I assume at this point the roster is set so I'm going to post an analysis of the team. This analysis is my opinion and I don't make any claims to being an expert. I'm just a guy that has enjoyed Bama basketball since the early 80's. You may see things differently so feel free to agree or disagree and we will have a good discussion about this year's team.
John Petty - Improved tremendously last year. His big problem had been consistency and confidence. CNO and staff did a fantastic job of turning Petty into a confident, consistent player. Now it is time to make that next step where Petty becomes the guy that can carry the team on his shoulders, be a leader. At times Petty is still a little too "cool" and he needs a little more fire like Sexton had. If he can make that next step Petty definitely has potential to be a NBA player.
Jahvon Quinerly - I don't know much about other than he was highly recruited coming out of high school and CNO has had some very positive comments about him and the way he practiced last year. He is being counted on to step in and pick up the slack left by Kira Lewis which is a tall order. Kira is probably more under-rated than most realize, the kid was very, very good so JQ may not be the guy that can score 25-30 points a game like Kira could but he probably won't have to with the talent surrounding him. Just a guess but I suspect JQ may be a more accomplished PG than Kira was. Kira was a tremendously talented athlete but not always the best PG. Given that he already has a year of practice in CNO's system I think JQ will step right in and do well immediately.
Jaden Shackelford - I'm not going to say much about Shack, he's a stud that should only get better. This could be his last season at the capstone.
Josh Primo - Early projections have him as a NBA draft pick next year. I hope he is as good as advertised. This will be an exciting team to watch if Primo is as good as advertised.
Keon Ellis - I don't know much about Keon other than he looks like a CNO type of player, long, athletic, and can shoot. He was a good pickup and I think he will contribute a lot to the team this year.
Herbert Jones - We've all been waiting for this year because this should be the year that Jones puts it all together and shows why so many folks have been projecting him as a 1st round draft pick since his freshman season. He was looking good last year and then he got injured. After he came back he was looking good again, and then was injured again which basically ended his season even though he played some near the end. The defensive part of Herb's game has been fantastic from the beginning but it was offense that needed improvement. We've seen flashes of what he can do now hopefully he can put it together this year and remain injury free. If that happens Herb is a 1st round NBA draft pick.
Keon Ambrose-Hylton - I don't know much about him other than he was a fairly highly rated recruit that looks like a CNO type of player. Depending on how deep we decide to go with the roster I could see him and Miles both redshirting given the amount of talent we have on the team. But injuries could mean playing time this year or perhaps he is too good to keep him on the bench and is part of the rotation. Time will tell but next year I'm expecting big things from him.
Alex Reese - I was halfway expect Reese to transfer given the way last season ended for him but to his credit he came back and I interpret that to mean that CNO wanted him back since others were obviously encouraged to look elsewhere. Reese can be a very valuable weapon and hopefully he has worked on being more mentally tough. I do think Reese is probably the 8-9-10 option off the bench most of the time because we have so many more athletic players on the team now that we did last year. But Reese is one of those guys that can come in and light it up from 3 on any given night so he definitely has a valuable role to play.
Juwan Gary - I know very little about Gary other than he is was fairly highly recruited and is supposed to be a very athletic big body guy. I think he will be very rusty early on and will probably be one near the end of the depth chart along with Hylton and Miles. Unless one of those two are clearly better than Gary, I would expect Gary to get playing time before they do since he had a medical redshirt last season. He is another guy that I will looking for more out of next season than this season.
James Rojas - I was very excited about Rojas last year and I thought he would have been a day 1 starter until the knee injury ended his season before it even started. Now with the influx of talent I think Rojas is probably a part-time starter but a regular contributor. Our big guys this year are light years ahead of last year with Bruner, Rojas, Gary, and Tchikou.
Darius Miles - I could be wrong but I think Miles may wind up redshirting this year due to the talent we have on the roster and playing time may be hard to come by. But Miles seems to be yet another player that is a great fit for CNO's system so next year Miles will be a regular in the rotation.
Jordan Bruner - Huge get for CNO. I was so excited when we got Bruner to sign with us. His numbers weren't bad but they weren't great either although I think that may have been due to the system he was in at Yale. Against some big-time competition he put up some impressive numbers so obviously the kid can play. In CNO's system I can see Bruner having a great year and being an important part of returning Bama basketball back to where we all want it to be.
Alex Tchikou - Another huge get for CNO. His potential is unbelievable. It will be interesting to see how much he can develop in 1 season or if he will need 2 seasons to reach his potential but I believe this kid is going to be exciting watch. My guess is he will be at Bama for 2 seasons at most before he moves on to the next level.
- G John Petty
- G Jahvon Quinerly
- G Jaden Shackelford
- G Josh Primo
- G Keon Ellis
- G/F Herbert Jones
- F Keon Ambrose-Hylton
- F Alex Reese
- F Juwan Gary
- F James Rojas
- F Darius Miles
- F Jordan Bruner
- F Alex Tchikou
John Petty - Improved tremendously last year. His big problem had been consistency and confidence. CNO and staff did a fantastic job of turning Petty into a confident, consistent player. Now it is time to make that next step where Petty becomes the guy that can carry the team on his shoulders, be a leader. At times Petty is still a little too "cool" and he needs a little more fire like Sexton had. If he can make that next step Petty definitely has potential to be a NBA player.
Jahvon Quinerly - I don't know much about other than he was highly recruited coming out of high school and CNO has had some very positive comments about him and the way he practiced last year. He is being counted on to step in and pick up the slack left by Kira Lewis which is a tall order. Kira is probably more under-rated than most realize, the kid was very, very good so JQ may not be the guy that can score 25-30 points a game like Kira could but he probably won't have to with the talent surrounding him. Just a guess but I suspect JQ may be a more accomplished PG than Kira was. Kira was a tremendously talented athlete but not always the best PG. Given that he already has a year of practice in CNO's system I think JQ will step right in and do well immediately.
Jaden Shackelford - I'm not going to say much about Shack, he's a stud that should only get better. This could be his last season at the capstone.
Josh Primo - Early projections have him as a NBA draft pick next year. I hope he is as good as advertised. This will be an exciting team to watch if Primo is as good as advertised.
Keon Ellis - I don't know much about Keon other than he looks like a CNO type of player, long, athletic, and can shoot. He was a good pickup and I think he will contribute a lot to the team this year.
Herbert Jones - We've all been waiting for this year because this should be the year that Jones puts it all together and shows why so many folks have been projecting him as a 1st round draft pick since his freshman season. He was looking good last year and then he got injured. After he came back he was looking good again, and then was injured again which basically ended his season even though he played some near the end. The defensive part of Herb's game has been fantastic from the beginning but it was offense that needed improvement. We've seen flashes of what he can do now hopefully he can put it together this year and remain injury free. If that happens Herb is a 1st round NBA draft pick.
Keon Ambrose-Hylton - I don't know much about him other than he was a fairly highly rated recruit that looks like a CNO type of player. Depending on how deep we decide to go with the roster I could see him and Miles both redshirting given the amount of talent we have on the team. But injuries could mean playing time this year or perhaps he is too good to keep him on the bench and is part of the rotation. Time will tell but next year I'm expecting big things from him.
Alex Reese - I was halfway expect Reese to transfer given the way last season ended for him but to his credit he came back and I interpret that to mean that CNO wanted him back since others were obviously encouraged to look elsewhere. Reese can be a very valuable weapon and hopefully he has worked on being more mentally tough. I do think Reese is probably the 8-9-10 option off the bench most of the time because we have so many more athletic players on the team now that we did last year. But Reese is one of those guys that can come in and light it up from 3 on any given night so he definitely has a valuable role to play.
Juwan Gary - I know very little about Gary other than he is was fairly highly recruited and is supposed to be a very athletic big body guy. I think he will be very rusty early on and will probably be one near the end of the depth chart along with Hylton and Miles. Unless one of those two are clearly better than Gary, I would expect Gary to get playing time before they do since he had a medical redshirt last season. He is another guy that I will looking for more out of next season than this season.
James Rojas - I was very excited about Rojas last year and I thought he would have been a day 1 starter until the knee injury ended his season before it even started. Now with the influx of talent I think Rojas is probably a part-time starter but a regular contributor. Our big guys this year are light years ahead of last year with Bruner, Rojas, Gary, and Tchikou.
Darius Miles - I could be wrong but I think Miles may wind up redshirting this year due to the talent we have on the roster and playing time may be hard to come by. But Miles seems to be yet another player that is a great fit for CNO's system so next year Miles will be a regular in the rotation.
Jordan Bruner - Huge get for CNO. I was so excited when we got Bruner to sign with us. His numbers weren't bad but they weren't great either although I think that may have been due to the system he was in at Yale. Against some big-time competition he put up some impressive numbers so obviously the kid can play. In CNO's system I can see Bruner having a great year and being an important part of returning Bama basketball back to where we all want it to be.
Alex Tchikou - Another huge get for CNO. His potential is unbelievable. It will be interesting to see how much he can develop in 1 season or if he will need 2 seasons to reach his potential but I believe this kid is going to be exciting watch. My guess is he will be at Bama for 2 seasons at most before he moves on to the next level.
