This year, Alabama women’s basketball made its 13th appearance in the women’s basketball NCAA tournament and found its first tournament win since 2021.
Despite the victories that laced this season, some losses may leave the team wondering about next year’s fate.
With the confetti settled and the nets down, the women’s team has undergone significant changes in the offseason with departures in the transfer portal to fresh faces on the roster and coaching staff.
Departures
Despite announcing during their senior night celebrations that they’d be starting a graduate program at the Capstone, guards Loyal McQueen and Aaliyah Nye announced they have decided to leave Alabama.
McQueen, who transferred to Alabama from Georgia Tech in 2021, had been a staple in Alabama’s lineup since her debut in 2022 and started in all 34 games this season.
The guard averaged nearly 10 points a game with a 40.4% field goal percentage and a 31.4% 3-pointer percentage.
In addition to McQueen’s announcement earlier this week, Nye, who transferred to Alabama from the University of Illinois in her junior season, would also be leaving Alabama.
This loss leaves the team without one of its best assets. Nye is currently ranked third in the country for her 3-point shot behind WNBA first overall draft pick Caitlin Clark and WNBA second-round draft pick Dyaisha Fair.
The guard holds the program record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 108 and recently joined the 1,000-career-point club while at Alabama.
Although these two guards had thoroughly seated themselves with the program, another transferring player was only here for one season before deciding the Crimson Tide wasn’t for her.
Meg Newman, a redshirt sophomore out of Arizona State, was a four-star recruit coming out of high school but hasn’t seen much playing time since her college debut in 2021.
After averaging only 3.9 points on just over 17 minutes a game in her second season with the Sun Devils, she joined Alabama head coach Kristy Curry’s program but still averaged only 1.4 points and 8.7 minutes for her inaugural season at Alabama.
New faces
Despite the program’s losses, the offseason has also seen some victories, including new faces joining the program.
On April 16, the program announced that University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff transfer Zaay Green would join the Crimson Tide, and on April 23, Curry announced the signing of Ohio State transfer Diana Collins.
After initially signing with Tennessee, where Green played for two seasons before transferring, the 2018 McDonald’s All-American played 55 games for the Lions and averaged 16.7 points per game, leaving her only 0.1 points below Alabama’s leading scorer guard, Sarah Ashlee Barker.
Green also led the Lions in rebounds and assists, averaging 7.6 and 5.6 per game.
While Collins didn’t find as many on-court accolades with the Buckeyes after making only 18 appearances and averaging 3 points a game, the guard was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and played for Team Sweden in the International Basketball Federation U20 Women’s European Championship, averaging 11.6 points a game.
The sophomore was also selected for the 2023 Women’s Nike Hoop Summit and the Georgia all-state teams after leading her high school to its first win in program history.
While Green and Collins will help fill the holes left by McQueen and Nye, they are not the only faces the program will add.
New coach
Curry announced last Friday that the program will add a former Arkansas assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, Pauline Love, to its coaching staff.
Before helping the Razorbacks achieve five straight tournament-eligible seasons, Love had a highly successful playing career. She’s still a program leader at her alma mater, Southern Mississippi, ranking in the top 10 in nine categories. After college, Love played professionally for the Connecticut Sun and the French professional league.
Love has recruited and signed five-star recruits and McDonald’s All-American recipients Maryam Dauda, Jersey Wolfenbarger and Taliah Scott, creating hope for the Crimson Tide’s upcoming recruiting classes.
