It’s the most wonderful time of the year: college basketball season.
Thursday’s SEC women’s basketball media day, held at the Grand Bohemian Hotel right outside Birmingham, marked the unofficial start of the year and provided fans and media with an introduction to all 14 SEC coaches and the superstar players who will determine how this season of Southeastern Conference basketball will shake out.
The Alabama Crimson Tide was, as usual, a hot topic of discussion. From Texas A&M head coach and former Alabama star Joni Taylor lamenting over not landing current Alabama star Sara Ashlee Barker, to Tennessee senior wing Tess Darby insisting that “Rocky Top” is a better song than “Dixieland Delight,” the Crimson Tide was seemingly mentioned by everyone.
And for good reason. Head coach Kristy Curry has led her squad to two of the past three NCAA tournaments, marking the first such appearances for the school of the 21st century.
The Crimson Tide finished fifth in the SEC in 2023 before losing as a No. 10 seed to Baylor in the round of 64. Despite returning just five players from last year’s squad, the goal is to get back to the big dance.
“I don’t think we ever rebuild,” Curry said in her opening statement. “Our goal at Alabama is to always reload. We just signed the No. 12 class in the country. Our recruiting has been phenomenal. We are excited. I understand that we only return five, but the five that we return are very experienced and extremely talented [and] have played a tremendous amount of minutes.”
Among the five, two names stand out in particular. Seniors Barker and Loyal McQueen have emerged as leaders on this young Alabama team. Both made the trip to Birmingham, and both are extremely excited for this season.
“We can make some noise this year,” McQueen said.
Both players talked at length about the grit of this Alabama team.
“I want people to think of us as gritty,” Barker said. “That’s been our main focus.”
Curry has taken the focus one step further, highlighting the team’s motto for this season: “Grit, Love and Gratitude.”
If the team can embrace these three traits, the sky is the limit.
They have certainly shown love so far. Between the preseason trip the team took to Madrid to the regular team dinners they have at Curry’s house, the 11 athletes on the roster have all grown close with each other.
“This is the closest team I’ve been a part of,” McQueen said. “We’ve bonded tremendously off the court, and I definitely think that has to do with the 11 we have on the roster.”
It was a very eventful day for Alabama. Curry, McQueen and Barker were interviewed by countless reporters and outlets over the course of almost five hours.
Curry took time to talk about her star point guard.
“When you look at Loyal McQueen, it’s her time to shine and to lead our team at the point guard position,” Curry said. “She has tremendous experience from Georgia Tech, and then within our system the last year and a half. She played behind a winner and with a winner in Hannah Barber, and now it’s her time.”
Curry then talked about some of her other key players.
“Aaliyah Nye has really worked and improved her ability to be a three-level scorer. She’s the best shooter in my mind in the SEC,” Curry said. “And then you look at Karly Weathers, she might be the most improved on our team and has had an amazing offseason. … You look at Meg Newman, transfer from Arizona State, she was ranked 31st in the nation coming out of high school. You look at Jess Timmons from NC State — she’s good. I’m excited to watch her, she brings a lot to our backcourt. She’s big, physical, strong, and can really score it.”
There’s a lot to be excited about on this team, and that includes the freshmen. In particular, forward Essence Cody, ESPNW’s No. 22 player in the nation, has stood out among teammates.
“Her upside is tremendous,” McQueen said of the Valdosta, Georgia, native. “She can shoot the ball, she can drive the ball, she rebounds the ball great. I’m excited, I can’t wait to play with her.”
Home games will, for the eighth straight year, be played at Coleman Coliseum.
“It’s always so exciting to play there,” Vanderbilt forward and 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team selection Sacha Washington said. “You know, it’s a really good time. It’s a great environment. There’s so many fans, so I really enjoy playing there personally. It’s always been fun.”
Coleman will host many big-time games this year, but the Crimson Tide’s biggest game may actually come on the road, when it heads to Columbia, South Carolina, to take on the Gamecocks on Feb. 22.
Alabama is 0-21 against South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, but in recent years have gotten closer and closer to ending the streak.
“They were hard-fought games,” Staley said of the team’s recent battles. “It often came down to a possession or two in the fourth quarter. We won, but we walked away saying they were tough.”
Staley appreciates the fact that Alabama has emerged as a new rival for her Gamecocks, while also taking time to give credit to Curry.
“It’s Kristy Curry,” the Hall of Famer said when asked what led to Alabama’s turnaround. “She’s done an amazing job. She puts herself in a position to win basketball games.”
How many games can Alabama win this year? Can the Crimson Tide make it back to the tournament? Can Curry finally notch a win over Staley? And what happens when Angel Reese and the defending national champion LSU Tigers come to town on Jan. 18?
That all remains to be seen.
But Curry, McQueen, Barker and the rest of the Crimson Tide appear ready to take on all of the challenges this upcoming season will present.
