This is the first of an 8-part series where BamaCentral’s Blake Byler will break down the numbers and film to give you everything you need to know about each of Alabama basketball’s 2024-25 newcomers.
Although Alabama basketball made history last season by advancing to the Final Four for the first time in school history, there was still a glaring weakness all season in its defense.
Late in the season, Alabama’s defense ranked outside the top 100 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency metric, and one of the biggest catalysts for that was the lack of an elite rim protector. After Charles Bediako unexpectedly remained in the NBA Draft last summer, Nate Oats was left with a gaping hole in the middle of his defense that caused problems time and time again throughout the season.
Enter Clifford Omoruyi.
Omoruyi, a native of Nigeria and former 4-star recruit in the 2020 recruiting class, played four years at Rutgers and developed into one of the best rim protectors in the entire country. He increased his block total each year, reaching a whopping 2.9 blocks per game last season, and his second consecutive season was selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive team.
Omoruyi was one of the most sought-after names in the transfer portal, being pursued by teams like North Carolina and Kansas State, but was eventually snapped up by Oats and Alabama. Not only was Omoruyi one of the best players to enter the transfer portal this offseason, but he also perfectly fills exactly what Alabama needed.
To put into perspective how dominant Omoruyi was as a shot blocker, his 2.9 blocked shots per game amounted to 93 blocked shots on the season. He blocked shots at a rate of 12.7 percent, which ranked third among all college basketball players.
What’s more, Alabama totaled 133 blocks last season among all its players. Alabama’s top three blockers, Grant Nelson, Nick Pringle and Mohamed Wague, combined for 99 blocks on the season, just six more than Omoruyi managed alone.
With Omoruyi in the middle protecting the interior of Alabama’s defense, the Crimson Tide now has a true center with more than adequate size (6-foot-11, 240 pounds) to match some of the SEC’s best bigs like Johni de Auburn. Broome and Jonas Aidoo of Arkansas.
When it comes to his offensive game, think about the way Bediako was used: a lob threat in the pick-and-roll, a rim runner and an excellent rebounder. Omoruyi has better athleticism and mobility than Bediako, and combining that with his strength results in explosive dunks and lobs from all over the court. Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points per game last season and shot 62 percent from the floor, with more than two-thirds of his field goal attempts reaching the rim.
Alabama also struggled to rebound the ball last season on the defensive end, allowing the 277th-worst offensive rebounding rate in the country. Omoruyi fills that need as well, with a defensive rebounding rate in the top 80 nationally as an individual and an average of 8.3 rebounds per game.
To fully visualize how Omoruyi will fit in with Alabama, let’s delve into some of his film from Rutgers last season, starting with his defense.
These first two clips show Omoruyi’s discipline as a shot blocker. In the first clip against Wisconsin, Omoruyi leaves his man on the block to help against the offensive player he leads. While the offensive player fakes, Omoruyi does not bite into the fake or leave his feet, but instead waits and times his jump precisely to block the shot.
In the second clip, Omoruyi’s teammate goes down and is defeated on the perimeter, leaving the offensive player to head straight for Omoruyi. Omoruyi leaves his feet, but remains upright and keeps his arms vertical, meeting the Northwestern player in the air and blocking the shot.
Both examples would be easily called as fouls by less disciplined defensive players. It’s a welcome spot for Alabama, as its interior defenders like Nelson and Wague had some of the highest foul rates in the SEC. Omoruyi only averaged 2.6 fouls per game last season, a very solid mark for a rim protector.
In the next two clips, Omoruyi shows off his 7-foot-6 wingspan and how it allows him to block shots with incredible reach. When his teammate is beaten against Northwestern and the offensive player appears to have a clean look, Omoruyi’s reach erases what appeared to be an open look.
Against Minnesota in the second clip, Omoruyi finds himself in an isolation situation, something that is increasingly rare in modern college basketball, but which gave Alabama fits last season. With his reach, he is able to block a left-handed post hook at the moment of delivery.
Omoruyi’s presence should, at a minimum, limit and at best completely eliminate the option for opposing teams to isolate the post 1-on-1 thanks to his rim-protecting prowess.
Now, let’s look at where Omoruyi can be used on the offensive end.
Omoruyi’s athleticism makes him a constant threat anywhere on the court. In these two clips, Omoruyi is used similar to how Alabama has used its bigs in its offense in recent years.
In the first clip, Omoruyi hands the ball to his guard on a dribble handoff (DHO) and rolls toward the basket for an easy catch and hit. In the second clip, Omoruyi sets a screen and rolls to the basket, receiving a nice pass for another dunk.
Alabama’s offense consistently puts its bigs in DHO and pick-and-roll actions, allowing the guards to make the read to finish at the rim, throw a loft/bounce pass to the big man, or kick out to the perimeter for a three-pointer. With a lob threat as good as Omoruyi, guards like Mark Sears and Aden Holloway will have plenty of options once they take on the defense.
It’s not just balloons either, although those were the two examples in the clips. Omoruyi is a strong finisher off the glass, and can just as easily catch a bounced pass on a drive to the basket or a flip and be able to convert both easy ones.
With the breakneck pace at which Alabama plays, their bigs will need to be in excellent shape to run the floor throughout the game. Omoruyi is not only in great shape, but he also has great speed for his size.
In the clip above against Michigan, Omoruyi runs from one end of the court to the other, outrunning the opposing big man, and throws down a monster dunk after his guard finds him on the block. Omoruyi, a more fluid athlete than Bediako, should be able to rack up dunks in transition simply by running down the court with rhythm.
Overall, Omoruyi fills multiple needs that Alabama lacked last season. With his long reach, you might see the Crimson Tide return to covering the run against ball screens, funneling all offensive traffic toward Omoruyi as he blocks shot after shot inside. He’s arguably the most important offseason addition Alabama made, and he should start at center from day one.
And just in case, here’s Omoruyi posterizing two-time national player of the year Zach Edey to get you even more excited:
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