Alabama Crimson Tide basketball fans are excited. National college basketball pundits are projecting Alabama to have just the fourth or fifth-best SEC team. Many Crimson Tide fans are convinced those experts are wrong.
A few weeks ago, Nate Oats made a stunning statement saying the 2025-26 Crimson Tide could be the best shooting team he has ever coached. More recent opinions from some Alabama basketball insiders are that the Tide will also improve on defense.
The past week has fueled more buzz about the future of Alabama Basketball. Early in the week, elite 2026 prospect Caleb Holt returned to Tuscaloosa. The Alabama Mr. Basketball in his sophomore season at Buckhorn High School, near Huntsville, has made several unofficial visits. After a junior season playing in Georgia, he will play at Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, FL. How good is Holt? The 5-star is rated the No. 2 shooting guard in the 2026 class and the No. 5 player overall in the 247Sports Composite. Before Holt, no Alabama sophomore had ever won Mr. Basketball. Had he not left for Georgia, he would have won it again last season. Like Brandon Miller was, Holt is perfectly suited for the Nate Oats system of play.
Holt was at a practice this week. What he saw, along with some Alabama basketball insiders, was a team loaded with talent. The buzz about Holt’s visit was expected. The buzz about how good the ’25 team looked was a bonus.
The new Alabama Crimson Tide
The Oats’ claim about good shooting is legit, and the summer indication is that Houston Mallette has a chance to be the best Alabama three-point shooter ever. The return of Labaron Philon portends an offense in which Philon’s dribble-dish penetration will regularly feature three high-percentage teammates outside the arc. With Mallette, Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Jalil Bethea, and Taylor Bol Bowen, Alabama may rain threes like never before in Tuscaloosa.
The early word is that freshman Amari Allen and transfers Noah Williamson and Keitenn Bristow will mesh well in the Crimson Tide’s player rotation. Nate Oats still has a roster slot open, but it is looking as though the only need to fill it would be a backup big man.
Summer can be flawed, but it appears that every bit of optimism felt by Crimson Tide fans is warranted.
