It’s just 55 days until @AlabamaMBB tips off the season on Nov. 3 and today we spotlight Aaron Estrada, who played a key role in the Crimson Tide’s 2024 Final Four season. @AEforthree started all 37 games, averaging 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

After the announcement by Aaron Estrada a day earlier, the second key player from the @AlabamaMBB 2023 transfer portal class confirmed his intentions when Latrell Wrightsell Jr. committed to the Crimson Tide three years ago today on April 23, 2023. Wrightsell Jr. played three seasons at Cal State Fullerton before making the decision to move from the West Coast to the Deep South. In his final season with the Titans, he averaged 16.3 points and shot 38.3 on three-point attempts. His efficiency leveled up in Tuscaloosa as @LJWrightsell shot a blistering 44.7 percent on three-pointers during the 2023-24 season that ended with Alabama’s first Final Four appearance. His sharp-shooting prowess had @nate_oats reminding him to never pass up an open shot. A torn Achilles injury the following year had him contemplating whether or not to play basketball again, but Wrightsell Jr. persevered through surgery and the physical therapy to play a key role in Alabama’s second-place finish in the SEC regular season and run to the Sweet Sixteen this past season. Against Tennessee in Knoxville on Feb. 28, Wrightsell scored an Alabama career-high 25 points, making six of nine three-pointers, to help the Crimson Tide rally in the second half to end a five-game losing streak to the Volunteers.

While @AlabamaMBB continues to assemble its roster for next season, three years ago today the Crimson Tide received the commitment of Aaron Estrada, the two-time Colonial Athletic Association’s Player of the Year, on April 22, 2023. In his final season of college basketball, @AEforthree made it a memorable one as he played a pivotal role in helping lead Alabama to its first Final Four appearance in program history. After averaging more than 21 points at Hofstra, Estrada started all 37 games for Alabama in the 2023-24 season, averaging 13.3 points and leading the team in assists with 4.6 per game. His season-high occurred against Indiana State on Nov. 10, 2023, when he scored 27 points, making six of eight three-pointers, in a 102-80 victory over the Sycamores.

Two years ago today on March 22, 2024, the spark that ignited one of the most memorable postseason runs in @AlabamaMBB history started in Spokane, Wash. What followed over the next two weeks would become a Final Four journey, but it all began with an offensive explosion that put the college basketball world on notice. Facing No. 13 seed College of Charleston in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 4-seeded Crimson Tide wasted little time showcasing its firepower. Inside Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Alabama delivered a statement, rolling to a 109-96 victory in a game that felt less like a typical March grind and more like a full-speed showcase of the @nate_oats high-efficiency system. Leading the charge was Mark Sears, who turned in one of the great NCAA Tournament performances in program history. @imcsears poured in 30 points while adding five assists and committing just one turnover, becoming only the fifth player in school history to reach the 30-point mark in an NCAA Tournament game. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. caught fire from deep, knocking down five three-pointers on his way to 17 points, while Aaron Estrada delivered a complete performance. @AEforthree scored 13 points, handed out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds. The Crimson Tide led by as many as 31 points and rewrote the record books in the process. Alabama’s 109 points established a new program record for most points scored in an NCAA Tournament game. It also marked the Tide’s 10th 100-point game of the season—an SEC record that underscored just how explosive this team had become. Looking back now, this wasn’t just a first-round win—it was the opening act of a historic March run. The confidence, the offensive rhythm and the belief that carried Alabama to the Final Four all began on this night in Spokane. Two years later, it still stands as the moment the Tide announced it was ready for something special.