The University of Alabama’s class of 2024 has overcome adversity throughout its time at the Capstone, and the past four years have been quite the ride.
The years of 2020-2022 were hectic with masking, quarantine and social distancing. When all felt bleak, sports seemed to take a back seat. For many students, ensuring their own health and that of their families was a higher priority.
For much of the 2020 football season, Bryant-Denny Stadium was at limited capacity and most fans watched from the safety of their homes. However, when the football team won the national championship, the Strip still flooded with college students celebrating the victory.
“It was great to witness a championship in that tough time,” graduate student Connor Hollingsworth said.
For once, life at UA felt normal again. People were happy, celebrating the Crimson Tide’s 18th national championship in football program history.
This championship celebration began a long chain of success in multiple sports at Alabama, not just football. This included a revival of the men’s basketball team, which had recently been seen as an afterthought.
“When I came my freshman year, basketball was a sideshow,” Hollingsworth said, adding, “It was sad watching us lose in the NIT to Norfolk State at home.”
Even before the pandemic, games were sparsely attended. This would soon change, though.
In 2019, University of Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne decided to hire former University of Buffalo men’s basketball coach Nate Oats to replace outgoing Avery Johnson.
At the time, Buffalo had been a resurgent program. It had just come off a 2018-19 campaign where it went 32-4 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, eventually losing to Texas Tech.
Byrne saw his moment to grab the next men’s basketball coach for The University of Alabama. His decision has paid off.
“I’m a senior at Alabama. In my 4 years at The Capstone I’ve seen: 1x CFB National Championship, 1x Final Four, 3x CFP Appearances, 3x SEC Football Champions, 2x SEC MBB Tournament Champions, 2x SEC MBB Regular Season Champions, 1x Heisman Trophy Winner,” Blake Lester said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Since 2019, Nate Oats has turned Alabama basketball around. In 2021 and 2023, he led the team to Sweet 16 appearances featuring stars such as John Petty Jr., Noah Clowney and second overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft Brandon Miller. In 2022, he led the team to the NCAA Tournament.
Before the 2024 NCAA Tournament, there was decent optimism around the program. While the season had taken a downturn compared with the hot start, there were still glimmers of hope for the program’s direction. Notably, ESPN’s “College GameDay” arrived on campus for Alabama basketball for the first time ever.
“The Tennessee game was fun because we had ‘College GameDay’ here. It was probably my second-favorite sports memory this year after Fourth and 31,” senior Mitchell Gilbert said.
Even though the game eventually ended in a loss, fun was had by all in attendance. Freshman Avyion Cooley hit a half-court buzzer beater for $19,000, and Coleman Coliseum was packed to watch the Crimson Tide take on Tennessee.
Less than a month later, the team made its first ever Final Four appearance.
The turnaround this program has seen is one to remember.
“I think the Final Four is one of the more significant events for Alabama college sports,” Hollingsworth said.
This is another of the countless memories that Alabama fans have witnessed in the past four years.
Another crucial memento is that this year’s senior class has not seen a loss to Auburn in football in its four years on campus.
“I was in Auburn for the Fourth and 31 play. I was about to leave so I wouldn’t get trampled, and I watched the throw right by the exit. The silence that filled the stadium as that play happened was something I will never forget,” Gilbert said.
From the blowouts of the Tigers in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2020 and 2022 to the all-time classics of Fourth and 31 and the four-overtime game, this senior class has seen plenty of excitement in football rivalries.
The Iron Bowl supremacy has carried over into basketball as well. Over the past two seasons, Alabama basketball has won three times of the four it played the Tigers, including a season sweep last season to secure the SEC regular-season title.
Overall, the University of Alabama class of 2024 has seen plenty of ups and downs. These seniors’ careers started with the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and plexiglass in classrooms. Their careers ended with football domination and a new surprise: a Final Four run in basketball.
The Crimson Tide basketball team takes on the No. 1 overall seed Connecticut Huskies on Saturday at 7:49 p.m. in Glendale, Arizona, for a spot in the national championship.
