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TBS touchingly highlights Chris Stewart's call as Alabama punched their Final Four ticket

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison•04/01/24•

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Alabama basketball
Alabama basketball - © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Alabama Crimson Tide punched their ticket to the Final Four for the first time in program history with their win over the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. For the program, it was an emotional and historic moment.

In a touching moment, TBS decided to highlight Chris Stewart’s radio call as Alabama moved on in the NCAA Tournament. This comes after Stewart has gone through numerous medical issues, including a stroke and a bypass before returning to the mic.

You can watch the tournament live on Prime Video, add on your favorite channels and watch at home or on your phone and laptop at work!

You can watch TBS highlight Steward and hear his radio call of Alabama beating Clemson in the Elite Eight, here:

The call came as Alabama was looking to close out the game on a long inbound pass that went to Aaron Estrada for an easy layup. The game was likely already decided, but that was the final basket to put it all away. That made the final score 89-82.

“Bama throws the home run to Estrada,” Chris Stewart called. “Two, one, layup good. 1.9 to go. Tigers inbound it. Clock hits zero, and let’s get out of here and go to the Final Four!”

It’s an amazing radio call from someone who has been around the Alabama program for a very long time and clearly cares deeply about its success. It’s only better that it came at such a historic moment for the program, in just the Crimson Tide’s second Elite Eight appearance and making its first Final Four ever.

In 2018, Chris Stewart suffered a stroke that he needed to recover from. However, 16 months later he also needed a bypass surgery thanks to a major blockage in an artery known as the “widow maker.” After that, he suffered several medical issues that led to his major organs shutting down and ended with him in a coma for two weeks.

The recovery from those medical issues hasn’t been easy for Stewart. However, he has recovered and has been able to return to the broadcast booth for Alabama. Now, he’s ready to call the Crimson Tide’s Final Four game.

Mark Sears on his performance to lead Alabama to the Final Four

One of the biggest players for Alabama in its win over Clemson in the Elite Eight was Mark Sears. It’s a performance that he explained that he dreams about.

“I live for those moments,” Sears said. “This is what March Madness is about. When you’re a kid, you want to be in these moments. It felt like my dream came true today.”

Mark Sears ended the game with 23 points to lead the Crimson Tide, doing the majority of his scoring in the second half.