Updated: Jun. 24, 2024, 6:46 a.m.Alabama guard Collin Sexton celebrates the Crimson Tide upset over No. 12 Oklahoma on Jan. 27, 2018, in Coleman Coliseum. Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.comThe evolution of the Alabama men’s basketball program felt rapid, climbing from a perpetual bubble team to a 2024 Final Four.
Before picking up a bat for the first time Wednesday in the celebrity softball game at Rickwood Field, Collin Sexton spoke toThe first question was simple enough: How do you feel about the program’s progress? Also true, Sexton’s arrival was a shot in the arm for a program finding its footing under Coach Avery Johnson. There had been highly-rated prospects arrive in recent years like Trevor Lacey, JaMychal Green and Devonta Pollard but the program didn’t have an NCAA tournament win in a decade when Sexton arrived.
Since then, six former Tide players have been selected -- four in the first round including No. 2 pick Brandon Miller in last year’s draft. Miller led the 2022-23 team to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament but was upset in the Sweet 16.