MOUNTAIN BROOK − It’s not every day you have to find a way to replace the top men’s player in college basketball.
But today is that day, or rather, this is the offseason, for Nate Oats and company to have that challenge. Brandon Miller’s departure leaves Alabama basketball without the SEC player of the year after Miller went No. 2 overall to the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Miller was not only an elite talent but also Alabama’s leading scorer; Miller averaged 18.8 points per game and hit 102 three-pointers. Now, Alabama must find a way to replace that production. And it won’t likely be a one-for-one type of transaction.
“I don’t know if we’ve got anybody who’s going to go No. 2 in the draft this year,” Oats said Wednesday at SEC Media Days. “It probably will be more by committee.”
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The members at the front of the line of that committee? Aaron Estrada, Mark Sears and Grant Nelson.
Two are new to the team and one is a returner. Sears was Alabama’s second-leading scorer behind Miller, averaging 12.8 points per game, in 2022-23.
Then there’s Estrada, an experienced guard who transferred from Hofstra during the offseason. He was the Colonial Athletic Association’s Player of the Year in 2022-23, averaging 20.2 points per game. Oats said Estrada is going to have the ball in his hands a lot.
“He’s an All-SEC type of guard,” Sears said. “When we start, you all will see.”
Then there’s Nelson, a forward who transferred from North Dakota State and has a chance to make a difference offensively as a bit of a mismatch. He’s 6-foot-11, 230 pounds but can make plays like a guard. Last season, Nelson averaged 19.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He originally entered his name in the draft but decided to stay in college and then picked Alabama over Arkansas.
“Grant Nelson is a big-time player who should be playing in the NBA after this year,” Oats said.
The roster will look much different than a season ago, considering the departures to the draft and the transfer portal that have become common in this era of college basketball. Nick Pringle, Rylan Griffen and Sears are the three returners as well as Davin Cosby who was with the team but didn’t play last season.
“I think it’s going to be shared a little bit more,” Oats said. “Kind of game-to-game, see who’s playing well, what the matchups are in that particular game.”
The Crimson Tide will start its season on Nov. 6 against Morehead State at Coleman Coliseum.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men’s basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.