Alabama Recent 5-Star Players Went Off For 2024 Season Due To…
He inherited several talented defensive players, but Kalen DeBoer took time after Thursday’s scrimmage in Alabama’s spring practice to highlight a young inside linebacker who is ready to become a star.
Jeremiah Alexander, a former five-star, was a freak of nature at Thompson High School.
He came to the University of Alabama in 2022 as one of the most explosive pass rushers in the nation.
An in-state prospect, Alexander helped Coach Mark Freeman get the Warriors to a Class 7A state title as a senior in 2021.
He moved to inside linebacker and is now starting to thrive. Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell are the starters at both inside ‘backer spots, but people need to keep their eyes on Alexander. He is next up to be a force in the Tide’s program.
READ MORE:
The Alabama Crimson Tide are heading to the Elite 8 after upsetting the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday night. Led by an absolutely spectacular performance by transfer big man Grant Nelson, the Crimson Tide picked up an 89-87 win to earn a matchup with the Clemson Tigers for a spot in the Final Four.
The Tar Heels had absolutely nothing for Nelson, who had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks while shooting 6-for-9 from the field, 2-for-2 from three, and 10-for-13 from the free throw line. And in the immediate aftermath of the game, Alabama coach Nate Oats decided to take a few shots at Charles Barkley, who said before the game that the Crimson Tide are “frail” and “can’t handle North Carolina in the post.”
“Charles Barkley called us frail, I don’t think [Nelson] was frail tonight,” Oats said. “He showed up tonight.”
Oats then went into the locker room to address his team and once again decided to go after Barkley for his comment.
“Where’s the cameras?” Oats asked. “Charles Barkley called us frail. I think he was talking about Grant … Hey, we ain’t frail, we ain’t frail. And we’re in the Elite 8, and we’re one game away from a Final Four.”
Barkley’s comments also managed to draw the ire of some Alabama players, who took exception to him using the word frail. Barkley, of course, went to Auburn and famously once said that if Alabama played Afghanistan in anything, he’d root for Afghanistan, so our hunch is he didn’t love being on the receiving end of some jokes like this.
Nate Oats brought Alabama men’s basketball to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth time in five years.
After handing top-seeded North Carolina an 87-89 loss in the Sweet 16, the Crimson Tide advances to the Elite Eight of March Madness for the first time in 20 years. Alabama made it to the Elite 8 in 2004 under Mark Gottfried with Antione Pettway as its marquee star point guard. The Tide lost to Connecticut, the eventual NCAA Tournament Champion, in the national semifinal round. Alabama football is proud of the accomplishment that Coach Oats and the basketball program made. The Crimson Tide has an opportunity to make its first-ever Final Four appearance if it beats Clemson. Several Alabama football alums reacted with joy on social media in seeing the basketball team take down the Tar Heels on Thursday to advance to the Elite Eight.
Following Alabama basketball’s win over North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, the Crimson Tide’s head football coach Kalen DeBoer shared his congratulations in a post to social media.
Alabama Basketball has been scrutinized all season for its defensive effort…or lack thereof.
Bama’s defense has been poor essentially from the start, with multiple subpar performances throughout the month of November. It never really improved, despite constant public pleas from Nate Oats.
The group seemingly hit rock bottom when it embarrassingly surrendered 117 points at Kentucky on a day the Wildcats could’ve scored even more.
After Alabama’s conference tournament loss to Florida, it held a 21-11 record and had given up at least 80 points in all 11 losses, including 100+ in three of its last four defeats. This trend even continued into the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as Alabama outpaced College of Charleston easily but allowed 96 points.
It appeared to maybe flip a switch in a 72-61 second round win over Grand Canyon, but that was a sloppy game against a mid-major opponent that did not do much to sway the critics of Alabama’s defense.
The first half of Bama’s historic Sweet 16 win over North Carolina looked like a rerun of an all-too-familiar movie.
The game was largely played at the Tide’s preferred frenetic pace, and both teams were sizzling offensively. As other elite offenses have done all season, the Tar Heels were beating Alabama at its own game. UNC took a 54-46 halftime lead, and it looked like Bama might once again lose a race to 100.
The second half was a different story entirely. Alabama found a defensive gear that it hasn’t shown all season, holding the Tar Heels to 33 points on inefficient shooting splits.
Perhaps more importantly, Bama buckled down in crunch time. When the top-seeded Heels needed a bucket most, Rylan Griffen’s length helped to shut down first-team All-American RJ Davis. The Tide’s help defenders sagged off of non-shooters on the wing and repeatedly forced Carolina into uncomfortable situations and low percentage shots.
Lastly, Grant Nelson, who was also Bama’s top offensive weapon, proved to be a key chess piece on the defensive end of the floor. Nelson thrived as the versatile, switchable, rim-protecting big he was billed as when Alabama signed him out of the transfer portal last offseason.
If the Crimson Tide has truly made a defensive transition and is now capable of playing complementary basketball, it can beat anybody in this tournament.
The Tide’s looming Elite 8 matchup against Clemson will be difficult; the Tigers beat Alabama in Coleman Coliseum back in November, and are back to playing their best ball after a lull through ACC play. Still, a 6-seed and a familiar opponent is about as favorable a matchup as Alabama Basketball could ask for this late in the Dance.
The Crimson Tide is one revenge win away from advancing to the first Final Four in school history, and it looks to have finally found itself on the defensive end of the floor.