Alabama basketball has picked up its first transfer portal commit in Noah Williamson.
Since the portal officially opened last Monday, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats and recruiting shark assistant Preston Murphy have been hard at work filling the gaps left by the losses of veteran starters like Mark Sears and Grant Nelson.
The loss of 6-foot-11 North Dakota State transfer Nelson, along with Rutgers big man transfer Clifford Omoruyi, made finding rim protection a huge priority for UA in the offseason, and the team went even bigger with the 7-foot, 250 pound center, who committed to Alabama on Monday. Here are three things to know about Alabama's new addition:
2025-26 ROSTER TRACKER: Who stays and who goes from the Elite Eight team, plus who's new
LIVE PORTAL UPDATES: Alabama basketball reportedly among top picks for in-state target
Although Bucknell finished 14-19, Williamson was a bright spot in the Patriot League and took Player of the Year honors for his efforts with the Bison during the 2024-25 season. He came second on the roster in scoring with an average 12.3 points per game and led the team in rebounds with about 6.4 per game. Williamson was also second in blocks with 31 total.
He had nine double-doubles last season, scoring a career-high 32 points at Southern Indiana on Nov. 11 and 16 boards against Loyola Maryland on Jan. 29.
Although their paths never crossed, Williamson and incoming Crimson Tide freshman power forward signee London Jemison both attended St. Thomas More in West Hartford, Conn.
Williamson attended St. Thomas More for a year of postgrad, while Jemison has been at the school since transferring from Northwest Catholic in May 2023.
Williamson, age 22, was born and raised in Riga, Latvia, where he spent his childhood and teenage years playing for the Latvian U16, U18, and U19 national teams. Overseas, Williamson also spent time at the Kristaps Porzingas Basketball Academy and attended high school at Riga State Gymnasium.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Three things to know about Alabama basketball portal commit Noah Williamson
