Alabama Basketball Set to Play in the Emerald Coast Classic

The Crimson Tide will join Ohio State, Oregon and Santa Clara in Niceville, Fla.

Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men’s basketball team will compete in the Emerald Coast Classic presented by Global Sports, starting on Nov. 24 in Destin, Fla. The field also includes Ohio State, Oregon and Santa Clara, as the four teams will meet at Raider Arena, home of Northwest Florida State College.

The field highlights three teams that played in the postseason last year, as the Tide advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, while Oregon and Santa Clara competed in the NIT. The tournament features three of the top-16 recruiting classes as Ohio State ranks No. 7 in the country, Oregon is ranked No. 10 and Alabama is slotted at No. 16.

Head coach Nate Oats has never shied away from playing tough competition during the nonconference portion of the schedule, and this is another example of that. That said, next year's Crimson Tide team will have a lot of new faces as several players, most notably star freshman Brandon Miller, have declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. Several more players, including Jaden Bradley and Nimari Burnett, have left the program via the transfer portal.

Alabama has made some moves in the transfer portal, but that momentum was halted after Jaykwon Walton was arrested for marijuana possession, effectively ending his recruitment with the Tide.

Oats also has holes to fill on the coaching staff as all three of his assistant coaches earned head coaching jobs. He's already added new coaches as Ryan Pannone and Austin Claunch will join the bench next season, leaving one more position to be filled.

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