In the course of one week, Alabama men’s basketball has become what Alabama football is accustomed to being: a national lightning rod. But this has less to do with relentless winning than with program accountability.
The Crimson Tide will be a massive flashpoint come March Madness, when they might be favored to win the national championship. They will be booed, taunted, debated—and defended by some. This is going to be a wild, dramatic, heated ride for as long as it lasts.
For better or worse, Alabama is rolling ahead without any apparent plans to suspend star player Brandon Miller or fellow starter Jaden Bradley (whose presence during the killing of Jamea Harris remains underexamined). Coach Nate Oats’s public comments this week have been callous and clumsy, necessitating clarifications. A statement by Miller’s lawyer about his client’s role in the shooting is being cited as gospel, though it’s notable what the statement doesn’t say.
