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Alabama Basketball History
By Chris Wright
Last Updated:
Alabama basketball will never match Alabama football in terms of history, prestige or number of national championships won.
But that doesn’t mean that the Crimson Tide can’t correctly call themselves one of the best basketball programs in the SEC, if not the country.
In 2024-25, the Crimson Tide advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 26th time in program history. It marked the fifth consecutive appearance under Nate Oats, who guided the Tide to their first Final Four in 2024.
Let’s dive deeper into the Crimson Tide’s basketball history.
How Many Times Has Alabama Made The NCAA Tournament?
In 2024-25, the Tide reached March Madness for the 26th time in program history. The only SEC teams with more NCAA Tournament appearances are Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri (most of which came before the Tigers joined the SEC).
Has Alabama Ever Won The NCAA Tournament?
Not yet, but the Tide reached the Final Four for the first time in 2024. The Tide lost to eventual champion UConn in the semifinals.
How Many Times Has Alabama Won The SEC Tournament?
Alabama has won the SEC Tournament eight times, most recently in 2023. Only Kentucky (31 titles through 2025) has won more SEC Tournament championships.
The Tide won the SEC Tournament in: 1934, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2021 and 2023.
How Many Alabama Players Have Won The SEC Player of The Year Award?
Six Alabama players have been named AP SEC Player of the Year. Reggie King won the award twice (1978, 1979).
- 2023: Brandon Miller
- 2021: Herbert Jones
- 2002: Erwin Dudley
- 1987: Derrick McKey
- 1979: Reggie King
- 1978: Reggie King
- 1973: Wendell Hudson
How Many First-Team All-Americans Has Alabama Had?
In 2025, Mark Sears became the second Alabama basketball player to capture first-team All-America honors. Brandon Miller (2023) was the first to do so.
Sears was named a second-team All-American in 2024.
Has Alabama Ever Been Ranked No. 1 in The AP Poll?
Yes, several times.
Alabama climbed to No. 1 for the first time during the 2002-03 season. The Tide spent 2 weeks at No. 1 before stumbling.
The 2022-23 team also reached No. 1 twice during the season. That team won the SEC regular-season title and the SEC Tournament. It lost in the Sweet 16.
Alabama’s Best Coaches
Four coaches have won 200 or more games at Alabama. A fifth, Nate Oats, is closing in on the 200-win mark. Here’s what you need to know about the four members of Alabama’s 200-win club.
Wimp Sanderson
Record at Alabama: 267-119 (.692)
Overall record: 352-177
Notable: Winfrey “Wimp” Sanderson remains the winningest coach in program history. He was forced to resign after the 1992 season in which he set the record and led Alabama to the NCAA Tournament for the 9th time in his 12 years.
Hank Crisp
Record at Alabama: 264-133 (.665)
Notable: In addition to setting the coaching record for most wins (which Sanderson broke), Crisp also was an assistant coach on the football team. He also served as Alabama’s Athletic Director from 1954-1957 and was one of the men who helped bring Bear Bryant back to Alabama for the 1958 season.
CM Newton
Record at Alabama: 211-123 (.632)
Overall record: 340-238
Notable: Newton was a successful coach, winning 20 games 6 times and reaching the NCAA Tournament twice, mostly in an era before multiple bids were awarded to a conference. He led the Tide to SEC regular-season titles in 1974, 1975 and 1976. But his contributions extended far beyond winning games. In 1968, Newton signed Wendell Hudson, the first Black scholarship player to play any sport at Alabama.
Newton resigned after the 1980 season to become an assistant commissioner in the SEC.
He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2000 for his contributions to the game of basketball.
Mark Gottfried
Record at Alabama: 210-131 (.616)
Overall record: 438-292
Notable: Gottfried won 20 games 5 times as Alabama’s coach and led the Tide to the NCAA Tournament 5 times. He resigned in the middle of the 2008-09 season, which was his 11th as the head coach.
Gottfried played at Alabama under Wimp Sanderson, averaging 10.3 points as a senior in 1987.
Alabama’s All-Time Starting Five
Point guard: Mark Sears
Is he more of an undersized combo guard? Absolutely. But he’s the most electric offensive player in Alabama history and recently was honored as the second Crimson Tide player to be named a first-team All-American. Sears started his college career at Ohio and is finishing his third and final season with the Tide. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Sears is fourth all-time in scoring (1,876 points). Barring an upset loss early in NCAA Tournament, he likely will finish his career in second place. Current runner-up Eddie Phillips scored 1,937. Reggie King is Alabama’s all-time leading scorer with 2,168 points.
Shooting guard: John Petty
How better to punish teams trying to hedge and stop Sears’ driving than teaming him with Alabama’s all-time leading 3-point shooter? Petty was the perfect kick-out option. He made at least 75 3-pointers in 3 different seasons for the Tide. He wasn’t simply a volume shooter, either. Petty’s 3-point field goal percentage of 38.2 is second all-time in program history.
Small forward: Reggie King
King set Alabama’s all-time scoring record of 2,168 points during his senior season in 1978-79. He remains the only Crimson Tide player to score 2,000 career points — though Sears is 124 points away entering the NCAA Tournament. He was more than just a scorer. King also averaged 10.8 rebounds during his career and is tied for No. 2 with 1,279 rebounds. That makes him the only 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound player in Alabama history.
King is the only player in program history to win the SEC Player of the Year award twice.
Power forward: Jerry Harper
Times certainly were different in the 1950s, when the 6-8 Harper played center for the Tide. We’ll moved him to a more natural spot on this team.
Harper averaged 20.0 points and 18.3 rebounds in his Tide career. Both are program records. He’s Alabama’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,688 and ranks No. 7 in scoring with 1,861 points. The only reason he isn’t in the 2,000/1,000 club with King is that Harper’s teams didn’t play enough games in the 1950s.
Center: Leon Douglas
Douglas, at 6-10, 230, is a more traditional fit at center. He also was quite the player, earning second-team All-America honors during his junior year in 1974-75.
He averaged 17.2 points and 11.5 points during his Tide career. Sears soon will pass him, but Douglas ranks No. 3 on the Tide’s all-time scoring list with 1,909 points and No. 2 in rebounds with 1,279.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
