Jumbo Package: The fallout from Tua’s catastrophic injury may change the game forever

Tide hoops is off to a disappointing start, which was not to be expected with an early-season No. 282 SOS. But, at the same time, it can be partially excused by injuries, ineligibility, new scheme and coach, and roster deficiencies. Despite that, Kira Lewis Jr. has been mostly outstanding this season, and NBA scouts are taking note:

Crimson Tide coaches have been getting favorable feedback from NBA scouts on sophomore point guard Kira Lewis, enough so that Nate Oats believes Lewis — who just turned 18 in April — could be in position to turn pro after the season.

“They’re definitely interested (in him),” Oats said. “… They’re all kind of wait-and-see. Offensively, he’s got decent size at about 6-3 and his speed and his skill level and he can pass, dribble and shoot. They’re very intrigued because he’s so young.”

The first thing on Nate Oats to-do list though is clean up all the turnovers. Alabama has been promiscuous, to say the least, giving it up about 20 times a game.

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Scooby Carter has been in the doghouse this year. And, following a suspension, he decided to pout his way to the Quitter Hole rather than try and do the right things to position himself for playing time in a thin secondary.

Alabama freshman cornerback Jeffery “Scooby” Carter has entered his name into the transfer portal. Carter, a four star prospect out of Mansfield Texas has appeared in three games so far this season. He recorded one tackle in a game against New Mexico State. Carter is listed at 6’0” 186 pounds and had 20 scholarship offers coming out of Mansfield Legacy High School. Carter was recruited by defensive backs coach Karl Scott and was previously committed to Texas A&M before signing with Alabama in December of last year.

Too harsh? Maybe. I’m grumpy today and just not in the mood for platitudes and well-wishes when opportunities present themselves and someone with the chance of a lifetime would rather piss it away.

Have fun at TCU, Scooby.

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Should he skip the draft? That’s an intriguing question for Tua Tagovailoa, and one with an answer worth about $25 million.

When the news emerged Monday morning that Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had successful hip surgery, it marked the first step toward the expected start of his professional career.

And it also kicked off the beginning of a draft process that’s going to be among the most scrutinized and complicated in NFL history. Until all of the medical timeline information for recovery becomes clear and insurance nuances are made public, it’s difficult to gauge what’s the best decision for Tagovailoa to make next.

Good story here from Y! and particularly the ripple effect that his injury will have on the college football landscape. A career-threatening injury to the presumptive first (or second or third) pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has probably changed the calculus for a lot of stakeholders forever.

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That was depressing.

Now, let’s cheer the kid who brought so much cheer to so many for the last three years

Even Krystal (!!) got in on the act wishing well for our fallen leader.

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His surgery yesterday was “excellent” and he’s expected to make a full recovery.

But, make no mistake, the injury that Tua suffered was about as catastrophic as it gets on a football field.

Dr. Louis Levitt, the Vice President and Secretary for The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics in Washington, explains just how catastrophic a reminder this is of what a violent sport these young men are engaging in.

“Once the hip is back in the socket, presumably, perfectly aligned in the socket -- and I say presumably because [that] we don’t know -- sometimes when you pull the ball back into the socket, you entrap some bone fragments. Therefore, you can’t leave it like that. You have to go in surgically and remove the bone fragments.

”Once the ball is back in the socket again, then you have to assess through varying tests to what extent is the socket damaged and what you would have to do to stabilize the socket. Often, the commonest form of this dislocation is to take out part of the socket when the ball dislocates.”

Levitt said that this form of injury is uncommon and is generally associated with violent automobile accidents.

One thing is certain, though. Alabama has been one of the most snakebitten teams in recent memory. Every year it seems like a valuable superstar goes down just when they are needed the most.

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Tide Sports also has an outstanding photo series if you’d like to relive the magic that No. 13 conjured during his 2-plus seasons in Crimson and White.

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The Tide coaches named their players of the game, and of course Tua and Najee were on the list. But, don’t overlook a secondary that played outstanding on Saturday:

DEFENSE

Nickel back Shyheim Carter

Carter had seven tackles, including one stop for a loss. The senior also helped the defense hold Mississippi State to 82 passing yards.

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Don’t count this Crimson Tide team out. Just because the field general is sidelined doesn’t mean that there’s not more than enough offense here to get into the playoffs and win the whole danged thing.

That would be a Hollywood ending for a program that has seen its share the last two years. Can Mac Jones make it three?

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A very emotional Nick Saban delivered his press conference yesterday. It’s as close to seeing the man cry as you will ever come.

It is a hurting team, but it is still a team that must go on. Some of the season’s larger goals are remain within reach:

On the offense with Mac Jones

”I don’t think the offense changes much at all. Mac played in the Arkansas game and did a nice job. I think was 18 for 22 or whatever. He’s smart. He understands the offense. He’s made a lot of improvement throughout the course of the year. We have a lot of confidence in mac and I think Sark’s done a really good job of helping him develop throughout the year. We’re not changing what we do. Mac is a very capable guy. He’s a smart guy, and we have a lot of confidence in what he can do and what he will do.”

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We’ll be back later with the Meltdown, Random Thoughts, Bama Basketball Breakdown and game thread, and then we’ll have the playoff thread and predictions for you at 6 this evening (Central). Go forth to evil and have a great day.