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Nate Oats Calling for Elite Defense from Alabama to Limit Josh Hubbard

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Nate Oats Calling for Elite Defense from Alabama to Limit Josh Hubbard


TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— To say that the Alabama basketball team is familiar with the repertoire of junior Mississippi State point guard Josh Hubbard would be understating the level of impact Hubbard has had against the Crimson Tide in the recent past. On Tuesday night, No. 18 Alabama (11-5, 1-2 SEC) gets to deal with him again in its trip to Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville (8 p.m. CT).

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Hubbard led all Bulldogs scorers both times Mississippi State played Alabama last season, putting up 38 points during the matchup in Humphrey Coliseum last January and 21 in a lopsided loss in Tuscaloosa the following month. This season, he averages 29.3 points per game against SEC opponents. He’s one of the best guards in the league, and plays like it opposite the Crimson Tide.

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Alabama head coach Nate Oats hasn’t forgotten what Hubbard has done against his squad. Alabama may have escaped Hubbard’s season-high scoring game with a win last season in Starkville. That doesn’t mean the team is comfortable giving him a chance to repeat a performance where he made 14 shot attempts from the field and six three-pointers.

Oats said the coaching staff advised last season’s team of Hubbard’s talent before facing him in his home arena, but felt like there were too many plays the 2024-25 Crimson Tide let up against him on the road, especially early on.

“We better have a better plan than we did last year when he had 38. They’re a good team, and he can score it. We gotta have some guards be ready to play him. They can’t fall asleep off the ball,” Oats said on Monday afternoon. “As soon as you fall asleep, he’s sprinting off an off-ball screen or sprinting back to get it back from the big after he threw it to him.”

The Bulldogs’ (10-6, 2-1 SEC) star player is currently averaging 22.8 points, 2.3 boards and 3.8 assists per contest while shooting 42.8 percent from the field. Unsurprisingly, Hubbard is Mississippi State’s leading scorer; he also leads the Bulldogs in assists. Oats (as many would) interprets the challenge of stopping Hubbard as an approach requiring the Crimson Tide to spare no expense defensively.

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“You gotta be alert that he’s probably coming back towards the ball at any point. When he’s got the ball in his hands, he’s been elite in ball screens. If you don’t have your big up to level the ball screen, he comes off. He’s pretty good shooting pull-ups,” he said. “It’s a lot of pressure to put your guards on, but if you bring your big up, [and] he gets too aggressive, he’s also been splitting and turning around.”

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Oats has been vocal about wanting Alabama’s guards to defend better. On Monday, he chalked up sophomore Jalil Bethea’s recent decline in minutes to his defensive form. If the Crimson Tide coach wanted a trial-by-fire test in that department for his backcourt players, Hubbard is more than capable of obliging. That goes for the frontcourt as well.

“Our bigs gotta be ready to do their job correctly, and we probably gotta have a little bit [of] change-up in our ball-screen coverages with him,” Oats said. “Our guards can’t fall asleep. They gotta be elite, and he’s also pretty good at drawing fouls… He kinda kicks his legs out on his jumper. Seems like it’s kinda part of his jumper, but he seems to draw a lot of fouls, so we gotta be able to guard him without fouling too.”

Defending without the foul was not an area in which the Crimson Tide excelled during Saturday’s loss to Texas at Coleman Coliseum. Four players finished the game with four fouls, one of whom was junior shooting guard Aden Holloway. Freshmen Amari Allen and London Jemison, along with forward Keitenn Bristow, also picked up four fouls. Guard Houston Mallette had three.

Alabama has won eight games in a row against Mississippi State. Its last loss in the series came at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 15, 2022. Four of the Crimson Tide’s past five losses against the Bulldogs have been on the road. Keeping Hubbard, who has reached 30 points or more in three of his past six games, in check is a critical component to Alabama avoiding that fate in 2026.

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Kevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament welcomes Auburn, Alabama players as guest hosts

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Kevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament welcomes Auburn, Alabama players as guest hosts


PRATTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) – One of the most anticipated golf tournaments of the year happens Monday — the 29th annual Kevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament.

This year’s guest hosts are both placekickers — former Alabama kicker Michael Proctor and current Auburn kicker Alex McPherson.

Proctor, a Pelham High graduate, came to the Crimson Tide in 1992, a year after Turner was drafted by the Patriots. But he still remembers the Prattville native’s infectious personality that resonated with teammates. “I had heard about the tournament through the years,” Proctor said. “It’s a big deal. Kevin is a big deal. When he was playing here, and even after his unfortunate passing, he’s well remembered and respected. Anything I can do to help anything in his name, I would be willing to do. I met him when I was there. He came back, obviously knowing people on the team that he had played with. Anything I can do for his name … I’m sure anybody at Alabama or anybody that knew him would be willing to do anything for him because he would do the same for you.”

McPherson, a Fort Payne High graduate, came to Auburn in 2022, weathered an inflammatory bowel disease that sidelined him in 2024, and is now preparing for his fifth year as the Tigers’ kicker. And even though he never knew Turner personally, he’s looking forward to the tournament.

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“I’m honored,” McPherson said. “I heard what the tournament was about, Kevin and his story. I heard that one of the former Alabama kickers was going to be in the tournament and that they would love to have a kicker from Auburn. They thought that I would be a great fit.”

Proctor was recruited as one of the nation’s top prep kickers and went through a high school and collegiate career where he made 184 of 185 extra points. He kicked a then-record 60-yard field goal at Pelham and nine of his 26 field goals were longer than 50 yards. He finished a four-year career as the Crimson Tide’s second leading scorer with 326 points, earning All-American honors in 1993 and 1994 after winning a national championship in 1992 and returning as the Southeastern Conference’s top kicker a year later.

McPherson was recruited as one of the nation’s top kickers and kicked a record 61-yard field goal in high school before joining the Tigers. Like Proctor, his breakout year came as a sophomore (in 2023) where he made 13 of 13 field goal attempts and 40 of 40 extra point attempts in becoming a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.

Turner went through a five-year battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which was triggered by CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a disease that hits home with many collegiate players from that era who witnessed it first with Turner and more recently with former Tide running back Kerry Goode.

The tournament helps fund the “Coach A Child Scholarship Fund Campaign” which provides financial aid to make YMCA services available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

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The Prattville YMCA has provided financial aid to more than 3,300 people, many of them children, at a cost of more than $400,000. This year, the goal is to raise $285,000 for the Coach A Child Fund Campaign.

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Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.



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Alabama softball No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament: Who does Tide play?

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Alabama softball No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament: Who does Tide play?


Alabama softball is the cream of the crop heading into the 2026 NCAA softball tournament, cemented as the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in 16 years.

The Crimson Tide’s ranking means it will host a regional and, if it advances, a super regional. The regional field will consist of USC Upstate (36-21), Belmont (40-11) and SE Louisiana (46-14).

The Tuscaloosa Regional is double-elimination. Action will run through May 15-17 on SEC Network.

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It marks the 27th straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Alabama and the 21st-straight season it is hosting a regional at Rhoads Stadium, not including the canceled 2020 season. The Crimson Tide has advanced to the Women’s College World Series 15 times and is looking to do so for the first time in two years.

Alabama has one national championship, which came in 2012.

Alabama is coming off a championship game loss in the SEC Tournament. Seven unanswered runs led to a 7-1 fall to Texas, securing the Longhorns their first SEC Softball Tournament title during their second year in the conference on Saturday, May 9.

Friday, May 15

  • Game 1: Alabama vs. USC Upstate, noon CT
  • Game 2: Belmont vs. SE Louisiana, 2:30 p.m. CT

Saturday, May 16

  • Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, TBD
  • Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, TBD
  • Game 5: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, TBD

Sunday, May 17

  • Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, TBD
  • Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary), TBD

Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.



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Alabama mom sentenced to life for hiring hitman to kill her child’s father over custody dispute

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Alabama mom sentenced to life for hiring hitman to kill her child’s father over custody dispute


An Alabama woman was sentenced to life in prison Friday after authorities said she hired a hitman to kill her child’s father in a custody dispute.

Jaclyn Skuce, 43, of Madison, was convicted of capital murder after hiring a man to kill the child’s father in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation, the Morgan County District Attorney’s Office said.

The Hartselle Police Department was dispatched on July 24, 2020, to a residence for a welfare check after Anthony Larry Sheppard failed to appear in court for a scheduled custody hearing.

His attorney had asked officers to check on him, investigators said.

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Upon arrival, police discovered Sheppard’s storm door shattered and the main door ajar.

Jaclyn Skuce, 43, was sentenced to life in prison for hiring a hitman to kill her child’s father Anthony Larry Sheppard. Morgan County District Attorney’s Office

Officers later found Sheppard dead with multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators determined that Skuce hired Logan Delp to kill Sheppard in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation with his child.

Prosecutors said Skuce used social media to hire the hitman, who lived in Hartselle, according to the Hartselle Enquirer. She allegedly offered to pay $30,000.

The Morgan County District Attorney’s Office said Skuce wanted to prevent Sheppard from gaining custody or visitation. Morgan County District Attorney’s Office

“There are never any winners in a case like this,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery said following the verdict.

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“This jury was incredibly thorough and took their time to make sure they made the right decision, both for Mr. Sheppard and for the defendant.”

Vickery added, “We are glad that they convicted her for the choice she made to take Mr. Sheppard away from his family.”

Skuce was found guilty of three counts of capital murder: murder for hire, murder of a witness, and murder committed by shooting into an occupied dwelling.

The Hartselle Police Department said Skuce offered to pay $30,000 to the hitman. Hartselle Police Department

Four other defendants have been charged with capital murder in connection with Sheppard’s death.

Delp was convicted of capital murder in October 2025, the DA’s office said. Another defendant has pleaded guilty, and two others are awaiting trial.

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Skuce will be imprisoned without the possibility of parole in the Alabama Department of Corrections.



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