re: Alabama Basketball Megathread | 26-7 (16-2)

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Anonymous coaches size up the SEC

Jeff Borzello spoke to SEC coaches about their expectations for the conference in 2020-21.

"The transfer from Wake Forest, [Olivier] Sarr, being eligible is going to be a huge addition to Kentucky. Cal has done it with freshmen and has shown he can get guys to play at a high level. He gets those guys to play unselfish, but to have a big kid like that, replacing Nick Richards, who was probably the most valuable player, giving them a presence down low for those guys.... He was a big difference for their team. Sarr will help stabilize their frontline. They lost [Nate] Sestina, [Nick] Richards and [EJ] Montgomery. That was a big question mark in their offseason."

"I think LSU might be the best team in our league this year. They bring back so many pieces from last year's team. [Trendon] Watford is my preseason player of the year. Javonte Smart is back, Darius Days, who can stretch the floor. Their freshman class is really, really good. Cam Thomas is going to be awesome. When he wants to take over a game, as you know, he has the capability of doing it. I think they're the sleeper to win this thing."

"For Tennessee, it's the mixture of returning guys with [John] Fulkerson and [Yves] Pons and [Santiago] Vescovi, those three guys returning played a ton of minutes. Fulkerson and Pons have been part of a couple really good teams. They learned the winning culture from Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield and those guys. The biggest question mark would be the point guard position. Vescovi is a really talented guard, but it was difficult for him to run the point. Now he's got a year of experience under his belt. Is Jaden Springer gonna play point guard? I think Keon Johnson is gonna be a really good player. But they're both young guards, it will take some time for them to get acclimated."

"The point guard [Kentucky] got, [Devin] Askew, he's really, really good. I've seen him in person one or two times. He's got a sense of physicality and maturity level that's needed in this league. They may struggle a little early, but by the time conference play kicks in, they'll be right there in the thick of things. I don't think they'll be as good as the 2019 team with Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson and those guys, but they've got a good combination."

"Alabama has a ton of returning guys. They've had a lot of talent over the last couple of years. It hasn't produced what it should have. It's all going to hinge on [Jahvon] Quinerly this year. How his progression has been. I don't think people understand how important Kira Lewis was to their basketball team. We spent hours talking about how to stop Kira and we still couldn't do it. If Quinerly had a great offseason, they have the talent around him to be really, really good. Their biggest thing will be what strides have they made on the defensive end. They obviously could put up a ton of points, but they couldn't stop anyone."

"We know how good [Kentucky's] B.J. [Boston] is gonna be. Out of all the guys I've watched, he's definitely the most ready to contribute. His game will really translate to the SEC. When he plays with a high energy level, he's really, really good. He can impact the game in a lot of different ways. When he's making shots, he's a really, really effective player."

"I think Florida will be better. One of the things [Andrew] Nembhard and [Kerry] Blackshear kept them from doing was playing at a pace that fits them. They'll play faster. They'll be a more up-tempo team. That pace fits their team. Nembhard being a bigger point guard, Blackshear being a bigger, slower big man slowed them down. It made them a half-court team, and that didn't fit the majority of the guys they had on the floor. One thing you do have to say, coach [Mike] White's teams get better throughout the year. They should be better than they were last season."

"South Carolina and Missouri are a lot better than people give them credit for. I wouldn't be surprised if they finished ahead of Alabama or Arkansas."

"I would go with [LSU's] Trendon Watford over [Florida's] Keyontae Johnson just because I think he's the most talented guy in the league. He's just a tough matchup. I like Keyontae a lot. He's productive, he plays well with other good players. He's a perfect fit and I think he'll have a big year for sure. But Trendon Watford, the way he rebounds it, he's so big, so athletic, he's just a hard matchup. When we do scouting reports, we fear him the most. If he's improved his shooting, he becomes that much harder to guard. I think [LSU's Yves] Pons has to be in that discussion. He's probably the best defender in the league. He's so athletic, plays so hard. And I think they'll have a chance to win the league."

"Arkansas will be deeper. The freshman class they have coming in, it was perfect timing with the talent in that state, they did a good job of keeping those guys home. [Moses] Moody may have the best shot of those guys of playing early among the freshman group. Then there's the grad transfers, which Musselman has been known to [attract] since Nevada. They'll have more depth, which was part of the reason they faltered down the stretch. They had to play Isaiah Joe and Mason Jones 30-something minutes and they had to take a lot of shots. And then Joe got hurt.

"Bruce Pearl does a good job. He's a master of motivation, so I'm sure he's using [where Auburn is picked] to fuel those guys. If they're picked to finish in the bottom half or whatever, I'm not sure they will."

"South Carolina has a chance to be really good. They always play hard. They defend. They have three guys as good as any three in the league in [Jermaine] Couisnard, [AJ] Lawson and the kid from Florida [Keyshawn Bryant]."

"[Auburn's] Sharife Cooper will be given the ball and have a lot of responsibility, a lot of freedom to play. I would imagine he'll be the Freshman of the Year just given the role he'll have. [Jaylin] Williams and [Devan] Cambridge improved as the year went on, Jamal Johnson will step up. They've got enough guys that didn't play a lot, but were part of a team last year that was really good. And Bruce has proven himself as one of the best coaches in the league."

"Ole Miss should be more physical, deeper. They brought in Romello White and Dimencio Vaughn, two guys that are experienced, proven commodities. They've shown they can play. The guys that are back, are a year older. KJ Buffen could make a jump. Devontae Shuler is a senior. And they have Luis Rodriguez back, who got hurt after four games. They have more guys who can make plays off the dribble and more size and depth up front."

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[Alabama] obviously could put up a ton of points, but they couldn't stop anyone

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The Alabama men’s basketball team has nine players that will play in their first games for the Crimson Tide this season. But a few of them have college experience already under their belts, including guard Keon Ellis, who transferred to UA from Florida Southwestern State.

Ellis was the nation’s top junior college combo guard and No. 3 overall JUCO prospect during the 2020 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports. Assistant coach Bryan Hodgson has plenty of experience recruiting the junior college ranks and helped sign a player from Ellis’ former school when he and Nate Oats were at Buffalo. It’s easy to see why Alabama was interested.

“We think his length, athleticism and effort on the defensive end, that was as big of a selling point to us as his offensive game. And his offensive game’s great,” Oats said. “I mean, he was the leading scorer on the No. 1 JUCO team in the country. He makes threes at a high clip. He can drive the ball. He can finish. He’s skilled.

“Him and (John) Petty are a similar size, 6-5 and long -- and Petty’s been playing unbelievable defense here. We’ve tried to sell the two of those guys on being two of the better two-way players in the SEC, and I think they’re both capable of doing that.”

Ellis was named a second-team NJCAA All-American before coming to Tuscaloosa, Ala., after averaging 18.7 points per game for the Buccaneers and connecting on 54 percent of his shots from the field, 40 percent from beyond the arc and 81 percent from the charity stripe. His 562 points in his sophomore campaign were the most in a single season in school history.

In his first interview since joining the program, Ellis shared how he fits into Oats’ system.

“I feel like I fit better into a more run-and-gun style of offense,” Ellis said. “Watching a couple of their games last year, watching them play, I felt like I could fit in because they do get up and down on offense. I think that’s my best offense to play in, even though I feel like I can play in any style of offense. But seeing that they get up and down a lot and I can finish in transition, I can shoot the ball, be someone off the dribble, that makes it easier to play in this style of offense.”

In addition to playing fast on the offensive end of the floor, Oats’ teams are also known for their blue-collar mentality, and defensive improvement is a point of emphasis prior to the season.

At Florida Southwestern State, Ellis made his presence felt on the defensive end, averaging 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game as a sophomore. He was just one of four junior college players to average 2.0 or more steals and 1.0 or more blocks per game, while the 6-foot-6, 170-pound combo guard ranks as his junior college’s all-time leader in career steals with 114.

“I think this may be the first time defense has really been, like, asked of me, to actually bring it,” Ellis said. “I could always play defense on my own, but here, you have to play defense. The blue-collar thing, I think that escalated my defensive ability even more because now, I’m thinking about getting more rebounds, getting in passing lanes, diving for loose balls, which I’m capable of and I’ve been doing a good of that in practice.”

Ellis feels like he can make an immediate impact in Tuscaloosa, and his new teammates agree.

“He’s a great shooter,” forward James Rojas said. “He can shoot. He can drive. He’s a really good defender. He’s a long wing. He can do everything out there, and we love that. We need those guards who can move and play offense and defense. So, I think he brings a lot to the table.”

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