Aden Holloway’s return gave Alabama exactly what Nate Oats had been waiting for: a night where the ball never stopped moving and the points piled up fast.
The Crimson Tide hung 109 on Oakland in Tuscaloosa on Monday night, rolling to a 41-point win while shooting 63% from the floor and burying 24 threes at a 52% clip. More than the scoring outburst, it was the way Alabama got there that stood out. The offense kept forcing Oakland’s defense into tough decisions, and the Golden Grizzlies never found a clean answer.
That was enough to earn a strong endorsement from Oakland coach Greg Kampe, who had plenty of praise for what he saw from Alabama.
"They passed the ball as good as they could pass the ball," Kampe said, via Bama Online's Blake Byler."They are as unselfish as you could possibly be.
... "This team was different than the teams I've played before. ... [In scouting, I thought] oh my God, there's no weakness."
Alabama’s numbers backed up the eye test. The Tide tied a program record with 30 assists on 39 made baskets, and the distribution was spread across the roster.
All 11 players in the rotation logged between 14 and 22 minutes, nobody took more than eight shots, and Amari Allen led the way with six assists. Eight players finished with at least two assists, and 11 different Tide players had one in the box score.
Oats said Holloway’s presence helped set that tone. Even when the shots aren’t falling in bunches, Holloway changes the geometry of the floor because defenses have to respect him from deep.
"He comes in, I thought, maybe a little jittery at the beginning, maybe, or maybe just missed shots," Oats said of Holloway's return. "But I think he’s been great at getting the ball moving, so it was great to have him in early and help with the ball movement.
Oakland tried to make life difficult with a 1-3-1 zone, but Alabama kept slicing it apart with extra passes and clean looks. Good shots were passed up for better ones, and the Tide found open corners over and over again.
London Jemison was the biggest beneficiary, torching the perimeter for a 6-of-6 night from three and matching a career high with 20 points.
Three games into the season, Alabama’s offense has already shown a level of cohesion that stands out. The real question now is how that holds up once the rotation tightens and the minutes get squeezed. Oats won’t be able to spread the floor this evenly every night, and players like Allen and Holloway won’t be limited to half-game workloads forever.
That’s the next step for this group: keeping the same unselfish edge when the touches get scarcer.
For now, the early signs are strong. Kampe saw a team without many obvious cracks, and Oats said the shared approach is exactly what he wants.
"I think the guys really like playing with each other," Oats said. "The Mudita is great.
And we’ve been really trying to work on just getting the ball moving, not having it stick. I thought it was pretty good tonight.”
In Other News...
Alabama Recruiting Debate May Be Bigger Than This Year's Class
Andrew Ivins early read on Alabamas 2027 recruiting class was uneasy enough to raise eyebrows, but the 247Sports director of scouting has since come around on the bigger picture. The current class sits at No. 32, which is the lowest ranking Alabama has posted in the 247Sports era, yet Ivins sees a path that fits the modern college football landscape: stockpile a larger group of high school prospects and then use the transfer portal to fill in the gaps.
Greg Byrnes comments suggest that approach may not stop with one cycle. Alabamas athletic director has already pointed toward a heavier emphasis on high school recruiting in 2028, a sign the program may be recalibrating how it builds its roster for the long haul. The debate now is less about one class than whether Alabama is trying to get ahead of a shifting model before everyone else catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Steal Elite Receiver Commit
Alabama has positioned itself for a late swing at one of the more intriguing receiver recruits on its board, as 4-star wideout Jaden Upshaw is set to be in Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl while he weighs his final college choice ahead of the early signing period. Upshaw is currently committed to Texas A&M, but his continued contact with Alabama and a previous campus visit suggest the Tide have not faded from his thinking.
For Alabama, the timing matters. The program is still pushing to add Upshaw to its 2027 recruiting class, and getting him back on campus for one of the seasons biggest games gives the staff another chance to make its case. With his decision still open enough for Alabama to stay in the mix, this now looks like a situation worth watching closely as signing day approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Got The Keelon Russell News Fans Needed
Keelon Russell gave Alabama exactly what it needed in the win over LSU, playing through an injury and still accounting for 216 total yards and three touchdowns. For a team sitting No. 3 nationally and pushing toward a College Football Playoff berth, the freshman quarterbacks availability has become one of the biggest storylines on the roster.
The early sign was encouraging, with Russell listed as probable in the SECs initial availability report for the upcoming game against Vanderbilt. Alabama does not need much drama at this stage of the season, but getting its young quarterback trending in the right direction is the kind of update that can steady a team with postseason goals still very much in reach. [Read more 🡒]