimson Tide include the following: Hank Crisp (1923–1942, 1945–1946), Hayden Riley (1960–1968), C. M. Newton (1968–1980), Wimp Sanderson (1980–1992) – Alabama's winningest coach (.692), David Hobbs (1992–1998), Mark Gottfried (1998–2009), and Anthony Grant (2009–2015).[4][5]

Other coaches include John Dee, D.V. Graves, Floyd Burdette, and Charles A. Bernier.[5]

C. M. Newton

In 1968, legendary Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who was also Alabama's athletic director, called Kentucky men's basketball coach Adolph Rupp looking for someone to turn around Alabama's basketball program. Rupp recommended C. M. Newton, a former backup player at Kentucky who had been at Transylvania University for 12 years.[6] In 12 seasons at Alabama, Newton led the Tide to a record of 211–123. The Crimson Tide won three straight SEC titles under Newton (1974, 1975, and 1976), the only program besides Kentucky to accomplish this feat.[6] Newton also guided Alabama to four NIT and two NCAA Men's Division I Championship tournament berths, prompting the school to name a recruiting suite in his honor in 2006.[7]

Just as he did at Transylvania, Newton recruited Alabama's first black player, Wendell Hudson, in 1969, integrating his second team in as many coaching stops.[8]

Wimp Sanderson

Newton resigned as head coach after the 1980–81 season to become assistant commissioner of the SEC. He was succeeded by his top assistant, Wimp Sanderson. He had been at Alabama since 1960 as a graduate assistant to Newton's predecessor, Hayden Riley; he was named a full-fledged assistant in 1961. In 12 years as head coach his teams averaged 21.8 wins a year, with a 267–119 record, and they won 4 SEC tournaments. They played in one NIT and eight NCAA tournaments making the "Sweet 16" five times. Sanderson is the only coach in Alabama history to win 200 or more games in his first 10 years. He was the SEC Coach of the Year in 1987, 1989 and 1990, and was the National Coach of the Year in 1987.[9]

Sanderson was best known for wearing garish plaid sports jackets on the sidelines. At one point, Coleman Coliseum was known as the "Plaid Palace", and the mid-court logo was painted in a crimson-and-white plaid pattern.

David Hobbs

Hobbs was hired at Alabama as an assistant coach for Wimp Sanderson in 1985 and spent seven years as an assistant in Tuscaloosa helping the Crimson Tide win one SEC Championship and four SEC Tournament crowns while the Tide made four appearances in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. As an assistant, he had the opportunity to coach such All-SEC performers as Robert Horry, James "Hollywood" Robinson and Latrell Sprewell.

When Sanderson left Alabama following the 1992 season, Hobbs was named head coach. In his first season, the Tide finished 16–13 and advanced to the NIT. In 1994 and 1995, Alabama recorded 20-win seasons and advanced to the NCAA tournament behind the play of future NBA All-Star Antonio McDyess. In 1996, Hobbs led UA to a 19–13 mark and a berth in the NIT Final Four. He resigned his post following the 1998 season after compiling a 110–76 (.594) career record and producing nine All-SEC players.

Mark Gottfried

Mark Gottfried (1998–2009)
SeasonOverall recordSEC recordPostseason
1998–9917–157–11NIT 1st Round
1999–200013–166–10None
2000–0125–118–8NIT Championship Game
2001–0227–812–4NCAA 2nd round
2002–0317–127–9NCAA 1st Round
2003–0420–138–8NCAA Elite Eight
2004–0524–812–4NCAA 1st Round
2005–0618–1310–6NCAA 2nd round
2006–0720–127–9NIT 1st Round
2007–0817–165–11Declined invitation to CBI[10]
2008–0912–72–3Resigned mid-season.
Overall record: 210–130 (.618)

Mark Gottfried served as the Crimson Tide's head coach from the 1998–99 season until midway through the 2008–09 season.[4] Gottfried played 3 seasons of basketball at Alabama under Wimp Sanderson, and the Crimson Tide advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in each of those seasons. He was hired by Alabama in March 1998 after coaching at Murray State for three seasons.

The Crimson Tide achieved the highest pinnacle ever for the school in both the NCAA Championship tournament and the Associated Press Poll reaching the Elite Eight in the tournament in 2004 and reaching the No. 1 spot in the nation in the AP poll in 2002, both under Mark Gottfried's command.

Gottfried led the Tide to its only SEC Championship under his watch during the 2001–02 season, although the team never won a conference tournament championship during his tenure. For his efforts in 2002, Gottfried was named SEC Coach of the Year by both the Associated Press and his fellow Southeastern Conference coaches. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment as coach at Alabama was leading the Crimson Tide to five consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2002 to 2006, another first for the school that occurred under his watch.

Gottfried resigned on January 26, 2009, with 11 regular season games still remaining on the team's schedule. Then Athletic Director Mal Moore named long-time Alabama assistant and former player, Philip Pearson as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2008–09 season.

Anthony Grant

On March 27, 2009 Anthony Grant agreed in principle to become the 20th Crimson Tide head men's basketball coach.[11] Grant came to Alabama after serving as the head coach at VCU from 2006 to 2009.

After a mediocre first season, Grant led the veteran 2010–11 team to a SEC West title and a 2nd-place finish in the 2011 NIT. The 2011–12 team endured the suspensions of several star players to finish with a 21–12 record and a berth in the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they lost in the round of 64 to Creighton. This was the Crimson Tide's first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2006. In March 2015, Grant was fired by Alabama after six seasons. Assistant coach John Brannen served as interim head coach for the 2015 NIT tournament.[12]

Avery Johnson

On April 5, 2015, Avery Johnson agreed to become Alabama's next head coach.[13] The former NBA coach said he was attracted to the position because he perceived it as "a big challenge" in that Alabama is not a "perennial favorite" and has never won a championship before.[14] Johnson's 2017–18 team finished with a 20–16 (8–10) record and was invited to the NCAA tournament. The next season, the Tide finished 18–16 (8–10) and Johnson was let go at the end of the campaign.[15]

Nate Oats

On March 27, 2019, Nate Oats was named Alabama's next head coach.[16] Oats was previously the coach for the Buffalo Bulls, and had led them to three NCAA tournament appearances in the past four years. After a 16–15 record in his first season in 2019–20, Oats' second season brought Alabama the first SEC regular-season title since 2002 and the first SEC tournament title since 1991. The Tide were a No. 2 seed in the 2021 tournament, where they fell to UCLA in overtime in the Sweet Sixteen. Then in 2023, Oats coached Alabama to their second SEC regular season and tournament championship in three years. Alabama returned as the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time under Oats tenure before falling to San Diego State who advanced to the National Championship game.

Oats also holds the best record against AP top 10 teams in Alabama history.

Roster

2023–24 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Kris Parker 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrCrossroad Academy Tallahassee, FL
F 2 Grant Nelson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS SrNorth Dakota State Devils Lake, ND
G 1 Mark Sears 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrOhio Muscle Shoals, AL
G 3 Rylan Griffen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoRichardson HS Dallas, TX
G 4 Davin Cosby Jr 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS FrWord of God Christian Academy Richmond, VA
F 10 Mo Dioubate 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrPutnam Science Academy Queens, NY
F 11 Mohamed Wague 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrWest Virginia Bronx, NY
G 12 Latrell Wrightsell Jr 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrCal State Fullerton Omaha, NE
F 15 Jarin Stevenson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrSeaforth HS Chapel Hill, NC
F 23 Nick Pringle 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrDodge City Community College Seabrook, SC
F 24 Sam Walters 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrVillages Charter School The Villages, FL
F 31 Max Scharnowski (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrWheaton Academy Elgin, IL
G 32 Kai Spears (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)160 lb (73 kg) SoBishop Canevin HS Pittsburgh, PA
F 33 Ward Harrell (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrNew Braunfels HS New Braunfels, TX
G 55 Aaron Estrada 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) GS Hofstra Woodbury, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Arena

Front view of Coleman Coliseum

The Crimson Tide basketball team practices and plays in Coleman Coliseum, a multi-purpose arena on the UA campus in Tuscaloosa. The arena was built for $4.2 million and opened in 1968 as a replacement for the aging Foster Auditorium. In 2005, the building underwent a renovation in which more seats were added. The arena officially seats 15,314 people.

Coleman Coliseum was named for Jefferson Jackson Coleman, a prominent alumnus and longtime supporter of the University of Alabama. Until his death in 1995, he was the only person that had attended every Alabama football bowl game, starting with the Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 1926. Prior to 1990, the building was known as Memorial Coliseum.

Fan support

Mark's Madness

"Mark's Madness" was a student organization named after former Crimson Tide coach Mark Gottfried, which is also a play on the nickname for the NCAA basketball tournament, "March Madness".[17] It was created by a group of Alabama students in January 2000 in an attempt to create a more exciting atmosphere in Coleman Coliseum.[18] During the Gottfried era, the Crimson Tide was an impressive 137-27 (.835) in Coleman Coliseum.[17] Mark's Madness was the largest student organization on campus during its time.[17] The end of Mark Gottfried's tenure in early 2009 also meant the end of the Mark's Madness name.

Crimson Chaos

After Coach Anthony Grant was hired, a group of senior students approached the UA Marketing Department in the summer 2009 about resurrecting the student section organization. During the first exhibition game of the 2009 season, it was announced that the new name of the student organization for supporting Alabama basketball would be "Crimson Chaos".

As Crimson Chaos entered its second year, it officially registered as a University of Alabama student group and adopted a new format. In addition to supporting men's basketball, Crimson Chaos expanded to support all University of Alabama sports, becoming the official student group of athletics at the university.[19] The group also tried new things to make the atmosphere in Coleman Coliseum as intimidating as it was in previous years, including adding the "Roll Tide Roller Coaster".[20] The newly energized environment Crimson Chaos created in Coleman Coliseum helped the Tide complete an undefeated season at home (for the 2010–11 season) with a 19–0 record, including wins over then #12 Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi State.

The group's popularity garnered even more attention and praise thanks to the late superfan Luke “Fluff” Ratliff. He became the Crimson Chaos president and wore a plaid jacket to almost every game. He was loved by many for his light hearted humor and happy-go-lucky attitude. He inspired many people to follow and share in his passion for the tide hoops program and also other athletic teams around campus. He sparked the basketball program under Coach Nate Oats and continues to be an inspiration to so many. There is a plaque engraved to honor Fluff in the dedicated chair for all Crimson Chaos Presidents who come after him.[21]

Post-season results

NCAA tournament

Alabama has appeared in the NCAA tournament 24 times. It has reached the Sweet Sixteen nine times[lower-alpha 1][22] and the Elite Eight in 2004. Alabama has an overall NCAA tournament record of 25–24.[23][24]

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1975-First roundArizona StateL 9497
1976-First round
Sweet Sixteen
North Carolina
Indiana
W 7964
L 6974
1982#4Second round
Sweet Sixteen
#5 St. John's
#1 North Carolina
W 6968
L 6974
1983#6First round#11 LamarL 5073
1984#9First round#8 Illinois StateL 4849
1985#7First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
#10 Arizona
#2 VCU
#3 North Carolina State
W 5041
W 6359
L 5561
1986#5First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
#12 Xavier
#4 Illinois
#1 Kentucky
W 9780
W 5856
L 6368
1987*#2First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
#15 North Carolina A&T
#7 New Orleans
#6 Providence
W 8871
W 10176
L 82103
1989#6First round#11 South AlabamaL 8486
1990#7First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
#10 Colorado State
#2 Arizona
#11 Loyola Marymount
W 7154
W 7755
L 6062
1991#4First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
#13 Murray State
#5 Wake Forest
#1 Arkansas
W 8979
W 9688
L 7093
1992#5First round
Second round
#12 Stanford
#4 North Carolina
W 8075
L 5564
1994#9First round
Second round
#8 Providence
#1 Purdue
W 7670
L 7383
1995#5First round
Second round
#12 Pennsylvania
#4 Oklahoma State
W 9185OT
L 5266
2002#2First round
Second round
#15 Florida Atlantic
#10 Kent State
W 8678
L 5871
2003#10First round#7 IndianaL 6267
2004#8First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#9 Southern Illinois
#1 Stanford
#5 Syracuse
#2 Connecticut
W 6564
W 7067
W 8071
L 7187
2005#5First round#12 UW-MilwaukeeL 7383
2006#10First round
Second round
#7 Marquette
#2 UCLA
W 9085
L 5962
2012#9Second round[lower-alpha 2]#8 CreightonL 5758
2018#9First round
Second round
#8 Virginia Tech
#1 Villanova
W 8683
L 5881
2021#2First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
#15 Iona
#10 Maryland
#11 UCLA
W 6855
W 9677
L 7888OT
2022#6First round#11 Notre DameL 64–78
2023#1First round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#16 Texas A&M-CC
#8 Maryland
#5 San Diego State
W 96–75
W 73–51
L 64-71

* Vacated by the NCAA

  1. Alabama's records for the 1987 tournament were vacated by the NCAA.
  2. The Round of 64 was named the second round with the play-in games named the first round then.

NIT appearances

Alabama has appeared in 16 National Invitation tournaments, reaching the championship game on two occasions. Alabama has an overall NIT record of 24–19.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1973-First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Manhattan
Minnesota
Virginia Tech
North Carolina
W 8786
W 6965
L 7374
L 6988
1977-First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Memphis State
Virginia Tech
Houston
Villanova
W 8663
W 7972
L 7682
L 89102
1979-First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
St. Bonaventure
Virginia
Texas A&M
Purdue
Ohio State
W 9889
W 9088
W 7268
L 6887
W 9686
1980-First round
Second round
Penn State
Murray State
W 5349
L 6270
1981-First round
Second round
St. John's
Duke
W 7369
L 7075
1993-First roundUABL 5658
1996-First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Illinois
Missouri
South Carolina
St. Joseph's
Tulane
W 7269
W 7249
W 6867
L 6974
L 7687
1999-First roundWake ForestL 5773
2001-First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship Game
Seton Hall
Toledo
Purdue
Detroit-Mercy
Tulsa
W 8579
W 7969
W 8577
W 7463
L 6679
2007#5First round#4 MassachusettsL 8789
2011#1First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship Game
#8 Coastal Carolina
#4 New Mexico
#2 Miami (FL)
#1 Colorado
#4 Wichita State
W 6844
W 7467
W 7964
W 6261
L 5766
2013#1First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
#8 Northeastern
#4 Stanford
#2 Maryland
W 6243
W 66–54
L 57–58
2015#6First round
Second round
#3 Illinois
#2 Miami (FL)
W 79–58
L 66–73
2016#5First round#4 CreightonL 54–72
2017#3First round#6 RichmondL 64–71
2019#1First round#8 Norfolk StateL 79–80OT

All-time leaders

Former players

Alabama has seen its stars go on to win nine NBA Championships and earn six All-Star selections, six All-Defensive Team honors, three All-Rookie honors and more than $390 million in the NBA. Former Alabama players have gone on to suit up in nearly 10,000 NBA games and have scored more than 90,000 cumulative points.

Tide alumni currently in the NBA

PlayerYears at UANBA Team
JaMychal Green2009–2013Golden State Warriors
Collin Sexton 2017–2018 Utah Jazz
Kira Lewis Jr. 2018–2020 New Orleans Pelicans
Herbert Jones 2017-2021 New Orleans Pelicans
Keon Ellis 2020–2022 Sacramento Kings
JD Davison 2021–2022 Boston Celtics
Brandon Miller 2022-2023 Charlotte Hornets
Noah Clowney 2022-2023 Brooklyn Nets

Source: Basketball Reference[25]

Tide alumni in international leagues

AllAmericans

All-time record vs. current SEC teams

Opponent Won Lost Percentage Streak First Meeting
Arkansas3336.485Won 31948
Auburn10167.601Won 21924
Florida7870.527Won 31927
Georgia9953.651Won 11922
Kentucky41116.261Won 11923
LSU11575.605Won 21916
Mississippi State13378.630Won 41913
Ole Miss12658.685Won 61921
Missouri147.667Won 31977
South Carolina3416.680Won 81923
Tennessee8271.536Lost 11914
Texas A&M1311.542Won 11958
Vanderbilt7671.517Won 21924
Totals 945 729 .565

Retired numbers

Alabama has retired one jersey number, 20 for Wendell Hudson (F), who played Forward for Alabama 1969-1973.[26]

References

  1. "Alabama Crimson Tide Logo Sheet" (PDF). June 28, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  2. "2015 MEN'S FINAL FOUR RECORDS BOOK" (PDF). Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  3. ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York: ESPN Books. p. 540. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  4. "Listings by UA Career Won" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2007-02-03.
  5. "Alabama Crimson Tide". Sports Reference. college basketball. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  6. Recognizable Class - Published in Kentucky Alumnus
  7. C.M. Newton Recruiting Suite to be Dedicated Wednesday
  8. C. M. Newton Bio at the Basketball Hall of Fame Archived 2006-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Wimp Sanderson". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
  10. Hoops season is over for Tide Archived 2008-03-18 at the Wayback Machine. al.com]
  11. Deas, Tommy; Hurt, Cecil (2009-03-27). "Anthony Grant : 'We have agreed in principle'". The Tuscaloosa News. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
  12. Casagrande, Michael (March 16, 2015). "Alabama names assistant as interim basketball coach after Anthony Grant fired". al.com. Alabama Live. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  13. Parrish, Gary (April 5, 2015). "Alabama hires Avery Johnson". CBSSports.com. CBS. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  14. Zenitz, Matt (April 13, 2015). "What made Alabama the right fit for Avery Johnson?". AL.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  15. "Alabama Athletics Announces Change in Leadership for Men's Basketball Program".
  16. "Alabama hires Nate Oats as new head coach". SI.com. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  17. "Marks Madness". Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  18. "Marks Madness – History". Archived from the original on 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  19. "Alabama Crimson Tide 2010-11 Registration". Archived from the original on 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  20. Roll Tide Roller Coaster
  21. https://www.si.com/college/alabama/bamacentral/luke-fluff-ratliff-remembered-in-special-ceremony-before-first-alabama-basketball-game
  22. Johnson, Gary; Straziscar, Sean; Senappe, Bonnie; Williams, Jeff; Buerge, Kevin (October 2007). "Official 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book" (PDF). Men's NCAA Basketball Records. National Collegiate Athletic Association: 51. ISSN 1089-5280. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-28.
  23. "Alabama in the NCAA tournament" (PDF). Rolltide.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-26.
  24. "NCAA basketball tournament History: Alabama Crimson Tide - ESPN".
  25. "Players Who Played For Alabama".
  26. "Wendell Hudson, UA's first black scholarship athlete, has jersey retired". tuscaloosanews.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
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