BREAK: Alabama star takes credit for basketball team’s success
Since Nate Oats became the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the basketball program has experienced a revival. They’ve secured two SEC regular season titles, two tournament titles, achieved the best record in school history, and recently reached their first Final Four.
Many credit this success to Collin Sexton, who agrees with this assessment. Sexton was a key recruit for former coach Avery Johnson. During his single season at Alabama in 2017-18, the team made it to the NCAA Tournament once, but this period is often seen as the spark for the program’s current success.
“I’m excited to see how far we’ve come. It all started with me getting there and setting things in motion,” Sexton told AL.com. “Sometimes, someone has to be the pioneer.”
Sexton unabashedly took credit for Alabama’s rise.
“I’m taking all the credit,” he said. “I was one of the first top-five, top-10 players to choose Alabama in a long time. Most top recruits went to established powerhouses, but I wanted to be different. I wanted a school where I could be myself, and Avery Johnson was an amazing coach.”
Considering the state of Alabama basketball at the time of Sexton’s arrival, his influence is undeniable. The program had just let go of Anthony Grant and had minimal success in recent years, aside from an Elite Eight appearance under Mark Gottfried in 2004.
Sexton was later drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers, paving the way for players like Herb Jones, who won SEC Player of the Year under Oats and was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans. Brandon Miller, another one-and-done player, was the No. 2 overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets and made the NBA All-Rookie team.
Now, there is talk of the Tide potentially winning their first national championship, with Oats possibly having the best team in the country. Sexton’s impact on Alabama basketball is likened to Julio Jones’ influence on Alabama football under Nick Saban. Jones, the top recruit in Alabama at the time, chose to play for Saban, leading other top players to follow and resulting in multiple national championships and numerous NFL stars.