#1 Freshman: 6'7 190 SF Riley Norris
Ranked the 93rd best player in the nation by ESPN, Norris is known for his 3 point shooting. He also averaged over 14 boards a game as a senior, showing his ability to rebound despite his relatively thin frame. Norris's combination of size and shooting ability should land him some quality minutes as a freshman, much in the same way it did Shannon Hale last season.
#2 Junior: 6'2 190 lbs PG Ricky Tarrant
Tarrant comes into this season as the likely starting point guard after sitting out last season as a transfer from Tulane. During his freshman and sophomore seasons at Tulane, Tarrant showed an ability to score at will. Tarrant averaged close to 15 points and was named all Conference USA. The new pg will be filling the enormous shoes of the departed Trevor Releford, who was the all-time steals leader at Bama. I think Tarrant will find a way to replace some of the offensive production of Releford, but it will be difficult to replace him as the team leader and defensive stopper. *Tarrant also served as the team's #1 wildest cheerleader last season haha.
#3 Sophomore: 6'9 215 PF Michael Kessens
Kessens, who had some impressive games as a freshman at Longwood University, is billed as a rebounder. I hope so because Bama struggled against teams with quality big men like Kentucky and Tennessee. Kessens averaged almost 9 rebounds a game at Longwood in his only season of college basketball. 9 rebounds per game would be over 3 rebounds more than any Bama player averaged last season. Kessens was named Big South Freshman of the year by one publication and had a career high 36 points and 16 rebounds in his final game in the Big South tournament.
#4 Freshman: 6'7 210 SF Jeff Garrett
Garrett was a late addition to the Tide for the 2014-2015 season. He's originally from Gadsden. After looking at some of his highlights, it's clear he has some high-flying capabilities. Almost every single highlight is a dunk. To be honest, I don't know much about Garrett but it would seem to me that if his skills do not include much more than leaping, then he's probably headed for a redshirt season.
#5 Freshman 5'10 155 PG Justin Coleman
Coleman is without a doubt one of the most hyped players in Alabama high school basketball history. He was a part of state championships with Wenonah. I watched Justin play as an 8th grader at John Carroll High School. As a 14 year old point guard, he played the whole game without a turnover against 5A competition. He dribbles the ball like it is on a string and will be perfectly capable of running the show immediately. He has a unique ability to hit a full speed mid-range jumper when in the open court. Will likely play at least 10-15 minutes a game as he spells Ricky Tarrant.
#10 Sophomore 6'10 240 C Jimmie Taylor
Taylor certainly was billed as a defensive specialist coming out of Greensboro High School. He backed that up last season, leading the team with 40 blocks and doing a good job of patrolling the rim in his 18 starts. However, he also looked pretty solid with his back to the basket late in the year, utilizing his soft left hand. I look for Taylor to be improved on the offensive end and to be a consistent starter this season.
#11 Sophomore 6'8 220 F Shannon Hale
To the surprise of many, Hale came on as an offensive presence during the SEC slate last season. His ability to stretch the floor by shooting the 3 was evident early in the year. Hale never had a timid nature as it seems many freshmen have had in the past (see Trevor Lacey, Levi Randolph), but asserted himself from the start. Shannon has a nice game and can get buckets in a variety of ways. Hopefully his rebounding and defensive statistics improve in his second year at the Capstone.
#13 Senior 6'3 175 G Christophe Varidel
The "Swiss Assassin" shot almost 50% from the 3 last year in the 5 games he played at Chaminade last season. This included a 42(!!!) point outburst against Baylor. The ability to really shoot the 3 from somewhere other than the point guard position has harmed UA the last 2 seasons. There were too many minutes with both Retin and Algie Key on the floor last season. Defenses clearly did not defend them outside and it hurt our offense. It was even worse before Levi Randolph asserted himself offensively late in the year. Christophe fills this void.
#20 Senior 6'5 205 G Levi Randolph
Personally, I think Randolph has had a solid career at Alabama that goes well beyond the statistics. The recent UA grad looked rusty at times early last season. Something clicked late in the season however as he had scoring barrages of 33 and 24 against Mizzou and Auburn. I look for Levi to continue to be a consistent, reliable player who will likely continue to start and contribute each game.
#21 Senior 6'6 215 F Rodney Cooper
Cooper led the team in rebounding last season with a not-so-astounding 4.9 a game. I think that's a good number for Cooper, just not for the team leader. Cooper has often been asked to do too much for UA, including guarding 7 footers when the Crimson Tide is in foul trouble (and sometimes even when they are not). However, with the addition of Kessens this year, hopefully Cooper can get back to being terrific on defense and having streaky games shooting the 3 pointer.
#23 Freshman 6'3 175 G Devin Mitchell
Mitchell is another Tide freshman that is billed as a shooter. His highlights are filled with a variety of shot making abilities. It seems to me that we are stacked at his position, so even with his talent, I think it will be hard for him to see quality minutes this year, especially as he becomes familiar with his responsibilities within the Tide defense. I hope he is humble enough to wait for his opportunities and I hope he's prepared for them when they come.
#32 RS Junior 6'1 205 G Retin Obasohan
Retin has some unique basketball abilities to be certain. His super leaping ability gives him opportunities at making plays that seem inhuman for a young man that's only 6'1. Game after game, highlights were filled with blocks and dunks that showed off Retin's bounce. His quick hands and chiseled frame helped him be close to the league lead in steals as well. I look for Retin to have improved his shooting this season and continue to play quality minutes, even if he doesn't start. I think Coach Grant really likes him as evidenced by the number of times he took Retin to interviews last season.
#35 Senior 6'6 215 Dakota Slaughter
Slaughter is probably more known for his DJ and rapping abilities than his basketball game. Still, I can appreciate the hard work he puts in year by year with limited playing time as a reward. Coach Grant did see it fit to give him a scholarship last season, and after years of working with the team, I'd say he deserves it.
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