The transfer portal is open for men’s basketball, and names being attached to Alabama are flying around left and right.

“Interest” or “contact” can take on all sorts of meaning. Maybe that’s a phone call from an agent to Alabama. Or perhaps the Crimson Tide reached out to gather more information but the interest isn’t that serious. On the flip side, Alabama could be reaching out and have high interest in a player.

It changes daily, especially with NIL and soon-to-be revenue sharing in play.

Either way, here are a few early names we’re watching to start, in no particular order, with the transfer portal open. This list is not exhaustive.

Jalil Bethea, Miami

The guard from Philadelphia spent his freshman season with the Miami Hurricanes, starting 16 games and averaging 19 minutes per game. Bethea, who’s 6-5, 190 pounds, averaged 7.1 points per game as he shot 32.6% from deep.

Alabama will be losing at least two guards (Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood) and Labaron Philon will likely declare for the NBA Draft. So the Crimson Tide will need to replenish some at guard.

Corey Chest, LSU

The 6-8, 220-pound forward from New Orleans started 19 games and averaged 20 minutes per game this past season for LSU. He didn’t shoot at all from deep, but he averaged 6.1 points to go with 6.6 rebounds per game.

Against Alabama this season, Chest scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Yes, 18. He also blocked three shots and snagged two steals. That no doubt left an impression.

Adrian Wooley, Kennesaw State

This one doesn’t require much detective work to connect the dots. Wooley is a Tuscaloosa native who played for former Alabama assistant and player Antoine Pettway with the Owls. Wooley’s a 6-5, 180 pound guard heading into his sophomore season. He averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 33.5 minutes per game with 32 starts. He made 42.2% of his shot attempts from beyond the arc.

Alabama doesn’t have to do much digging to learn about him. But the Crimson Tide will likely have plenty of competitors for his services.

Taylor Bol Bowen, Florida State

The 6-10, 195-pound forward is heading into his third season of college basketball. He brings 27 starts from this past season with 60 games of experience.

He averaged 24.9 minutes per game, scoring 8 points per game and grabbing 5.2 rebounds to go with 1.5 blocks. He brings a strong 41.4% from deep.

Who else?

The transfer portal will be open for about a month, so there will be even more names available as the days and weeks pass. It will be worth monitoring to see who enters. Alabama has often shown interest in players who have succeeded against it. So when those players go in the portal, it’s always worth following. Ultimately, Alabama figures to have a fair amount of roster turnover with four starters seeing their eligibility expire after this season, so the Crimson Tide will be active once again in the transfer portal.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for Follow him on X and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.