<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2iTutu_0vlNVsHt00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2iTutu_0vlNVsHt00" width="1320" height="743" ><p>TUSCALOOSA, AL (WBMA) — The 2024 NCAA Basketball season is fast approaching.</p><p>On Thursday, the Tide hit the hardwood for their first official practice of the season.</p><p>Last season, the Crimson Tide finished with a record of 25-12, going all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell short of their championship aspirations when they lost to the eventual Champions, UCONN 86-72.</p><p>That Bama team, coached by Nate Oats, and led by guard Mark Sears, enters this year hoping to pick back up where they left off.</p><p>"It's helpful to have leadership and experience, it's been great, and you know I think it's going to help us in the long run," Coach Oats told the media on Thursday.</p><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QwMWN2wuglg?enablejsapi=1&version=3&playerapiid=ytplayer" frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div><p>The team features five returners, including NCAA tournament standouts, Mark Sears, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and Grant Nelson.</p><p>The team also features some new transfers expected to make a huge impact for the team, two of them being Rutgers 7-footer, and 2-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team Clifford Omoruyi, and 2024 co-Player of the Year and 2024 First-team All-AAC Player of the Year guard Chris Youngblood.</p><p>Youngblood currently is recovering from an ankle injury but is expected to return by conference play, Oats says.</p><p>Derrion Reid and Naas Cunningham are also two more players who are injured, but Oats says Reid's injury is week-to-week, and Cunningham's injury is day-to-day.</p><p>Mark Sears and Clifford Omoruyi talked about their first practice experiences and playing with one another.</p><p>You can view their interview here.</p><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WtrXKmKMMbQ?enablejsapi=1&version=3&playerapiid=ytplayer" frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div></div></body>

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Alabama basketball starts practice: Oats, Sears, and more talk season expectations

TUSCALOOSA, AL (WBMA) — The 2024 NCAA Basketball season is fast approaching. On Thursday, the Tide hit the hardwood for their first official practice of the season. Last season, the Crimson Tide finished with a record of 25-12, going all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell short of their championship aspirations when they lost to the eventual Champions, UCONN 86-72.