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Alabama basketball received four <\/em>re-commitments yesterday around which to build a strong core for the 2026 season. <\/p>\nIt was announced that Tide will be returning: <\/p>\n
\n- Junior sniper, combo-guard Aden Holloway <\/strong>is back. Holloway\u2019s redemption arc at Alabama has been fantastic. He matured into the Tide\u2019s best perimeter shooter, though he did have a rough patch here and there as the brutal SEC season slogged along. Biz shot an electric 41.2% from beyond the arc, and netted 11.4 a night. He shot 15% better from the floor than in his Freshman campaign at Auburn, and got to the basket more \u2014 where he was a 60.4% floor shooter. His defensive P\/M was way, way <\/em>up, as he continued his development into a bit better of a defender (though he still needs much improvement there). He wasn\u2019t asked to run the point as much at \u2018Bama, but his TOs were up by 25% per 40, and that will need to be lessened somewhat, even given the Tide\u2019s possession-friendly offense. Hard to undersell that offense though \u2014 Biz was third on the team in offensive win-share.<\/li>\n
- You could probably guess Alabama\u2019s best defenders: Grant, Mo and Cliff, sure. But few realize that 5-star freshman PF\/C Aiden Sherrell <\/strong>was actually 4th on the team in defensive rating. Playing behind four other bigs, Sherrell saw 9 minutes a game, and posted a very modest stat line (3.4\/2.8). But good things happened when he was in the lineup…by and large. He was very active on both ends of the glass, shot a solid 33% from the perimeter, and was one of Alabama\u2019s best at converting in the paint (67% inside the post). Expect those minutes to double, and Sherrell to fill the role of the likely-departing Lil\u2019 Mo. <\/li>\n
- \nHouston Mallette,<\/strong> who had been one of Alabama\u2019s core best seven players before his injury, is also returning. Per 40, he was among \u2018Bama\u2019s best defenders, was shooting 50% from the perimeter, and was on track to average 16\/12 over a full game. If Noah Williamson is the Swiss Army Knife of the frontcourt, then Mallette fills that role among the wings. He can run the point, has nice size and moves well to the rim without the ball, he can and has played the three, has a great shooting touch and can play the SG. He was never in it about money: He\u2019s always wanted to coach, and I look forward to seeing him grow as a player, maybe get a pro shot, and perhaps even grab a seat on \u2018Bama\u2019s ever-rotating bench, as Nate Oats has become a head coaching feeder. <\/li>\n
- Finally, yesterday\u2019s big news for a Tide team that lost so many shooters the last two seasons, was the announced return of Latrell Wrightsell Jr.<\/strong> We don\u2019t need to talk about what he meant to the Tide. He is one of the country\u2019s best shooters, and Alabama greatly <\/em>missed his steady FT shooting (85%), his sterling perimeter play (46%) and even the other things he added to a more well-rounded game. Per 40, only Mark Sears was more valuable among the guards. His significant length (6\u20193\u201d) is a must-have on a Tide squad who played a tiny <\/em>backcourt all season (248th in the country). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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