The 2026-27 season will mark Alabama women’s basketball’s first year under head coach Pauline Love, and with the coaching change came a major roster overhaul.
After previous coach Kristy Curry left for the head job at South Florida, Alabama lost players to both the WNBA and the transfer portal, leaving only four returning players from last season.
Among those returners are guard Ace Austin and forward Naomi Jones. After Austin came off the bench her true freshman year, she is almost guaranteed to be Alabama’s starting point guard in 2026. The former Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year’s improvement in playmaking and shot-creation will be vital for the Crimson Tide’s offense this season.
Jones, meanwhile, saw her role expand in the second half of the season after an injury from Essence Cody, during which she showcased rebounding ability and shot-blocking that she must continue to improve on to anchor Alabama’s frontcourt defense.
Guards Tianna Chambers and Leah Brooks round out the returners to the team, and although neither saw a lot of playing time last season, they both have defensive upside for the size they offer in the backcourt, with Chambers listed at 6 feet, 1 inch tall and Brooks at 6 feet, 3 inches.
Seven transfers joined the team following the hiring of Love, headlined by Lindenwood University transfer Brooke Coffey and Louisiana Tech University transfer Paris Bradley.
Coffey is a senior guard who was named First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference last season after averaging the fourth most rebounds in her conference at 7.9. That went along with 13.5 points and 2.8 assists per game, as well as 39.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Her size and versatility in the backcourt will provide a positive balance next to a smaller guard like Austin.
Bradley adds a similar three-point ability to Coffey, averaging 37.6% on 5.6 attempts per game in her final season at Louisiana Tech. She contributed heavily on both ends for the Lady Techsters, averaging 1.9 steals per game while leading Conference USA in win shares, with 6.6.
Alabama further bolstered its guard with Newberry College guard Rickell Brown, who averaged 15.3 points per game for the Wolves in 2025. Though she will have to adjust to an extreme jump in competition in the Southeastern Conference, Brown provides yet another ball handler for the Crimson Tide and a scorer with high potential as she continues to hone in on her shooting.
“Rickell has all the tools to be a special player in this league,” Love said. “She’s coachable, driven and embraces the work that comes with growth.”
Boston College transfer Amirah Anderson, meanwhile, won’t have quite as steep a jump in competition. One of two transfers from a Power Four program, Anderson averaged nearly eight points per game as a true freshman guard. Although she showed promise for a reeling Boston College team, she is likely to provide spurts of scoring off the bench, as well as rebounding ability in the backcourt.
University of Cincinnati forward Kylie Torrence is the other Power Four newcomer, and she is in a good position to start for Alabama come November. She averaged 12 rebounds per 40 minutes for the Bearcats in 2025, and she will be vital to helping the Crimson Tide improve at closing out possessions and getting second-chance looks with her rebounding on both ends of the court.
Alabama finished eleventh in the SEC in rebounds and fifteenth in offensive rebounds last year, an issue that the size of Torrence should greatly help.
“Kylie doesn’t just control the game,” Love said. “She impacts it in ways you don’t always see from her position. Her ability to rebound, push tempo and create opportunities for others will give us a different kind of edge.”
UNC Charlotte transfer Caitlin Staley rounds out Alabama’s newcomers in the frontcourt. She did not see a lot of minutes for the 49ers, but she showcased incredible defensive ability in the playing time she got, with an 11% block percentage.
DePaul University guard Alayna West is the final addition to the guard rotation. West has the potential to be Alabama’s top point-of-attack defender in 2026 after she had the ninth most steals in the Big East in her freshman year.
While she won’t be among the most dynamic scoring options the Crimson Tide has this season, her defensive ability should allow her to see a lot of minutes alongside the scoring-oriented Austin and Coffey.
“Alayna is just scratching the surface of her potential,” Love said. “She’s hungry, coachable and ready to take the next step.”
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