Alabama Basketball 2022-23 Roster Outlook

With some players already entering the transfer portal, here's a look at how things could shake out for the remaining scholarship players on the Crimson Tide roster.
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Less than 72 hours after Alabama's season came to an end at the hands of Notre Dame in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, a trio of Crimson Tide players were already putting their names in the transfer portal. 

It's just the first domino in what is sure to be an offseason full of changes and turnover on the Alabama basketball roster. Several players have decisions to make on whether or not they return to Tuscaloosa, enter the transfer portal or test professional options whether that be the NBA or somewhere overseas. 

There are 13 scholarship spots on the roster each season, and here's a look at who is already gone, who could soon be following, who is coming back and lastly who is coming into the program. 

Players Already in Transfer Portal

Keon Ambrose-Hylton at Florida
Alabama Athletics
  • Keon Amrbose-Hylton- The sophomore forward continued to see his playing time diminish as the season went on. Ambrose-Hylton was averaging a little over six minutes a game in the early part of the season while head coach Nate Oats was still figuring the rotation out. He played two total minutes over the final 18 games of the season with his only action coming in the closing minutes of the blowout win over South Carolina on senior night. He appeared in 11 games, averaging 5.5 minutes, 1 point and 0.8 rebounds per game. 
  • Alex Tchikou- The redshirt freshman only appeared in three games across his two years in Tuscaloosa. Tchikou ruptured his achilles prior to the 2020-21 season, which kept him out the entire year, and he was never able to find his way into the rotation.

Walk-on guard Jaden Quinerly, brother of Jahvon Quinerly, also entered the transfer portal on Monday. 

Other Players Who Could Transfer

Jusaun Holt against Notre Dame, 2022 NCAA Tournament
Alabama Athletics

All these players are on scholarship and have multiple years of eligibility left that they could use at Alabama and be back in Tuscaloosa next season. Or choose to find a program that is a better fit and could offer more playing time.

  • Jusaun Holt- Perhaps no Alabama player had more of an up-and-down season than Holt. The true freshman appeared in 22 games and was consistently praised for his efforts on the defensive end, yet often struggled on the offensive end. He also did not travel with the team to the regular season finale at LSU due to an internal team issue. Holt played a career high 26 minutes at Ole Miss, and scored his most points in a game against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament with seven. 
  • Darius Miles- Miles also faced some off-the-court issues this season and was twice suspended by Oats. However, Miles played a much larger role in the rotation than Holt, including two starts. Miles appeared in 30 games and averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. 
  • Juwan Gary- His season was hampered by injuries. The sophomore forward came into the season with a lingering shoulder injury and also injured an ankle early in the non-conference schedule. Then in the first matchup against LSU, Gary suffered a facial contusion that caused him to wear a mask for much of the remainder of the season. He is another guy that played major rotational minutes and averaged 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game over 29 games with 16 starts. Gary scored a season high 19 points against both Florida and Houston. 

Players Who are For Sure Leaving

Keon Ellis, 2022 NCAA Tournament
Alabama Athletics

Keon Ellis, James Rojas and Jahvon Quinerly all went through Senior Night festivities for the Crimson Tide and while Quinerly's injury against Notre Dame creates speculation about a possible return, his time in Tuscaloosa is likely done. 

  • Keon Ellis- The former junior college guard was praised by Oats from the beginning of the season as one of the best two-way players in the country. He has the size, skills and athleticism that is attractive to NBA scouts and is predicted to be a second round NBA draft pick come June. Ellis was the only player on the roster to start all 33 games and was the team leader in rebounds, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. 
  • James Rojas- Rojas was the definition of a blue collar guy that Oats would turn to on the bench when he needed someone to go out on the floor to fight for loose balls and rebounds. He battled injuries all throughout his Crimson Tide career, but made his return to the Alabama rotation five games into conference play.

Other Players Who Could Explore Professional Options

JD Davison against Notre Dame, 2022 NCAA Tournament
Alabama Athletics
  • JD Davsion- The expectation coming into the season for the five-star guard was that he would be a one-and-done prospect. Davison has the physical intangibles and athleticism that are hard to replicate and exactly what NBA teams are looking for. He played in all 33 games for Alabama as a true freshman and led the team in assists. Davison also averaged 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. While an extra season in college would provide some benefits to the growth of his game, Davison is the highest projected player of anyone on the Alabama roster and will likely head to the NBA Draft. 
  • Jaden Shackelford- Alabama's leading scorer tested his name in NBA draft waters last season and eventually entered the transfer portal before deciding to come back to Tuscaloosa. While he still has at least one year of eligibility left in college, it is probable that he will once again explore his professional options. 

Players Who Are Returning

Noah Gurley, 2022 NCAA Tournament
against Notre Dame, 2022 NCAA Tournament
  • Charles Bediako- The freshman forward played in all 33 games for Alabama with 30 starts. With another year under Oats and offseason to grow stronger, Bediako will continue to be a force down low as part of the Crimson Tide starting lineup. He averaged 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in his freshman campaign. 
  • Nimarri Burnett- One of the most anticipated faces for Alabama fans next season will be Burnett. He was originally recruited by Alabama out of high school before choosing Texas Tech. He transferred to Alabama last offseason, but suffered an ACL injury prior to the season and was forced to medically redshirt. Multiple times, Oats mentioned Burnett as one of the best 3-point shooters on the team.
  • Noah Gurley- Oats announced on his weekly show back in February that the grad transfer would be using his sixth year of eligibility at Alabama. Gurley played in all 33 games and scored 6.8 points per game along with 3.5 rebounds per game. 

Players Who are Coming In

SI basketball recruiting cover

With two scholarship players already in the portal, three seniors gone (Rojas, Ellis and Quinerly), plus two more exploring professional options (Davison and Shackelford), Alabama has at least seven scholarship spots available with the potential for a few more to open up if Gary, Holt or Miles decide to enter the transfer portal. 

Oats and his staff have signed a five-man class featuring five-stars Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller plus Noah Clowney, Rylan Griffen and community college transfer Nick Pringle. Sports Illustrated All-American has it ranked as the No. 3 overall recruiting class in the country. 

With five spots taken up by the recruiting class, Alabama will look to add some depth, talent and experience from the transfer portal in the days and weeks to come to round out the 13 spots for the 2022-23 roster. 


Published
Katie Windham
KATIE WINDHAM

Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports.