Alabama
Alabama basketball holds off Arkansas State in physical battle, 88-79
Alabama survived a physical grind of a game on Friday night at Coleman Coliseum, holding off Arkansas State 88-79.
The teams combined for 52 fouls and 80 free throw attempts, with the second-ranked Crimson Tide (2-0) going just 28-for-44 from the line. The game was tied with 7:08 left before Mouhamed Dioubate’s tip-in put Alabama on top for good at 70-68.
“That’s a really good team we just played,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “I thought they were well coached. They got great talent. Played hard. We needed to be pushed. I think they exposed some stuff we got to work on. They gave us everything they had. It was a tie game with seven minutes to go in the game.
“I think our guys have to realize, like the teams we put on the schedule, if we don’t play well, we don’t move the ball, we play selfish like I thought we did tonight at times, we’re not going to beat these teams. I thought we did a good enough job on the offensive glass and you know, defensively we were solid at times.”
All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 points for Alabama, while forward Grant Nelson had 12 off the bench. Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi added 12 points and a team-high 9 rebounds despite being limited to 17 minutes due to foul trouble.
Officials’ whistles were the story of the game’s first 20 minutes, during which the teams combined for 31 fouls and 53 free throws. Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson picked up four fouls in the first half, and finished with just 2 points and five rebounds in 10 minutes.
Alabama led by as many as 16 in the first half before Arkansas State — the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference — closed the gap to 43-40 at halftime. The Red Wolves — coached by former Alabama assistant Bryan Hodgson — never led after going up 5-4 early, but didn’t fall behind by two possessions permanently until Sears hit two free throws to make it 74-70 with 5:15 remaining.
“They exposed some stuff some stuff on the defensive side, but we really won the game on the offensive boards,” Oats said. “I mean, we had 21 second chance points and they only had seven. I thought we made a big point of emphasis on keeping them off the offensive boards, I thought we did a decent job of that.
“We did a good job of getting our offensive glass, but a lot of other areas we didn’t shoot it well, had a lot to do with them. We didn’t get out in transition very much, ended up with more fastbreak points than we did and it had a lot to do with them. I thought they had a good game plan defensively.”
Freshman guard Labaron Philon also scored in double figures with 12 points, while Derrion Reid had 10 and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. added 9. Alabama made only six of 31 3-point attempts, with Sears going 0-for-5 and Wrightsell 1-for-9.
Kobe Julien — the preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year — scored a game-high 20 points for Arkansas State (1-1), while Taryn Todd added 18 and Rashaud Marshall chipped in 11 points with 8 rebounds. The Red Wolves missed 13 free throws and went just 6-for-28 on 3-point attempts.
“A lot of their staff came from here, Brian was with me for eight years,” Oats said. “They’re doing a great job, that’s a really good roster. I thought Brian did a really good job tonight, they did a great job and I think they’re going to win a lot of games this year.”
Alabama hosts McNeese at 6 p.m. Monday. That game will air on SEC Network.
Alabama
South Alabama adds Samford wide receiver transfer Brendan Jenkins for 2025
South Alabama on Wednesday picked up its first transfer portal commitment of the current cycle, from former Samford wide receiver Brendan Jenkins.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Jenkins caught 89 passes for 888 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Bulldogs, and was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023. A native of Hochston, Ga., he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
South Alabama has a major need at receiver, with four seniors among its top five pass-catchers in 2024. First-team All-Sun Belt selection Jamaal Pritchett has used up his eligibility, as have Salute to Veterans Bowl Most Valuable Player Jeremiah Webb, tight end DJ Thomas-Jones and No. 4 receiver Shamar Sandgren (though it’s now possible Sandgren could return next season after a recent NCAA ruling involving former junior-college transfers).
Devin Voisin, who caught 34 passes this past season, is expected to return for a seventh year at South Alabama in 2025 after receiving a medical redshirt following an early-season knee injury in 2023. Also eligible to return are Anthony Eager (10 catches, 2 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2024), program veteran Keyshawn Woodyard and a host of less-experienced receivers including Micah Woods, Noah Toster, Jeremy Scott and Jerrian Graham.
South Alabama is expected to add a number of other portal transfers before spring semester classes begin on Jan. 13. The transfer portal closes for new entries on Dec. 28, though a player already in the portal by then may commit to or sign with his new school at any time.
Alabama
2024 Alabama High School Back and Lineman of the Year Finalists
Winners, Super All-State and Mr. Football to be revealed Jan. 28 at a luncheon banquet at the Montgomery Renaissance.
Class 7A
Back of the year
Anquon Fegans, Thompson
Trent Seaborn, Thompson
Daylyn Upshaw, Central-Phenix City
Lineman of the year
Malik Autry, Opelika
Zion Grady, Enterprise
Jared Smith, Thompson
Class 6A
Back of the year
Corey Barber, Spain Park
KJ Lacey, Saraland
Na’eem Offord, Parker
Lineman of the year
Keenan Britt, Oxford
Jourdin Crawford, Parker
Anthony Jones, St. Paul’s
Class 5A
Back of the year
Conner Nelson, Leeds
Cam Phinizee, Russellville
Jotavion Pierce, Catholic-Montgomery
Lineman of the year
Jabarrius Garrar, Vigor
Kentonio Kelly Jr., Vigor
Ellis McGaskin, Williamson
Class 4A
Back of the year
EJ Crowell, Jackson
Landon Duckworth, Jackson
Gunner Rivers, St. Michael
Lineman of the year
Tristan Brown, Cherokee Co.
Tae Diamond, Cherokee Co.
AJ Rice, Madison Academy
Class 3A
Back of the year
Caden Chandler, Mars Hill Bible
Kadyn Mitchell, Houston Academy
Rollie Pinto, Piedmont
Lineman of the year
Myles Johnson, T.R. Miller
Billy Neill, Bayside Academy
Tucker Wilks, Fyffe
Class 2A
Back of the year
Chris Clemons, Winston Co.
Luke Gilbert, Pisgah
Preston Lancaster, Tuscaloosa Aca.
Lineman of the year
JJ Faulk, Highland Home
Clete O’Bryant, Coosa Christian
Grayson Gulde, Vincent
Class 1A
Back of the year
Alvin Henderson, Elba
Ziquayvion Jackson, McKenzie
Jaquez Wilkes, Wadley
Lineman of the year
Fred Curry, Georgiana
Hayes Farrell, Donoho
Tim Parnell, Leroy
AISA
Back of the year
Julian Curry, Wilcox Academy
Gerrell Perry, Banks Academy
Luke Tarver, Chambers Academy
Lineman of the year
Jackson Boykin, South Choctaw Academy
Ashton Yelder, Lowndes Academy
Asher Young, Fort Dale Academy
The Alabama Sports Writers Association is a professional organization for sports writers and editors throughout the state, or any person involved in disseminating sports information or publicity in Alabama including but not limited to sports information personnel, publicists of professional organizations or facilities, or publicists of non-profit organizations sponsoring or governing sporting events. The ASWA is a non-profit organization.
The ASWA prep committee’s primary responsibilities include conducting regular top-10 rankings of a variety of high school sports, and select all-state teams in those sports as well. The committee will determine the winner of a variety of annual awards including the annual Mr. Football winner, and the Jimmy Smothers Courage Award. For more information, check out: ASWA
See Also 2024 Alabama High School All-State Football Selections
Alabama
3 former Alabama high school stars return to NFL rosters
Three Alabama high school alumni will wake up on Christmas morning on NFL rosters after starting Christmas eve out of the league.
On Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills signed linebacker Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville High School) to their active roster, the Atlanta Falcons signed linebacker Rashaan Evans (Auburn High School, Alabama) to their practice squad and the Miami Dolphins signed defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy High School) to their practice squad.
Each of the players rejoined a team they had played for this season.
An eight-year veteran with 105 NFL regular-season games and 58 starts in his career, Morrow played in 11 games for Buffalo before the Bills released him on Dec. 7.
A seven-year veteran with 87 NFL regular-season games and 68 starts in his career, Evans played in two games for Atlanta before being waived on Saturday. This is the third time the Falcons have signed Evans for their practice squad this season. He joined the team on Oct. 1, was released on Oct. 12, re-signed on Oct. 21 and moved up to the active roster on Nov. 1.
A three-year veteran with 19 NFL regular-season games in his career, Farrell played in seven games for Miami before being waived on Saturday. Farrell joined the Dolphins’ practice squad on Sept. 26 and moved up to the active roster on Nov. 11.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.
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