After Alabama’s loss to San Diego State on Friday night, bags had to be packed. For the last time this season, players took off their jerseys and laid them in the middle of the room in two neat piles. With the roar of the other regional semifinal in the background, a team aide noticed at least one was missing.

Freshman forward Noah Clowney had slinked the white jersey off his 6-foot-10 frame a few minutes prior. But he threw a towel over his head and dropped the tank top at his feet as his gaze dropped to the ground. Eventually, a Tide official plucked it away with his fingers.

A run to the school’s first Final Four was halted by 12-0 second-half run by the Aztecs, ending the winningest year in UA men’s basketball history at 31-6. All year, a historic freshmen class was complimented with veteran pieces. Newcomers scored 75.7% of the team’s points before the Sweet 16 and an overwhelming chunk of that will likely need to be replaced in the 2023-24 season.

Miller was Alabama’s second-ever consensus second-team All-American and is on multiple watchlists for national awards. He averaged 32.7 minutes a game, scoring 18.8 points per game while shooting 43% from the field. His run ended in a slump, though, and was quickly asked in the postgame locker room scrum about a timeline to declare for June’s draft.

“That’s one I can’t say,” Miller said “I think I’m just really focused on my guys right now.”

RELATED: How San Diego State used Muhammad Ali, maturity to knock off Alabama

3-pointers sink Alabama, lift San Diego State to Sweet 16 upset

San Diego State halts Alabama’s NCAA Tournament run with own blue-collar mindset

Miller set the freshman record for points scored and is a likely NBA Draft lottery pick if not a top-five selection as some mock drafts predict. But the rest of the roster, aside from Noah Gurley and Dom Welch, still has remaining availability. Will they spend it in Tuscaloosa?

Attention will gravitate toward Jahvon Quinerly and his potential sixth year of college basketball. Quinerly turns 25 in November and has spent three full seasons with the Tide — he sat out in 2019-20, then everyone got an NCAA COVID wavier after the pandemic when Quinerly was named the SEC tournament’s most valuable player. Last year, Quinerly tore his ACL in Alabama’s first-round exit to Notre Dame. Asked about next fall, Quinerly kept it brief: “Nah, not sure.”

Among Alabama’s guards, both Jaden Bradley and Nimari Burnett told AL.com they plan on returning. Both had moments this season where they were heavily featured in the rotation but combined for two points and 12 minutes against the Aztecs. Rylan Griffen, another freshman, struggled as a 3-point shooter throughout the year.

“There were some ups and downs, but I learned a lot though. I came here to get better and that’s what I feel like I did. Obviously would’ve loved to say I won a championship my freshman year, besides that we had an unbelievable season,” Griffen said. “(Next year) is not really something I’m thinking about right now. I’m thinking about how we just lost, How I could’ve played better and just enjoying my last couple minutes with this team as a team.”

Noah Clowney told the Tuscaloosa News he hasn’t “sat down and thought about anything yet.” He started all 35 contests he played in, averaging 9.9 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. In a Bleacher Report mock draft, Clowney was projected as an early-second rounder due to his athleticism and shooting upside.

First-year JUCO forward Nick Pringle emerged toward the back half of the year. He was inserted into the team’s ‘blue-squad’ or scout team in December in order to earn more practice reps. Battling senior center and “big brother” Charles Bediako, Pringle said he improved as a scorer. He averaged 3.5 points a game with a 19-point showing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He said he expects to be back next year.

Bediako said he has two years of eligibility remaining. The Canadian center posted double-digit points in four of his last five games and scored six points in the Tide’s 9-0 run that gave it a second-half lead on Friday.

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” Bediako said of a potential return. “Maybe probably give it a couple weeks and we’ll see.

“The coaching staff, they helped me get better. Even though we had our days and our moments, obviously I’m very grateful for being able to play with a group of guys like this. I’m so thankful.”

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].