Alabama basketball was able to add some major size this offseason after consistently struggling on the glass last year.
Former Kentucky star Brandon Garrison announced his commitment to Alabama in April, and the big man is expected to make an instant impact on the boards across 2026. The Tide were able to land forwards Drew Fielder and Jamarion Davis-Fleming from the portal as well, and the trio should bring a level of physicality that the team as a whole was lacking in 2025.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats took a moment to comment on the three transfer big men prior to tomorrow’s season opener against Sam Houston.
“Drew, Jamarion and Brandon would be the three you’re mainly talking about.” Oats said. “I think they are all different. The point of bringing in all three of them is they are versatile enough to play the way we want to play on offense. They can play on the perimeter, they can run, they are athletic. Fielder probably shoots the best out of all three of them, Brandon probably passes the best out of all three of them. And then Jamarion is probably the best overall defender. He’s had some really big time rebound days in practice. He’s got to do it without fouling, he gets in the game and fouls too much. We got to keep him out of foul trouble, but all of them have the size to be able to rebound and add significantly better than what we did last year. All of them can kind of play four or fives, you have two of those three together or you can put one of them with a guy like Keitenn. We’ve got a lot of versatility in the front court.”
The Tide were ranked 111th nationally in rebounds per game last season with 40.7. Garrison, Fielder and Davis-Fleming were massive pickups who bring elite size and veteran experience to Alabama’s front court, and the trio will likely find themselves constantly on the court throughout Tuesday’s opener.
Alabama will kickoff the 2026-27 campaign against Sam Houston at Coleman Coliseum tomorrow night.
