Why TJ St Louis hasn't made Alabama basketball debut, per Nate Oats
· Yahoo Sports
Alabama basketball fans have yet to see 7-foot, 265 pound Canadian center TJ St. Louis in action. The freshman has been dressed out for both games of Alabama's preseason slate. However, the timeline for when his debut may take place remains unclear.
After Alabama's 92-84 exhibition win over Ole Miss on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Birmingham, coach Nate Oats was asked why St. Louis hasn't been seen competing on the floor.
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"Like I said at the beginning of the year, he's more of a, you know, if redshirts were still a thing that we'd probably consider doing that with him," Oats said.
Traditional redshirting was eliminated in June, when the NCAA adopted an age-based, 5-in-5 eligibility model. Oats said St. Louis is a "great guy" and is "getting better," but Alabama "played the guys that, we thought, gives us chances to win, they'll be playing most of the minutes."
In the two previous availabilities attended by local media in the preseason − after the Furman exhibition on Thursday, Oct. 8 and SEC Tipoff media days on Tuesday, Oct. 13 − Oats made no mention of St. Louis.
On June 3, Alabama athletics released statements from Oats on each new, incoming member of the 2026-27 roster. As St. Louis committed to Alabama on July 20 and enrolled at the university Aug. 19, per his recruiting timeline via 247Sports, he was not included in the June 3 release. Alabama athletics published a press release when Anderson Diaz signed with Alabama on July 14 in which Oats described the freshman guard as "a very dynamic playmaker" in a brief scouting report.
The Alabama men's basketball news archive on Rolltide.com does not feature a public release or comment on St. Louis.
Before Alabama basketball, TJ St Louis was set for Eastern Michigan
Prior to his move to Tuscaloosa, St. Louis most recently attended Fort Erie International Academy (FEIA) in Ontario after stints at Orangeville Prep and NBA Academy Latin America. Per 247Sports, St. Louis got an offer from Eastern Michigan in October 2025, but the university decided to part ways with ex-coach Stan Heath in March, which a FEIA news article said left the high schooler's "future cloudy."
FEIA's Michael Clarkson also reported that St. Louis dealt with "physical pains" dating back to age 14 when he had a rod placed in his hip because it was "slipping," which St. Louis attributed to "growing too fast."
Clarkson also reported that St. Louis missed the last half of his senior season at FEIA with a high ankle sprain and roamed the halls with a limp. Before his ankle injury, St. Louis was out for two months with a concussion, per Clarkson.
“I’m doing everything I can in my control to get better – stretching, exercising, making sure my body’s right," St. Louis said in the July 22 article.
St. Louis, whose brother Dantai played for Canisius University in New York, from 2016 to 2020, was added to the Alabama roster as part of the goal to make the Crimson Tide bigger. Two more additions − 6-10 Kentucky transfer Brandon Garrison and 6-11 Boise State transfer Drew Fielder − helped Alabama accomplish that.
Alabama returns to competition on Thursday, Oct. 22, against Auburn for the first ever "The Feud" exhibition at BJCC in Birmingham.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why TJ St Louis hasn't made Alabama basketball debut, per Nate Oats