Let the arms race begin for Alabama basketball. Coming so close to a return trip to the Final Four might sting for a while, but if the Crimson Tide wants to make it a step further next year, the rebuilding process starts now.

College basketball’s transfer window is already in full swing and will remain open until April 22. And boy does the Tide have some work to do.

Alabama is set to lose four of its starters, as Mark Sears, Chris Youngblood, Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi are all out of eligibility. Labaron Philon might make it 5-for-5 if the talented freshman elects to pursue a professional career in the next few months.

With Nate Oats at the helm, the Tide should be able to rebuild a talented roster through the portal. However, the head coach and his staff have little time to waste when it comes to retooling their arsenal.

Here’s a look at a to-do list for the Tide as it looks to make another deep tournament run next year.

Alabama has already been linked to several high-profile players in the transfer portal. Before the Tide can get excited about possible additions, it has to focus on keeping some of its budding stars.

Alabama will probably look to bring in another big, but Oats will be hard-pressed to find a center better suited for his system than Aiden Sherrell. The 6-foot-10 rising sophomore showed off his emerging 3-point stroke during Saturday’s loss to Duke and should continue to improve down low in his second season.

Meanwhile, there isn’t a player who better embodies Alabama’s blue-collar approach than Mo Dioubate. Not only would the rising junior be a key contributor to next year’s team, but he would also be one of the biggest leaders in the locker room. The latter will be especially important with the departures of Sears, Nelson, Youngblood and Omoruyi.

One of the biggest names in the portal played his high school ball 15 minutes away from Coleman Coliseum. Paul Bryant High School alumn Adrian Wooley would be a fan favorite if the Tide could bring him home. The Kennesaw State transfer would also be a plug-in starter and a perfect fit for Alabama’s 3-heavy approach.

Wooley earned first-team All-Conference USA honors as a true freshman this past season, averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 42.2% from deep. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard would add more length to the Tide’s backcourt while also replacing the 3-point production lost by Sears and Youngblood.

Alabama made the cut for Wooley’s final four schools along with Auburn, Louisville and Kansas. At the moment, the Tide looks to be the favorite from that bunch.

Wooley figures to be the top name on Alabama’s transfer list, but the Tide will need to bring in a few more key reinforcements to retool its roster.

First up on that list is Taylor Bol Bowen, who will be visiting Alabama. The Florida State transfer averaged 8.0 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the floor and 41.4% from deep during his sophomore season last year. At 6-foot-10, 195 pounds, he’d be a nice replacement for Nelson while also having the length to play as a small five when needed.

Another smart addition would be guard Jalil Bethea. The Miami transfer has Alabama in his final four teams, along with N.C. State, Kansas State and a return to the Hurricanes. Bethea was the No. 7 overall player in last year’s recruiting class and averaged 7.1 points over 19.0 minutes per game over his freshman season. At 6-foot-5, with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, he’d add serve as a capable defender while adding more depth to the Tide’s backcourt.

Jarin Stevenson’s combination of size and skill has the potential to frustrate opponents. More often than not, though, it has that effect on Alabama fans.

Stevenson failed to score in Saturday’s loss to Duke, going 0-for-2 from the floor with just two rebounds over 15 minutes. The 6-foot-11, 215-pound forward managed just 6 combined points in Alabama’s four NCAA Tournament games, shooting a dismal 0-for-6 from deep during that span.

Still, he’s shown flashes of greatness. It’s easy to write off Stevenson until you remember his 19 points on 5 of 8 shooting during last year’s Elite Eight win over Clemson.

That’s why Oats has yet to give up on tapping into the forward’s potential.

“We just need to keep pumping him full of confidence,” Oats said. “He’s a kid that he doesn’t even know how good he is. When you talk to him, he has no idea. I mean, I think he should be a long-time NBA player. We’ve just got to realize he’s young and pump him full of confidence and get him going because he could be an X-factor for us for sure.”

Stevenson started 22 games over 37 appearances this season, averaging 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 42.9% from the floor and 30.7% from deep. He showed his high ceiling with a career-high 22-point game at Texas as well as a 16-point showing against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. If he returns to Alabama next season, the Tide will need to get more of those performances out of him on a consistent basis.

“He’s got all the tools,” Nelson said. “It’s right there for him. He’s young. He’s got a lot of development to go through, but he’s got a ton of potential. I super excited for what his future holds.

Alabama could have been on its way to San Antonio had Latrell Wrightsell not suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in November. The graduate guard still needs to decide on his future, but he is eligible to be granted a medical redshirt from the NCAA.

If Wrightsell elects to return to Alabama for his final season, he’d provide a much-needed veteran presence as well as a lights-out shooter from deep. Before getting injured, the sharpshooting guard hit 42.2% of his 3-point attempts. That’s after shooting 44.7% from beyond the arc last season.

While Wrightsell would certainly be one of the Tide’s best players next season, it might make sense to play him off the bench. That would allow him to ease his way back onto the court following the injury while also giving Alabama a potential back-breaking weapon against winded opponents. Regardless of how Alabama uses Wrightsell, it needs to ensure he’s healthy for next season’s tournament run.

Hey, why not save the most ambitious goal for last? Alabama has roughly $800,000 off the books now that Sears has moved on. If the Tide’s boosters can generate those funds again this offseason it’d be worth throwing a bag Philon’s way in order to convince the talented freshman to return.

Philon is viewed as a fringe first-rounder in this year’s NBA Draft. His 16 points, five rebounds and three assists against Duke didn’t do anything to hurt his stock either. Still, it’s not yet a certainty that Philon will secure a guaranteed contract at the next level. And with his talent, another year at Alabama could turn him into a lottery pick in a year’s time.

“Really I don’t know what I’m going to do right now,” Philon said following Saturday night’s game. “I don’t know if I’m going to enter the draft or come back. I’ve got to talk to the coaches and the program first and just put that all together. Before I make that decision, I’m going to talk with everyone around the program and see what’s best for me.”

Philon earned Freshman All-SEC honors this season, starting 29 of 37 games while averaging 10.6 points, 3.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals. If the former Rivals100 guard elects to return, he would easily be the most complete player on the roster.

Now it’s just about Alabama making it worth his while.

I don’t know what was more intimidating during my trip to Newark this week, Duke’s star-studded roster or the cocktail prices during my trip to the city. Cooper Flagg is going to be in for a big payday after he goes No. 1 overall in this year’s NBA draft. However, the Duke forward is going to need every last dollar if Brooklyn gets the top pick.

To commemorate Alabama’s trip to the tri-state area, I’m going with a New York classic for our drink of the week. Better yet, I’ll show you how to stir it up yourself so you can save $25.

There are differences in how to make a Manhattan, but in my opinion this is how it’s done. Start with two ounces of rye whiskey, an ounce of sweet vermouth and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. Shake over ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry and enjoy.

Cheers!

(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)

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