Alabama

Rick Barnes wanted a timeout before Jahmai Mashack's buzzer-beater against Alabama

Published

10 months ago

March 1, 2025

Rick Barnes wanted a timeout before Jahmai Mashack's buzzer-beater against Alabama

Rick Barnes motioned for Jahmai Mashack to hurry. As soon as Tennessee’s senior guard got across midcourt, Barnes turned to the official running down the floor and yelled timeout — and got ignored.

No. 5 Tennessee and No. 6 Alabama were tied at 76. Mashack had just taken the inbound pass with 3.8 seconds left, a play that was designed to get the ball back to point guard Zakai Zeigler, who threw the ball in.

But when Alabama’s defense denied Zeigler, he went down the floor looking for the same timeout his coach was trying to call. When it wasn’t being granted, Zeigler turned toward the official and signaled for it with his hands.

Zeigler jumped up and down to no avail. Barnes threw his hands up in the air.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, Mashack stopped on a dime with 0.7 seconds left, pulled up for a long-range three and made a shot that no Tennessee Basketball fan will soon forget in the 79-76 thriller at Food City Center.

The head coach never saw the shot go in. Neither did his senior point guard.

“I was calling time out,” Barnes said during his press conference after the win. “I didn’t see the play.”

When did he know the shot went in?

“When the crowd went nuts,” Barnes said, drawing a laugh.

Jahmai Mashack vs. Alabama: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists

It was Mashack who had tied the game at the foul line with 30.6 seconds left, capping an unthinkable four-point Tennessee possession just when it looked like Alabama had put the game away in the final minute.

Chaz Lanier started it with a baseline drive with the Vols down 76-72, making a shot and getting fouled. He missed the foul shot that followed, but Mashack drew a foul chasing the rebound and made both foul shots in the double bonus.

Tennessee’s defense got a stop on the other end, but a tie-up with 3.8 seconds left gave the ball back to Alabama with the possession arrow pointing to the Crimson Tide. The Vols forced a five-second violation, though, to get the ball back and set up Mashack’s miracle.

“I had a chance to call a timeout,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “Coaches can call timeouts on the underneath out-of-bounds play and at four (seconds), I should have called it. I thought we were getting it in and that’s on me.”

Tennessee’s final play started with miscommunication before Zeigler even threw the ball into Mashack. As the players were going back onto the floor after the timeout, Barnes tried to yell to Mashack to get the ball up the court and call time.

But that’s not the message that was received.

“It was funny,” Mashack said, “I usually look over at coach to see like what he wants. So we get into our little, ladder drill and ladder play, and he’s mouthing something to me and I didn’t know what it was.

“And so in my head, I said, ‘Oh, he wants me to shoot the ball, so I’m going to shoot the ball. But he was really trying to say, if I catch it and I pass it up or I dribble it up, call time out.”

Good thing Mashack never looked over to see what Barnes was doing on the sideline as the he brought the ball up the floor.

“Right when I got the ball and I seen ‘Z’ was denied,” Mashack said, “I’m like, yeah, I’m shooting this. I was just feeling good. I felt like I was going to hit the shot and that’s what happened.”

“I made one good coaching move today,” Barnes added, “I didn’t tell the referee I was going to call timeout. I normally tell them and they would probably have given it to me. But I’m screaming and, really, I did not see the shot.”

Rick Barnes: Jahmai Mashack has ‘been through it … knows what it’s about’

Mashack finished with 11 points in 34 minutes for Tennessee (24-5, 11-5 SEC). He added six rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two steals to go with one legendary shot. Lanier had 18 and Zeigler had 11.

“I’m happy for Jahmai,” Barnes said. “He’s been just incredible with everything. I mean, he exemplifies everything that you want in a player, a person, a great family.”

He was everything Barnes wanted on the floor late in the game, too. And it paid off.

“To be frank, (the) coaches were asking if I want to go big,” Barnes said. “I said I want Shack on the court, I want him out there. Because he’s been through a lot. This time of year, he knows what it’s about.”

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Alabama

Alabama Farmers Federation endorses Kristin Nelson for House District 38

Published

12 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Alabama Farmers Federation endorses Kristin Nelson for House District 38

The Alabama Farmers Federation has endorsed Kristin Nelson in the upcoming special election for Alabama House District 38, a seat left vacant following the resignation of Rep. Debbie Wood (R-Valley). The district includes portions of Chambers and Lee counties.

Nelson recently secured the Republican nomination after winning a runoff election. The special general election is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3.

“Kristin Nelson is a well-respected community leader in Chambers County, and we are proud to endorse her,” said Jason McKay, president of the Chambers County Farmers Federation. “We know she will represent us well in Montgomery and ensure District 38 gets the attention it needs in the business and agricultural arenas.”

Support for Nelson’s candidacy also came from farmers in neighboring Lee County. “Kristin Nelson is a strong conservative with incredible knowledge of House District 38,” said Robert Walters, president of the Lee County Farmers Federation. “There is no doubt she will work hard and represent the people of Lee and Chambers counties well in the Legislature.”

Nelson grew up along the Chambers-Lee county line and brings experience from both the public and private sectors. Her background includes seven years in city administration with the City of Valley and three years as a third-grade teacher with Lanett City Schools.

She has also been active in homeschooling through Classical Conversations, where she has served as both a tutor and a local representative supporting other families.

In addition to returning to part-time work with Harris Gray LLC, Nelson serves as worship leader at Fairfax Methodist Church, secretary of the Junior Variety Club and president of the EAMC Lanier Auxiliary Board.

She also founded the Chambers County Young Republicans and currently serves as the chair of the Chambers County Republican Party.

“The farmers of this district and I share the same strong work ethic and conservative values,” said Nelson. “It is an honor to have their support and to be able to represent them and all the people of this district in Montgomery.”

Nelson and her husband, Jeff, live in the Huguley community with their two teenage sons.

The Alabama Farmers Federation is the state’s largest farm organization, representing more than 360,000 member families. The organization uses a grassroots endorsement process that relies on decisions made by county Farmers Federation boards of directors in local elections.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].

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Alabama

Tuberville officially files for 2026 Alabama governor’s race

Published

24 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Tuberville officially files for 2026 Alabama governor’s race

HOOVER, Ala. (WSFA) – Senator Tommy Tuberville officially filed the paperwork to run for governor at the Alabama Republican Party Headquarters in Hoover Monday morning.

“I want to make the lives of the people of this state better,” said Sen. Tuberville. “If I thought that staying in the U.S. Senate would be best for Alabama, I would’ve stayed. but I think the best thing for Alabama is for me to come back.”

He talked about the need to grow Alabama’s economy, with attracting manufacturers being a primary focus. Sen. Tuberville said that to do that, he would focus on improving the state’s infrastructure and making the state’s education and workforce systems more attractive to new residents.

When asked about cutting waste, fraud and abuse, a focus of his time in Washington, D.C., alongside President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Sen. Tuberville said, he expects to make changes if elected governor.

“You have a lot of different agencies here, we want to make them all better,” he said. “We also want to make sure that we save the taxpayers’ money, that we use it wisely and we give it back to them.”

The former Auburn football coach said he did not expect to go into politics, but now, he is ready to transition from national to state politics.

“It’s time to come home, put together a staff and worry about the state of Alabama and the people here,” he said.

According to Alabama’s constitution, someone running for governor has to have lived in the state for at least seven years. Some have questioned whether Sen. Tuberville fits that requirement. He said during the candidacy filing that the Republican Party of Alabama says he does fulfill the requirement.

The filing deadline for candidates to qualify for a major political party is Jan. 23.

Alabama’s Democratic primary has the following candidates:

Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones
Dr. Will Boyd – businessman and engineer
JaMel Brown – pastor and talk show host
Chad ‘Chig’ Martin – businessowner

Alabama’s Republican Primary has the following candidates:

Sen. Tommy Tuberville
Ken McFeeters – former congressional candidate

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Alabama

Who has Alabama football lost in the transfer portal so far?

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Who has Alabama football lost in the transfer portal so far?

Alabama football has already seen some of its roster clear out via the transfer portal in the days following its loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. The Crimson Tide will likely see more attrition in the coming days, with players allowed to enter through Jan. 16.

As of Monday morning, 15 Alabama players had entered the portal. Here’s a look at what the Crimson Tide is losing via transfer.

Cam Calhoun

The Utah transfer was a backup cornerback for the Crimson Tide this season. He played a major role on special teams but had trouble cracking the lineup on defense for Alabama.

Calhoun began his college career at Michigan

Rico Scott

Scott was perhaps the fastest receiver on the team, but there were too many players on the depth chart ahead of him. Scott finished the year with 11 catches for 55 yards.

Keon Keeley

When he arrived in Tuscaloosa, Keeley was one of the nation’s top recruits, at the edge position. After a year with the Tide, he moved over to the more traditional defensive end spot that Kane Wommack calls the “bandit.”

Keeley finally was able to make an impact on the field this year after two season on the bench. He likely could have played an increased role with LT Overton off to the NFL, but opted to portal instead.

Wilkin Formby

Formby moved around in Alabama’s lineup during the 2025 season, his first as a full-time starter. He began the year at tackle, but wound up playing right guard as Michael Carroll took over the outside spot.

Cole Adams

Adams was the Crimson Tide’s primary punt returner. However, he didn’t have much of a role at wide receiver.

The Oklahoma native had five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown this season.

Micah DeBose

DeBose joined Alabama as a highly touted recruit before the 2025 season. He saw action in just one game for the Crimson Tide this year, against Eastern Illinois.

Peter Notaro

The Alabama kicking game was an issue at times during the 2025 season. Notaro battled with Conor Talty for the starting job in preseason camp, but Talty eventually earned the spot.

Notaro was a five-star kicker in the 2025 recruiting class according to Kohl’s.

Noah Carter

Carter was a four-star edge recruit for the Crimson Tide ahead of the 2024 season. He redshirted that season, but got more action in 2025.

He finished the year with nine total tackles before deciding to find greener pastures.

Olaus Alinen

Alinen was not a major part of what was an extremely large offensive line rotation this season. The member of Alabama’s 2023 recruiting class earned the most praise from coaches due to his versatility, with the native of Finland able to play both guard and tackle.

Jalen Hale

Hale was a contributor at receiver in 2023, before a major leg injury cost him the 2024 campaign. He returned in 2025, but wasn’t able to get significant playing time at receiver given the amount of talent ahead of him.

Joseph Ionata

Ionata was listed as Alabama’s backup center during the 2025 season. However, when it came down to it, Geno VanDeMark slid to the spot if Parker Brailsford needed to leave the field.

The redshirt freshman did see some playing time on special teams.

Jaylen Mbakwe

Mbakwe joined Alabama as a five-star prospect in the 2024 class and proceeded to have an interesting career in Tuscaloosa. He spent most of 2024 as a defensive back, before deciding to enter the transfer portal, then backing out and switching to wide receiver before the ReliaQuest Bowl.

He stuck at wideout for 2025, without seeing major playing time at that position.

Richard Young

Some turnover among Alabama’s running backs came as no surprise. Young was thought of as a potential starter at running back, but got lost in a struggling rotation.

He finished 2025 with 23 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

Roq Montgomery

Montgomery did not see the field during the 2025 season. He had been a special teams contributor in 2024, and saw some snaps on the offensive line as well.

Kam Howard

Howard spent two seasons as a cornerback in Tuscaloosa after transferring in from Charlotte. He didn’t play much in 2025, finishing the year with two tackles.

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