re: Tide Hoops | Offseason

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Speaking of Auburn, Furman transfer Noah Gurley listed the Tigers as one of his eight finalists when he entered the transfer portal, and Auburn fans were reasonably excited about the prospect of landing a proven, productive 6-foot-8 small forward. He went to Alabama instead. Alas. This is an unfair thing to say, because Gurley is his own dude and also these are big shoes to fill, but it is a bit hard to think of a more ideal replacement for departing SEC Player of the Year Herb Jones than the former Paladin. At 6-foot-8 with a massive wingspan, Gurley looks like nothing if not Jones, all rangy limbs and skills that catch you off guard. It’s a long way to go to anchor everything Alabama did on the defensive end this season the way Jones did, but Gurley is at least a like-for-like addition that gives Nate Oats a similar profile of player at a crucial spot on the floor.

Elsewhere, the Tide picked up former Texas Tech freshman Nimari Burnett, an elite recruit who played big minutes in Tech’s first 12 games before opting out of the rest of the season. He’s probably going to be really good, likely sooner rather than later, but in any case he’s also joining one of just three power-conference teams in the country who didn’t have a player enter the portal this spring. Alabama added key guys without losing any of its crucial returnees, and boy, oh boy, the Oats project is fully off to the races now. Look out.

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