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NFL Scouting Combine: Which wide receiver ran fastest on Saturday?

For the second straight year, the fastest wide receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine is from Texas. But unlike last year, Matthew Golden didn’t break the event’s speed record.

In 2024, Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy ran the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds, which is recognized as the NFL Scouting Combine’s fastest.

On Saturday, Golden had the fastest 40 among this combine’s crop of wide receivers as he recorded a 4.29-second showing in the 40.

Worthy’s combine weight was 165 pounds. Golden weighed in at 191.

Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton Jr. ran the 40 in 4.30 seconds to finish just behind Golden.

Florida’s Chimere Dike and Virginia Tech’s Jaylin Lane had the third-fastest times at 4:34 seconds.

Six prospects who played at Alabama high schools or colleges ran the 40 with the wide receivers on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis:

Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond: 4.39 seconds. (Bond played at Alabama in 2022 and 2023.)
Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden: 4.57 seconds. (Holden played at Alabama in 2020, 2021 and 2022.)
UCF wide receiver Kobe Hudson: 4.57 seconds. (Hudson played at Auburn in 2020 and 2021.)
Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson (Pinson Valley High School): 4.51 seconds. (Johnson played at Troy in 2020, 2021 and 2022.)
Auburn wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith: 4.37 seconds.
Memphis wide receiver Roc Taylor (Oxford High School): 4.49 seconds.

Louisville wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, who played at Alabama in 2021, 2022 and 2023, did not run the 40 on Saturday.

Ten other SEC wide receivers ran the 40 on Saturday:

Arkansas’ Andrew Armstrong: 4.51 seconds
Florida’s Elijah Badger: 4.43 seconds
Missouri’s Luther Burden III: 4.41 seconds
Ole Miss’ Tre Harris: 4.54 seconds
Georgia’s Dominic Lovett: 4.40 seconds
Georgia’s Arian Smith: 4.36 seconds
Arkansas’ Isaac TeSlaa: 4.43 seconds
Ole Miss’ Jordan Watkins: 4.37 seconds
Missouri’s Theo Wease Jr: 4.56 seconds
Ole Miss’ Antwane Wells Jr.: 4.58 seconds

In the other measured drills on Saturday, the leaders among the wide receivers included:

Vertical jump: Miami (Fla.)’s Sam Brown Jr. and Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel tied for the top spot at this station as each got 41.5 inches off the ground. Virginia Tech’s Lane was third at 40 inches.

Broad jump: Iowa State’s Noel was alone in first at this station with an 11-foot, 2-inch (134 inches) jump. Nebraska’s Isaiah Neyor finished 1 inch behind Noel, and Virginia Tech’s Lane finished 1 inch behind Neyor.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

General

How fast did Auburn’s offensive prospects run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine?

Auburn football had its final two players going through drills Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine. Both Jarquez Hunter and Keandre Lambert-Smith were among the group in Indianapolis running the 40-yard dash.

Lambert-Smith kicked off the second group of wide receivers with 4.38 seconds in both of his attempts.

Hunter turned heads with his time clocking 4.44 seconds in his first attempt. His second attempt was 4.46 seconds.

In one of the fastest running back groups in recent years, Hunter’s time ranked tenth among all backs.

Lambert-Smith ranked seventh among the speedy wide receivers, led by a 4.29 second sprint from Texas wideout Mathew Golden.

Here’s what social media had to say:

The NFL Scouting Combine wraps up tomorrow at noon with offensive line drills live on the NFL Network.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3 or email him at [email protected].

General

Nate Oats takes blame for ending vs. Tennessee: ‘I failed these guys’

Nate Oats knows he messed up.

He bungled the last 30 seconds of the game against Tennessee. He regrets what he did, and he made that clear after No. 5 Tennessee hit a buzzer-beater to beat No. 6 Alabama 79-76 on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

“I was not good for the last 30 seconds today,” Oats said. “I feel like I failed these guys.”

Alabama held a 76-72 lead with 36 seconds left in the game. It looked primed to win.

Then Chaz Lanier made a layup. Everything unraveled from there.

Grant Nelson fouled him on the layup, giving Lanier a chance to make it a three-point play. But before the free-throw, Oats subbed out Mo Dioubate and Cliff Omoruyi (two of the best rebounders on the team) for Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood.

Then Lanier missed the free-throw, and Jarin Stevenson committed a foul that gave Jahmai Mashack a chance to hit two more free throws.

All of a sudden it was a tie game with 30 seconds left.

“I should have left the guys in to make sure we secured it before we went to the offensive end,” Oats said. “We foul in the rebound at the free-throw line, and they make 2-for-2. You’ve got to give them credit. We’ve got to do a better job making our free throws.”

That wasn’t the end of the mishaps for the Crimson Tide (23-6, 12-4 SEC).

Alabama would have one final possession. And even when the Tennessee defense stifled it, the Crimson Tide was still going to have one more chance with about two seconds left on the shot clock to inbound a pass.

But Labaron Philon didn’t get the ball in on time and committed a five-second violation. It turned the ball over to Tennessee (24-5, 11-5).

Oats could have prevented the turnover.

“I should have called timeout,” Oats said. “Coaches can call timeout on the underneath out of bounds play. At four, I should have called it. I thought we were getting it in. That’s on me.”

Even the players he had on the floor could have been different in the final seconds. He put Omoruyi and Dioubate back on the floor and subbed out Sears and Youngblood.

“We probably could have had better guys in,” Oats said. “Get a little bit smaller at the end with 3.8 on the clock to make sure they didn’t get the ball up the floor.”

But Alabama didn’t, and Mashack went down the floor and hit the 3-pointer to win.

“We were still up four with 30 seconds to go,” Oats said. “Too many coaching mistakes in the last 30 seconds.”

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

General

UAB men’s basketball lands commitment from top JUCO

UAB landed a commitment from a talented JUCO guard just ahead of a key AAC matchup.

Triton College guard Dayjaun Anderson announced his commitment to UAB on Saturday, adding to Andy Kennedy and company’s talented group of commits.

The 6-foot-2 guard from Dayton, Ohio, also held offers from Northern Illinois, Cal State Fullerton, East Tennessee State and Fairfield.

With Triton this season, Anderson is averaging 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, adding 54 steals and 10 blocks in 25 games played.

The new UAB commit is shooting 43.6% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc, making 46 of his 66 free throws so far this season.

Triton College is 25-3 on the year and on a 20-game win streak, set to host the NJCAA Region 4 Division I men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday.

UAB (19-9, 12-3 AAC) is set to host No. 18 Memphis on Sunday in a battle for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference standings.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at Bartow Arena and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

General

Bruce Pearl shows love to former school after Tennessee’s buzzer-beater gives Auburn outright SEC title

Auburn men’s basketball did its part Saturday to clinch a Southeastern Conference regular season championship, beating Kentucky 94-78 inside Rupp Arena.

That win clinched a share of the title for Auburn, but the Tigers needed a Tennessee win over Alabama to clinch the SEC regular season championship outright.

Auburn got just that Saturday evening, as Tennessee took down Alabama at home on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Tennessee’s Jahmai Mashack. Tennessee is also the former school of Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, and he took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the occasion.

The acronym “VFL” stands for “Vol for life,” a term used by Tennessee fans. Pearl was the head coach at Tennessee from 2005-2011, before getting fired due to a recruiting scandal. He became the head coach at Auburn in 2014.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

General

Alabama Theatre and Lyric Theatre name new executive director

Birmingham Landmarks, Inc. (BLI), the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Lyric and Alabama Theatres in downtown Birmingham, has named Cindy Mullins as its new executive director.

Mullins, a Decatur native, is the first woman to serve in this position since the theatre opened in 1927, according to a BLI release.

She is the third executive director of Birmingham Landmarks in the history of the organization.

Longtime Alabama Theatre organist, Cecil Whitmire, became executive director of Birmingham Landmarks when the nonprofit was founded in 1987 and continued in the role until his death in 2010.

Brant Beene began his association with BLI after Whitmire’s death and was instrumental in the renovation of the Lyric Theatre, the release says.

After his promotion to executive director, Beene managed operations of the Lyric, the Alabama, and the Hill Event Center for 15 years. Cindy Mullins was his first hire, according to the release.

One week after graduating from the University of Montevallo, Mullins started her career at Birmingham Landmarks on May 14, 2012.

Mullins’ first job title was Director of the Hill Event Center, and her career path evolved from there, the release says.

She became the event manager for the Lyric, the venue manager for the Alabama and then Vice President of Birmingham Landmarks, Inc.

Between 2017 and 2024, she booked more than 500 events at the theatres.

And in 2020, she created COVID-19 safety and policy procedures and worked with the National Independent Venue Association to lobby Congress for federal aid that resulted in a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.

“She has always been hands-on, first to volunteer, unafraid and enthusiastic,” Beene said in the release.

“It is important for a leader to have that kind of respect — the kind that is earned — and she has earned the trust and respect of everyone at Birmingham Landmarks.”

Mullins is a former resident of Decatur, Ala. and received her undergraduate degree in art and public relations from the University of Montevallo.

While Mullins is the first woman to ever serve in the top management position at the theatres, the release highlights that the Board of Directors for Birmingham Landmarks is also woman-led for the first time.

“Cindy has been a team player since she arrived over ten years ago,” said Birmingham Landmarks Board President, Maurine C. Evans.

“She has worn all of the hats required to operate our facilities over the years and shown repeatedly that she has the knowledge, skill, creativity, and drive to lead our theatres into this new chapter.”

“I can’t wait to see where she takes the organization,” she continued.

Code-R Productions founder Todd Coder, who has worked as a talent buyer and concert promoter for more than 25 years, says that Mullins’ new role with Birmingham Landmarks is unique.

“Not only is she dealing with artists, promoters, managers and customers on a daily basis, she is the lifeline between the board and the venue, she works with donors and also oversees fundraising campaigns,” he said in the release.

“This is a lot for one person to manage so it takes a special person like Cindy to do it.”

General

How Miles Kelly’s 3-point barrage helped lift Auburn basketball to an SEC title

The last time Bruce Pearl won a game inside Rupp Arena, Jeff Lebo was the head men’s basketball coach at Auburn, “Check on It” by Beyonce, featuring Slim Thug was No. 1 on the charts and George W. Bush was in his second term as United States president.

The day was Feb. 7, and Pearl’s Tennessee Volunteers marched into Lexington, knocking off the Wildcats 75-67. That effort was led by Chris Lofton, one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in Southeastern Conference basketball history, who had 31 that night with seven buckets from beyond the arc.

Just over 19 years later, Pearl led a different team into Rupp, but once again, a prolific 3-point shooter helped lead his group to a win, as Auburn beat Kentucky 94-78 Saturday afternoon.

This time, it was senior guard and Georgia Tech Transfer Miles Kelly who exploded for 30 points and made nine 3-pointers on 14 attempts.

“I just came out feeling it,” Kelly said when speaking to reporters postgame. “The first possession down, they went to me, and I knocked the shot down. After that, I was feeling it from there. Rupp rims, I love them. It felt good. Every time I shot the ball, I thought it was going in.”

Auburn drew up a play for Kelly on the first possession of the game, something it often does to get the offense going early.

Kelly got a wide-open look in the corner 12 seconds after Auburn won the opening tip and knocked down the shot with ease, a sign of impending doom for the Wildcats’ defense.

“Scouting is so good. I guarantee you Kentucky knew one of the first looks was gonna be screen the screener for Miles Kelly,” Pearl said after the game. “And when you call that number, when you call his play early, obviously, I’m sending him a message that we have confidence in him.”

The play call and the shot going in seemed to give Kelly all the confidence he needed, as he went on to make five of his first six 3-pointers, finishing the first half with 17 points.

His hot start and prolific scoring was extra important, as Auburn’s backcourt became shorthanded in the first half. Starting point guard and Auburn’s most efficient 3-point shooter, Denver Jones, left the game in the first half due to what Pearl revealed to be a bone bruise on his right ankle.

Auburn also didn’t get its usual production from National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome, who finished the game with just nine points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.

Kelly, along with Tahaad Pettiford and Chad Baker-Mazara stepped up to keep the offense afloat, combining for 73 points.

“I think it says a lot about the culture. It says a lot about the chemistry,” Pearl said. “It says a lot about the guys calling up the Lord, giving God the glory, and trying to the best of their ability to live that life.”

Kelly’s 30-point performance set a new season high and was tied for the second-highest scoring game of his career, scoring 36 for Georgia Tech against Louisville last season.

The nine 3-pointers Kelly made against Kentucky sets a new career-high, surpassing the seven he made in Auburn’s season-opener against Vermont in November.

Kelly wasn’t the only reason Auburn went into Lexington Saturday and won at Rupp Arena for the first time in 37 years. Auburn’s backcourt displayed the depth of its talent on a night where its star wasn’t at his best.

But Pearl knows it takes a special shooting performance to win in Lexington. And just like Lofton did for a Pearl team repping a different shade of orange, Kelly led the way for the Tigers on Saturday.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

General

3 takeaways from Alabama basketball loss to Tennessee on buzzer beater

Alabama men’s basketball under coach Nate Oats had never scored more than 74 points against Tennessee. And that was in a loss.

Even in a win, the max was 73.

Alabama surpassed that number this time around, but it didn’t result in a victory.

Tennessee’s Jahmai Mashack hit a buzzer-beating shot from beyond the arc to give No. 5 Tennessee a 79-76 victory over No. 6 Alabama on Saturday in Knoxville.

Alabama guard Mark Sears led all scorers with 24 points.

Here are three takeaways from the game between No. 6 Alabama (22-6, 12-4 SEC) and No. 5 Tennessee (23-5, 11-5).

Missed opportunities prevent early Alabama takeover

The Crimson Tide went into halftime leading 42-38. But it could have and should have been more.

Tennessee had to go without star guard Zakai Zeigler for much of the first half. He picked up two fouls quickly, limiting him to 10 minutes. That could have been a prime moment for the Crimson Tide to go on a big run and take over the game.

The problem was Alabama wasn’t making its free throws. Not at a high clip. It went 8-for-15 before the break. The officials were calling Tennessee a good bit with 12 total fouls in the first half, but the Crimson Tide couldn’t make the Vols pay at the line.

Alabama hit free-throws at the same rate in the first half: 8-for-15. Make those at a higher rate, and the lead also would have been increased.

All of that said, the Crimson Tide still put together a solid performance before the break.

Labaron Philon brings grit to gritty matchup, but makes crucial mistake late

The freshman from Mobile came to play from the opening tip.

Not even five minutes into the game, Philon had a series of plays that went like this: Steal, layup, foul drawn and made free throw. All in a matter of seconds.

By the time the first half ended, Philon had tallied eight points, three assists, a block and three steals. His plus-10 led the Crimson at halftime.

Then with about 90 seconds left, Philon grabbed a steal from Zeigler, then he went down the court to make a layup and give Alabama a 75-72 lead.

But this game will be remembered for what he didn’t do. Alabama had the ball with one final chance to score with the game tied 76-76 with only a couple seconds left in regulation. Philon was inbounding the ball. But he didn’t get it into the game in time, committing a five-second violation.

Tennessee got the ball for one final possession with enough time to go down the court, which was enough to win.

Tennessee defense beats out Alabama defense late

When it mattered most, the Crimson Tide defense couldn’t get it done. Tennessee’s defense, however, was clutch.

Over the final 30 seconds of the game, the Vols went on a 7-0 run. That of course included Mashack’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer. But it also included a layup from Chaz Lanier with 30 seconds left.

Meanwhile, Tennessee’s defense was suffocating late. It prevented Alabama from making a basket in the final minute of the game, and forcing the five-second violation was the signature moment for the Tennessee defense.

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

General

Judge blocks Trump order threatening funding for institutions that offer transgender youth care

By Gene Johnson Associated Press

SEATTLE — President Donald Trump’s plan to pull federal funding from institutions that provide gender-affirming care for transgender youth will remain blocked on a long-term basis under a federal judge’s ruling in Seattle late Friday.

U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King previously granted a two-week restraining order after the Democratic attorneys general of Washington, Oregon and Minnesota sued the Trump administration — Colorado has since joined the case.

King’s temporary order expired Friday, and she held arguments that day before issuing a preliminary injunction blocking most of Trump’s plan pending a final decision on the merits of the case.

The judge found the states lacked standing on one point: the order’s protections against female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is already illegal in the four states that are part of the lawsuit, and the judge said the record “is bereft of any evidence” that the plaintiffs plan to perform such procedures.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown praised the ruling.

“The president’s disregard for the Constitution is obvious and intentional,” he said in a statement. “But once again, states and the courts have stepped up to affirm the rule of law and the values that hold us together as a nation.”

An email message was sent to the White House seeking comment.

Two of Trump’s executive orders are at issue in the case.

One, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism,” calls for stripping federal money from programs that “promote gender ideology.”

The other, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” calls for the federal government to cut off research and educational grants for institutions, including medical schools and hospitals, that provide gender-affirming care to people under age 19. Several hospitals around the country ceased providing care, including puberty blockers and hormone treatments, following the order.

Medicaid programs in some states cover gender-affirming care, and Trump’s “Protecting Children” order suggests that practice could end. It also raises the prospect that medical professionals could be criminally charged for providing gender-affirming care under a law that bans medically unnecessary genital mutilation of underage females — a notion that the states suing Trump call repugnant and legally unsupportable.

Young people who persistently identify as a gender that differs from their sex assigned at birth — a condition called gender dysphoria — are far more likely to suffer from severe depression and to kill themselves if they do not receive treatment, which can include evaluation by a team of medical professionals; a social transition, such as changing a hairstyle or pronouns; and eventually puberty blockers or hormones. Surgery is extremely rare for minors.

In her ruling Friday, the judge said the order was not limited to children or to irreversible treatments and that it doesn’t target medical interventions performed on cisgender children.

“In fact, its inadequate ‘means-end fit’ would prevent federally funded medical providers from providing necessary medical treatments to transgender youth that are completely unrelated to gender identity,” she wrote. “For example, a cisgender teen could obtain puberty blockers from such a provider as a component of cancer treatment, but a transgender teen with the same cancer care plan could not.”

In his arguments Friday, Washington Assistant Attorney General William McGinty stressed the urgency of the issue.

“There are going to be young people who are going to take their lives if they can no longer receive this care,” he said.

The executive order uses derisive terminology — words such as “maiming,” “sterilizing” and “mutilation” — that contradicts what is typical for gender-affirming care in the United States. Such care is widely endorsed by the medical community, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

King, the judge in Seattle, grilled Justice Department attorney Vinita Andrapalliyal in court about the meaning and effect of Trump’s executive orders.

“What is gender dysphoria?” she asked.

“Your honor, I am not a medical provider,” Andrapalliyal responded.

“It’s a thing, correct?” King asked. “It’s a medically recognizable diagnosis?”

“I don’t have an official position on that,” Andrapalliyal said.

The judge continued to press, saying she was “looking for a legitimate government interest” that would justify Trump’s orders.

The four Democratic attorneys general suing in Seattle argued that the orders violate equal rights protections, the separation of powers and the states’ right to regulate issues not delegated to the federal government.

The Trump administration disputed those claims in court filings. “The President’s authority to direct subordinate agencies to implement his agenda, subject to those agencies’ own statutory authorities, is well established,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.

In addition to the orders on health care access and defining the sexes as unchangeable, Trump has also signed orders that open the door to banning transgender people from military service; set up new rules about how schools can teach about gender; and would ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

Many legal challenges have been filed.

General

Class 6A Boys final: Paul Bryant downs Pinson Valley for second state championship

Paul Bryant graduated nine seniors last year, five being starters.

That group gave some advice to returner Javian Williams.

“My old teammates told me this year was going to be my year,” he said. “I just stayed with their word.”

In taking the opportunity dealt to him, Williams parlayed the advice given to his teammates into one of the best accomplishments a player could receive.

The Class 6A tournament MVP totaled 19 points and grabbed 6 rebounds to lead Paul Bryant to a 66-54 win over Pinson Valley on Saturday, marking the program’s first state title since 2017.

“The guys up here, they’re the ones who put me in a good position,” Williams said. “King Larkin, good man down low. They double-teamed him, they gave me the shots I needed.”

Williams was one of three players to score in double figures, with Larkin finishing behind him with a double-double for 16 points and 10 rebounds; Josh Williams added 11 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the win.

“It’s a great honor to be here to represent Tuscaloosa, Paul Bryant and Tuscaloosa City Schools on such a great stage,” Paul Bryant coach Sean Peck-Love said. “These guys put in a lot of work. We started working in May last year, and we didn’t stop. We got off to a slow start, we got off to a 4-5 start, and we didn’t hang our heads. We knew we had a good chance, we knew we had a good team.

“We kept working, we kept working, and everything kind of took its course, but first, I have to say nobody gave us any chance of being here.”

Peck-Love, a first-team all-state player and former state tournament MVP at Central-Tuscaloosa, noted his team’s blue-collar work ethic in helping the program return to the state championship.

“We didn’t have that great player, or great players that are going to stand out and give you 20 or 25 a game, but we do have four or five guys that give you double figures every night, and that’s what they displayed throughout the season,” the former Alabama hoops player said. “We hung our hats on our defense. A great job by Pinson Valley, great job from coach Barber; I respect him a lot, but we hung our hat on our defense.

“We knew we were gonna have to stop Austin and No. 2, we knew from the beginning that the team that had the best defensive scheme would win this ball game, and that’s what we talked about. And these guys came out and carried out the plan.”

Pinson Valley’s Jamarcus Thomas had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Austin Coner had 20 points and 5 rebounds, going a perfect 10-for-10 on free throws for the team.

“I’m extremely proud, man,” Pinson Valley coach Darrell Barber said. “I coach these guys so hard. I’m extremely hard on them, and I know they get tired of me a lot of times, man, but to accomplish what we accomplished, I don’t want to put a blemish on that. No, I’m not a moral victories type of guy, but man, I’m extremely proud of these guys.

“Man, they fought, they fought, they fought offseason long, through adversity. I love these guys.”

Stat sheet: Paul Bryant — Ty’Javian Byrd had 9 points and 4 rebounds, also logging 3 blocks in the win, while McKinley Everett had 7 points and 2 assists for the Stampede. Will Jackson had 3 points on a 3-point basket. Pinson Valley — Quay Lynch had 6 points and 2 rebounds and Braylon Ringstaff had 2 points, a block and a steal. RJ Addison dished out 3 assists.

By the numbers: Paul Bryant outrebounded Pinson Valley 32-27 in the win and outscored its opponent 34-20 in the paint. Pinson Valley forced 14 turnovers on the Stampede, with Paul Bryant forcing 12 and grabbing 7 steals; Pinson Valley grabbed 8. Paul Bryant shot 26-for-51 from the field and Pinson Valley shot 19-for-52.

Did you know? This is Paul Bryant’s second state championship in boys’ basketball.

They said it: “My mindset, I talk about that every day is like, keep my head high, keep praying and trusting my teammates, and that’s what I do every day. Even coach talks to me about it sometimes in one-on-one conversations, so I really thank him.” — Paul Bryant’s King Larkin on his mindset.

“Heart over height, man. These guys will overcome so much, man, and that’s basically to sum it up. These guys, they believe in one another and they trusted in me, and I trusted in them, and everybody who knows me knows I don’t believe in more victories, like I said, but I’m extremely proud of this group. Shout out to Paul Bryant. They did what they needed to do. It was just not our day.” — Pinson Valley coach Darrell Barber on his group.

“We built this program from the bottom to the top. We built it over the course of the years, and one of our goals was that we want to be recognized as a program” not just a school, not just a basketball team, but a program that’s capable of winning every season, every goal. We sat down at the beginning of the year and we said our goal was we want to be playing on the last day of the season. I remember that, and we knew if we made it to this day, that anything could happen, and they persevered. We went through some ups and downs, and here we are on the last day of the season, one of the last two teams playing, and we didn’t take it for granted. We want to go out and give everything we had, and that’s what they did.” — Paul Bryant coach Sean Peck-Love on the season.

“I put in the work with them, and coach Barber as well, so he helped me with ball handling, finishing, shooting, all that. Now that we’re here, I have the mindset. I took upon Caleb’s mindset because I knew he was a dog. I just knew like he was a dog and he’ll go out there and give you like 20, 30 every night. I just had to take on that role.” — Austin Coner on his role this year with Pinson Valley.