Alabama freshmen Jarin Stevenson, Sam Walters talk transition to college game

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Jarin Stevenson and Sam Walters are two of the eight new players who joined the Alabama men’s basketball team this offseason. The freshmen spoke to reporters on Friday to preview not only the Crimson Tide’s opener but their first real college games.

For Stevenson, he reclassified from the 2024 class and enrolled at Alabama this summer when he should have been getting ready for his senior year at Seaforth (N.C.) High School. Despite moving up a class, Stevenson was the Tide’s highest-rated 2023 signee, checking in at No. 21 in the nation and the fourth-best power forward, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

“He’s young,” head coach Nate Oats said. “… Jarin’s super quiet, but you shouldn’t mistake the quietness for softness. He’s not soft at all. He’s got some toughness, some physicality to him. He drives the ball. He’s good. He’s got a lot of Noah Clowney in him. They’re different. Noah’s probably a little more vocal, and Jarin’s shooting it pretty well. 

“… I think Jarin will shoot pretty well for us. He’ll be kind of that spacing five, will be a four that can play. You can put Grant (Nelson) at the three, him at the four, (Nick) Pringle or (Mohamed) Wague at the five and go real big. He gives us some versatility there. He’s kind of good at everything in the frontcourt – shooting, can rebound it, guards well, athletic.” 

A 6-foot-11, 210-pound freshman from Chapel Hill, N.C., Stevenson averaged 21.8 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in his final year at Seaforth. He committed to Alabama over Virginia and the home state North Carolina Tar Heels, where his mother, Nicole, won three ACC championships from 1995-98, but said there was no pressure to stay in-state.

Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Stevenson has found himself in the starting five in Alabama’s two preseason games against TCU and Wake Forest. The Tide was shorthanded, so that might not carry over to Monday’s season opener against Morehead State, but it is clear that the freshman is poised to make an immediate impact, which is what he wanted in a school.

While he is eager to tip off the season, there has been a learning curve at Alabama. Primarily, he has had to adjust to facing players who have been in college strength programs for years.

“There’s a big difference from high school to college,” Stevenson said. “Eating right, getting prepared, nutrition. These guys have been lifting for like 3-4 years, these college guys, the seniors and stuff. So just getting prepared, lifting with (Henry Barrera) and doing everything is important.

“… Getting in for recovery, rehab, lifting and just taking things more seriously. In high school, I felt like I’d just get in, stretch for 5-10 minutes and then just go out and play. But I noticed in college, you’ve got to take stuff very seriously and be ready.”

Walters is Alabama’s second top-100 high school signee, coming from Villages (Fla.) Charter School. He was the No. 69 overall prospect and No. 10 power forward in the class after almost averaging a double-double (24.6 points, 9.9 rebounds) for head coach Colt McDowell.

But there was a transition period for the incoming freshman, especially on defense.

“It’s really been a lot different,” Walters said. “A lot of similarities, as well, but a lot different, a lot more physical than high school. Here, I have to defend more positions where in high school I was just probably guarding one of the worst players on the team. So just learning how to guard has been a big adjustment for me, but I feel like I’ve been getting better at it.”

Walters was one of the top storylines over the last month as he scored 42 combined points in the preseason losses to TCU (29 points) and Wake Forest (13). Against the Horned Frogs in Birmingham, Walters made seven 3-pointers on 12 attempts during the 85-81 defeat.

The freshman is known as a shooter, and that was on display in the pair of season tune-ups, but the forward needed to bulk up to be able to face Power 5 competition. He arrived at Alabama at 6-foot-9, 179 pounds and said he currently weighs somewhere between 200-205 pounds. His new coach hopes to see the added mass help Walters in his rookie season.

“We’re trying to get him to be a little more physical,” Oats said. “He put on 20 pounds since he’s got here. He’s just not used to playing like he’s 200-plus pounds. Welcome to the 200 club, Sam. Now, you can go ahead and use the 200 pounds and drive the ball with some physicality and show some physicality on D. 

“But one thing he does at an elite level is shoot the ball, and he’s going to space the floor for us. His size, you’ve got to really play him pretty tight to close out late. He’s going to have it off, and he’s making a really high percentage of open shots. If he gets a catch-and-shoot three, everybody in the gym that’s been watching us practice for the last couple of months thinks that things going in.”

Stevenson, Walters and the Crimson Tide will tip off the season on Monday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. CT. The non-conference matchup at Coleman Coliseum will stream live on SEC Network+.

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