Alabama Basketball 2014/2015 Season

[Marshal Dillon]

Well this season is shot to crap so I thought I we would look ahead and see what might be out there. First, I think we need to look at the returning players:


Shannon Hale 6'8" Forward Soph-This is our most important returning player. He has shown flashes of great ability, inside and outside. He can hit 3 pointers, rebound, and seems to move well without the ball. What we need for him to show more consistency, & score 14-18 points a game. Plus, Bobby Knight likes this guy and thinks he is a future star. Pretty good recommendation.

Levi Randolph 6'5" Guard SR-Levi is a mystery and has shown potential but has never reached it. He has been our most energetic player every game, good hustle, and defense, but scoring has been off & on. He always appear to hesitate when shooting and seems almost timid to take an outside shot. I hope to see senior leadership out of him next year and we need him to score 10-13 points a game.

Rodney Cooper 6'6" Guard SR-The biggest mystery on the team. He can score 24 one game, then go 3 straight games and score a total of 10 points. He's a good rebounder but he has to do better on the outside shot. Seems to totally disappear in games.

Jimmie Taylor 6'10" Forward/Center Soph-Has shown flashes of potential. I expect major improvement next year in his game. We really need his big man presence inside. He has to work on rebounding, scoring, defense, blocking out, moving without the ball, basically everything but I really like him.

Retin Obasohan 6'1" Guard Jr-Another player who has shown potential but fell off at the end of the season. Has no real outside shot but is a slashing driver to the basket. Again, he has shown potential but needs to refine his game.

Algie Key 6'4" Guard SR-JUCO guy who has struggled mightily. He was supposed to be a point guard who could relieve Releford but he has been a huge disappointment. I've always heard that it takes a year for JUCO's to adapt to major college basketball, so maybe he can bounce back next season.

Carl Engstrom 7'1" Center SR-Talk about a huge disappointment. He seems agile, energetic, and has great size, but he can't seem to put it all together. Will he even be around next year?

Nick Jacobs 6'8" Forward SR-Another mystery player. He can be so good inside and around the basket, but in other games he disappears. If he can be consistent he can be a force under the basket. The question now is, will he return to the team?

Transfer In:

Ricky Tarrant 6'2" Guard JR-I am very excited about this player. He's from the Bham area and is a point guard. I think he will be the starting PG for the team next year. He was a solid player in high school and he was a huge Tide fan but was never recruited by the team. I think he will be a huge addition to the team.

New Commits:

Justin Coleman 5'10" PG-I like this player. He can be part of the answer to our outside shooting woes. He is quick, fast, and highly energetic. Can't wait to see him.

Riley Norris 6'6" Small Forward-Another player who could make an impact with outside shooting. He has a good reputation, but this is the SEC.

Devin Mitchell 6'3" Shooting Guard-Another player who could make an impact from the outside with his shooting. I really think at least 2 of these commits will make a difference.

We still have room for more commits and we need some big men in the worst way. With Jacobs status up in the air, we need at least 2 more big men. If someone has access to the Rivals pay site, they have info on other players that we are pursuing.

What are you guys thoughts, information, & observations?


 

[pmull]

Excellent post MD.

You left off a very important transfer who is sitting out this year.

Michael Kessens is 6-9 forward. He transferred from Longwood. He will be a redshirt Sophomore. He was freshman Player of the Year in Longwood's conference. He averaged 13.7 pts and 8.8 rebounds. He may be the big guy we have been missing. I think he and Tarrant have an immediate impact. Both have practiced with the team this entire year.

The three newcomers are excellent recruits. Time will tell if they are as good as advertised but they will add very good depth to the team.

I am expecting Engstrom to not come back. Jacobs may not. Assuming Jacobs comes back we will have 12 scholarship players. That leaves room for one more JUCO post player to sign during the late period. I hear CAG is actively recruiting for one more player. I hope we have 13 scholarship players available to play next year.

I think Cooper and Randolph will be valuable to us next year. They can play but they need to be more consistent. Hale is a very talented player. I look for big things from him. I think CAG will build the team around these players and transfers Tarrant and Kessens. That leaves a lot of good players on the bench.

This year is done. I am looking forward to next year.

[Marshal Dillon]

Excellent post MD.

You left off a very important transfer who is sitting out this year.

Michael Kessens is 6-9 forward. He transferred from Longwood. He will be a redshirt Sophomore. He was freshman Player of the Year in Longwood's conference. He averaged 13.7 pts and 8.8 rebounds. He may be the big guy we have been missing. I think he and Tarrant have an immediate impact. Both have practiced with the team this entire year.

The three newcomers are excellent recruits. Time will tell if they are as good as advertised but they will add very good depth to the team.

I am expecting Engstrom to not come back. Jacobs may not. Assuming Jacobs comes back we will have 12 scholarship players. That leaves room for one more JUCO post player to sign during the late period. I hear CAG is actively recruiting for one more player. I hope we have 13 scholarship players available to play next year.

I think Cooper and Randolph will be valuable to us next year. They can play but they need to be more consistent. Hale is a very talented player. I look for big things from him. I think CAG will build the team around these players and transfers Tarrant and Kessens. That leaves a lot of good players on the bench.

This year is done. I am looking forward to next year.

I really don't remember anything about him so I left him off on purpose. I hope he works out but we still need to recruit 2 more big men. Pluss, I hope Jacobs comes back.


 

[2Stater]

I think there is a lot to look forward to next year. The irony is that we knew we would be solid at point guard this year, with every other position being a question mark. Next year the potential is great at every other position with the question mark being at point guard.

[pmull]

Michael Kessens does not need to be left off the list. I think he will be a very good player. Here is his bio form rolltide.com:

Played his rookie season at Longwood University where he earned numerous accolades, including his selection to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshmen All-America Team and Big South Freshman of the Year ... was voted as the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) Rookie of the Year, which encompasses all Division I schools in the state of Virginia, as well as being named to the Big South Conference All-Freshman Team ... picked up a league-leading four Big South Freshman of the Week awards during the season ... in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Big South Conference Tournament against VMI (3/7), he scored a career high and tournament record 36 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor, while also adding 16 rebounds in a season-ending loss ... averaged 13.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 33 games ... had 11 double-double's last year including his first in his second career game ... started all 33 games averaging 32.7 minutes a contest.

Click here for link

[pmull]

I think there is a lot to look forward to next year. The irony is that we knew we would be solid at point guard this year, with every other position being a question mark. Next year the potential is great at every other position with the question mark being at point guard.

Releford will be missed but I am not worried about the PG position next year. Transfer Ricky Tarrant is a proven PG who made all-conference at Tulane. In coming freshman Justin Coleman is a great recruit and should challenge Tarrant right away for playing time. I think we will be solid at the point.

[Marshal Dillon]

I think there is a lot to look forward to next year. The irony is that we knew we would be solid at point guard this year, with every other position being a question mark. Next year the potential is great at every other position with the question mark being at point guard.

Releford will be missed but I am not worried about the PG position next year. Transfer Ricky Tarrant is a proven PG who made all-conference at Tulane. In coming freshman Justin Coleman is a great recruit and should challenge Tarrant right away for playing time. I think we will be solid at the point.

I agree. Tarrant, Coleman, and even Key gives us depth at the PG position. The main concerns are the same old ones, rebounding & outside shooting. Plus, can the defense return next year?


 

[2Stater]

I think there is a lot to look forward to next year. The irony is that we knew we would be solid at point guard this year, with every other position being a question mark. Next year the potential is great at every other position with the question mark being at point guard.

Releford will be missed but I am not worried about the PG position next year. Transfer Ricky Tarrant is a proven PG who made all-conference at Tulane. In coming freshman Justin Coleman is a great recruit and should challenge Tarrant right away for playing time. I think we will be solid at the point.

I hope you're right and am optimistic that you are. If they both work out, that will be nice to have depth at that position.

[ALTideUp]

Quality work, MD.

 

[bamaphil]

But which key returning player will transfer or get into legal trouble before next season?

[Marshal Dillon]

But which key returning player will transfer or get into legal trouble before next season?

That's the million dollar question. Potential player losses could include Engstrom & Jacobs. For some crazy reason I have concerns about Cooper. I can't explain it but I just have that feeling. My main concerns are about commits changing their minds.


 

[Catch Prothro]

I don't think we seen Engstrom or Jacobs next year.

Randolph's problem seems to be that he doesn't have a quick release, so he has to be wide open to shoot.

While we have some potential at point, I don't think the team will get far without an excellent point guard.  I haven't seen the newcomers, but as much as I like Obasohan I don't see him excelling at that role.

Anyway, keep your expectations low and your fingers crossed, and you won't be disappointed.   

[SUPERCOACH]

Good post MD.  I put you on the front page.

[Marshal Dillon]

Michael Kessens does not need to be left off the list. I think he will be a very good player. Here is his bio form rolltide.com:

Played his rookie season at Longwood University where he earned numerous accolades, including his selection to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshmen All-America Team and Big South Freshman of the Year ... was voted as the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) Rookie of the Year, which encompasses all Division I schools in the state of Virginia, as well as being named to the Big South Conference All-Freshman Team ... picked up a league-leading four Big South Freshman of the Week awards during the season ... in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Big South Conference Tournament against VMI (3/7), he scored a career high and tournament record 36 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor, while also adding 16 rebounds in a season-ending loss ... averaged 13.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 33 games ... had 11 double-double's last year including his first in his second career game ... started all 33 games averaging 32.7 minutes a contest.

Click here for link

Good info, we definitely could use him around the basket and in the area of 15-17 feet for jump shots. Have you heard what player or position Grant is still trying to recruit? I read somewhere it was 2 players.


 

[pmull]

CAG is looking for a JUCO power forward. Someone like Chris Hines of a few years ago.

If everyone comes back (including Jacobs) except Engstrom we only have one open spot.

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