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Challenging schedule and turnovers: What we know about Alabama basketball after eight games

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Challenging schedule and turnovers: What we know about Alabama basketball after eight games


Alabama basketball has made its way through eight games of the 2024-25 season.

The Crimson Tide (6-2) entered the season as the No. 2-ranked squad in the nation, but has since fallen to No. 9 with a loss to No. 12 Purdue. UA is likely to see another dip in the polls after an 83-80 upset loss to undefeated and unranked Oregon in the first-ever Players Era Festival championship on Saturday in Las Vegas.

For those just now starting to tune into basketball after being locked into Alabama football all season, the losses early after a historic run to the Final Four last season could be glaring. Just remember that coach Nate Oats has formulated one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, so this team has been tested more than many.

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UA played exhibitions against Wake Forest and Memphis before facing the likes of gritty mid-majors like Arkansas State and McNeese State. Alabama played Purdue, Illinois, Houston and Rutgers before Oregon, and travels to North Carolina next.

Here’s what we’ve learned about the Crimson Tide.

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Turnovers trouble Alabama basketball through eight games

Before Oregon, Alabama averaged 12.4 turnovers per game. The Crimson Tide exceeded that average against the Ducks with 15, which was an improvement from the 20 turnovers that almost saw UA fall to Rutgers this past Wednesday. In victory against Houston, Alabama still lost possession seven times in the first half, and eight more turnovers in the second half contributed to the game heading into overtime.

In the 87-78 defeat at Purdue, Alabama had eight turnovers compared to three for the Boilermakers.

Injuries still concern for returning Final Four starter Latrell Wrightsell Jr.

What SEC Preseason Player of the Year Mark Sears has called a “Cinderella” journey to the Final Four saw guard Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. ailing through parts the 2023-24 season. Fans were left heartbroken after the senior left the Oregon game with a leg injury.

Wrightsell finds company on the bench in South Florida transfer Chris Youngblood (ankle) until the sharp-shooting guard is cleared to play, which Oats expects to be mid to late December.

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Transfer, freshman depth helps Crimson Tide shine

Oats made sure UA loaded up on more than just Youngblood from the transfer portal. Alabama’s 2024 transfer class was ranked seventh in the country with guards like redshirt senior Houston Mallette (Pepperdine) and sophomore Aden Holloway (Auburn).

When Rutgers transfer and starting center Clifford Omoruyi heads to the bench with foul trouble, forward Grant Nelson has still looked efficient at the No. 5 spot, and in most of the minutes freshman Aiden Sherrell has played, he seems to be learning how to be a threat around the rim.

Sherrell is one of four freshmen who made up Alabama’s No. 2-ranked 2024 recruiting class, highlighted by starting guard Labaron Philon, who averages of 9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists, shooting 47.3% so far. The class also includes five-star forward Derrion Reid and another redshirt in Naas Cunningham.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.



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Alabama lawmaker’s son, 6, shot teen brother while parents were home: ‘All is well’

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Alabama lawmaker’s son, 6, shot teen brother while parents were home: ‘All is well’


An Alabama state lawmaker — and outspoken gun rights advocate — is thanking “God” after one of his young sons accidentally shot his older brother in the back with the dad’s rifle.

Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, a Republican and father of four, told the Alabama Daily News that his 13-year-old son was making a speedy recovery after the harrowing incident at their Lawrence County home Saturday nearly took the teen’s life.

“Thanks be to God, all is well. A flesh wound only. He has been playing basketball with me tonight,” Yarbrough said.

Alabama state Rep. Ernie Yarbrough’s 6-year-old son accidentally shot his 13-year-old brother at their family home on Saturday. Ernie Yarbrough/Facebook

A child, who was later identified as Yarbrough’s 6-year-old son, accidentally shot his older brother in the back of the shoulder at the residence, Lawrence County Chief Deputy Brian Covington told the TimesDaily.

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It is unclear how the little boy was able to retrieve his dad’s .556-caliber AR-style rifle from a bedroom while Yarbrough and his wife were home, the outlet reported.

It’s also unclear if Yarbrough’s two other children witnessed the shooting.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office notified the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which is a requirement whenever kids are involved in a shooting, AL.com reported.

Yarbrough is a first-term politician in the Alabama House of Representatives. Ernie Yarbrough/Facebook

The Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office has launched a probe into the shooting.

Yarbrough, a first-term lawmaker in the Alabama statehouse, is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, according to his campaign website.

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In 2023, he sponsored a bill that prohibits the enforcement of any “red flag” laws, which are intended to prevent mentally and emotionally unstable people from gaining legal access to firearms.

The unsuccessful bill, dubbed the “Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act,” stipulated that any state or local law enforcement officer found abiding by a red flag law would be subject to a $50,000 civil penalty.

Yarbrough and his wife have four children. Ernie Yarbrough/Facebook

The act also laid out a judicial relief process for anyone who could prove they were “injured” when they were subject to a red flag law.

The same bill failed to pass the state legislature again last year.

Previously, Yarbrough touted an endorsement from the National Association of Gun Rights, AL.com reported.

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The NAGR mirrors the National Rifle Association — save for its hardline on “absolutely NO COMPROMISE on gun rights issues,” according to its website.

The Post reached out to Yarbrough for comment.



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Why Vanderbilt football’s Cole Adams transferred from Alabama, ready to prove himself

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Why Vanderbilt football’s Cole Adams transferred from Alabama, ready to prove himself


A Vanderbilt football goal post that was escorted down Broadway by an enthusiastic band of Commodores fans before being heaved into the Cumberland River on the night of Oct. 5, 2024 helped make graduate transfer receiver Cole Adams a believer that Nashville might be the place for him.

Adams, you see, was on that No. 1-ranked Alabama team. He had a front-row seat to what some consider the beginning of the rebirth of a program that had long been the laughingstock of the SEC.

Adams made two catches for 17 yards during that 40-35 loss. He also made it a point to pay attention to what was going on around him and the Diego Pavia-led Commodores.

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“There were more Alabama fans in the stands than there were Vanderbilt,” Adams said March 24 after a spring practice. “And they whooped our butt. They whooped our butt.

“Not only was I in awe, but I was like, ‘Look at these guys.’ It was pretty cool from the opposite side of the field to see the relatedness and the brotherhood. … That was the first time I really looked at Vanderbilt, and I was like, ‘These guys have something good going on.’ “

How Tim Beck, Clark Lea helped bring Cole Adams to Vanderbilt football

Adams, who had 13 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown in 24 games spanning three seasons with the Crimson Tide, is expected to play a bigger role with his new team.

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It’s a team that will have a new quarterback − freshman Jared Curtis seems most likely − with 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up Pavia gone chasing his NFL dreams.

A team that will have a bigger target on its back.

A team Adams joined thanks in large part to offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who recruited Adams when he played for Owasso High School in Oklahoma and Beck was coaching at TCU.

“We created a really close relationship really quickly,” said the 5-foot-10, 183-pound Adams, who also was Alabama’s primary punt returner. “Even back then, I felt like we related to each other a lot. He talked to my parents a ton, and they loved him as well.”

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Clark Lea also made quite the impression on Adams during his official visit.

“When he came on campus and met with us, I was blown away with his engagement, his personality and just had the feeling that he was a fit for us,” Lea said. “He’s brought confidence. He’s brought that snap experience.

“He’s also a misfit. He’s a chip-on-the-shoulder guy, which I appreciate. It fits with our environment.”

Vanderbilt football replacing leadership with Diego Pavia’s departure

Which is a void the Commodores must fill in the absence of Pavia, whose leadership skills were lauded by many to be as, if not more, impressive as his abilities on the field.

Pavia quickly became a vocal leader. Wore a C on his chest. Led both vocally and by example.

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Adams still considers himself the new kid on the block, but his pedigree and his past, not to mention his new coach, suggest that also will be part of his role.

Even if doesn’t fully feel prepared for that just yet.

“First I have to show on the field that I’m capable, showing the guys I can do the right things at all times before you’re vocal,” Adams said. “There’s a time and place to be a leader. You need to gain trust and respect before you can … help them out.

“I still feel young, but I guess I’m kind of an old head now. I guess you could say I’ve been through it. I’ve had some peers I looked up to and learned from. So now I’m just implementing that in my game.”

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.

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Pregnant mother, 29, fatally shot by stalker in Alabama murder-suicide

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Pregnant mother, 29, fatally shot by stalker in Alabama murder-suicide


An Alabama mother who was set to give birth to her second child was gunned down by a cowardly stalker — who later turned the gun on himself while being hunted by authorities.

Shelby Amidon, 29, was fatally shot by Ricky O’Neil Beck Jr., at her home in the city of Warrior early Thursday morning, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said.

Shelby Amidon, a married mother, was shot and killed by her stalker on Thursday. GoFundMe
Amidon was expecting her second child with her husband, Nick. GoFundMe

Amidon, who was married and pregnant with her second child, identified Beck as her stalker when she phoned 911 after being shot, AL.com reported. The creep had apparently been stalking the victim for some time, according to reports.

It’s unclear how the pair knew one another.

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Beck, 43, took off from Amidon’s home in his Chevrolet Z71 with a silver toolbox, according to an alert issued by local police.

Senior ALEA Trooper Brandon Bailey said he saw Beck pull out a gun while ramming a responding Blount County sheriff deputy’s patrol vehicle, the outlet reported.

The deputy opened fire, but Beck was able to get away — sparking a manhunt.

Beck’s body was found in a wooded area later that same day, where he appeared to have shot himself, Bailey told the outlet.

Amidon’s stalker killed himself during a police manhunt. GoFundMe

The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation is still investigating.

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Amidon was married to Nick Amidon, a data analyst at a local bank. The two share one young son, according to a GoFundMe organized by Nick’s mother.

“Shelby was a beautiful soul who brought love, warmth, and light to those around her. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her,” she wrote.

“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain.”

The GoFundMe was close to clearing the $12,000 mark as of Tuesday evening.

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