Alabama Basketball Newcomers Perform Well in Season Opener

The No. 2 Crimson Tide's dominant opening win was aided by standout showings from new faces.

Nov 4, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama forward Derrion Reid (35) gets a breakaway dunk and his teammate Alabama guard Labaron Philon (0) celebrates during the game with UNC Asheville at Coleman Coliseum. / Gary Cosby Jr / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— It is not an entirely unforeseen development for the Alabama men's basketball team to score 100 points or more in a game. Such was the case again on Monday night, as the No. 2 Crimson Tide steamrolled UNC Asheville, 110-54. Seven players finished in double figures. Three were newcomers to the program.

Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi led the new faces in the scoring category with 16 points. The big man also collected eight rebounds and was a formidable presence inside, throwing down multiple dunks to the delight of a Coleman Coliseum crowd which turned out in droves despite a late start on a Monday night.

"We're gonna try to limit his minutes to a lot less than what he played at Rutgers just because our pace is so much faster and he needs to be super explosive in his minutes," head coach Nate Oats said. "Sixteen [points] and eight [rebounds] in under 19 minutes is pretty efficient basketball. So, I don't know that I'm gonna expect 16 and eight in 19 minutes every night... doesn't get much more efficient than that."

Omoruyi was perfect from the floor and the charity stripe. Despite it being a debut game at a new school for him, he seemed in his element and played well from the first moments of the game, recording his first block in his new uniform 54 seconds in.

"Just being able to come out and play, it was really fun. I'm just happy to be here," he said.

UNC Asheville head coach Mike Morrell took notice of Omoruyi as well.

"The big kid they got from Rutgers, he just puts... he screens, he's physical, they really, really screen you even better than I thought on film," Morrell said.

Freshman Labaron Philon, a Mobile, Ala., native who joins superstar and Muscle Shoals native Mark Sears as a home-state guard in the Crimson Tide backcourt, had a banner night in his own Alabama debut. His 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting were far from all he brought to the stat sheet, finishing one assist short of a double-double. He led all players in that category by a substantial margin. No other player on either team had more than two.

"It was a good feeling," Philon, who got to start in his colelgiate debut, said. "[You] start off kind of nervous in the first game, trying to get everything out, but once the ball tip off, it's go time, so I just tried to lock in, and stay mental, stay ready at all times."

Oats said Philon established himself as a premier two-way player in the summer, taking that role seriously. "He's a guy that could very easily end up with a triple-double this year at some point if we're able to get him enough minutes," Oats said. "He's gonna be very good. I think he's got a chance to play at the next level."

Fellow freshman Derrion Reid, inserted into the starting lineup for the opener of arguably the most anticipated campaign in program history, just missed joining his teammates in double figures (nine points, six rebounds in 22 minutes). His performance was especially pivotal in light of the fact that two mainstays from last season, Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell, did not start and were on a minutes restriction after not playing in the exhibitions. Reid displayed plenty of athleticism and played well in his first game at the college level.

Omoruyi was not the only high-profile transfer Alabama added this past offseason. Another was 2024 SEC All-Freshman honoree Aden Holloway. Holloway didn't just come from any SEC school. He came from Auburn, opting to join the Tigers' in-state rival following his freshman season. He was +39 with 11 points and two made three-point baskets in three attempts.

"I was really happy with Holloway," Oats said. "11 points, didn't have a turnover... I thought he was pretty good on defense. I thought he took care of the ball, and we know he can shoot it, and he shot it really well tonight."

Freshman forward Aiden Sherrell joined Nelson and Wrightsell among the three names Oats listed Monday as players who would be coming off the bench after exhibition absences. Sherrell still led the team in boards with nine, eclipsing Omoruyi's total by one and the top Bulldogs rebounder, Sage Tolentino, by three.

Depth is a strength of this Alabama team, which hopes to not only vie for but win the first national title in program history a year after its maiden trip to the Final Four. It showed in the first game of the 2024-25 campaign but would not be what it is without the additions made to the team.

"We've got some versatility," Oats said. "I think we tried a little bit of everything out there, and we'll continue to try different lineups together, different guys, see who plays better with each other. I thought they all played pretty well together tonight."

See Also:

Alabama Men's Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview

No. 2 Alabama Basketball Dominates in Season Opener over UNC Asheville, 110-54