This is an opinion article 

As Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide get closer to opening up Coleman Collesium this week, I decided to dive into the Bama sports history books and look at some of the interesting "unis" the Tide basketball program has sported throughout the decades of tradition. While I'm not a fan of the jerseys that Alabama currently utilizes, mostly because we've been wearing them for roughly eight years, it seems like whoever was calling the equipment shots in the eras of Wimp Sanderson and Mark Gottfried had a solid eye for uniforms.

Here are my top-five Bama hoops uniforms in program history:

5) 1995: The tidal wave effect across the shorts is what sets this pair apart from the traditional 'clean' Bama look and even if it somewhat resembles a popular soda can, it's still one of my favorites. (Pictured: G Eric Washington, 1995 against Arkansas in Fayetteville)

Eric Washington
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4) 2004: The University, after revamping their "Script A" in 2000, finally got the new logo on the uniform as a feature for the 2004 season. The modern "A" had been on previous renditions, but the use as a spotlight for the shorts made this one of the more modern looks in the SEC for its time. (Pictured: Chuck Davis, 2005 SEC Tournament)

Mississippi Rebels v Alabama Crimson Tide
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3) 2012: Again, the jerseys themselves aren't much to write home about, however, the "cathedral" shorts design is one of the cleanest in Alabama history. Sadly, these jerseys (or a very similar rendition) have been used since the 2011 season and are still in use today. (Pictured: Trevor Lacey and 2012 team in Madison Square Garden)

2K Sports Classic - Alabama Crimson Tide v Villanova Wildcats
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2) 1997: This setup made an extremely brief debut in the late 1990s which completely bucked Alabama's school-wide trend of "traditional uniforms," for better or worse. This would be a perfect collector's item for a true Bama basketball nerd, mostly due to the fact that they were only used for two seasons, but also because... they look awesome. (Pictured: Forward Demetrius Alexander, win over Florida at The Pyramid in Memphis, TN, 2005)

... I'd be smiling if I got to wear those unis, too

Demetrius Alexander
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1) 2006: Perfect. - This is how you do a throwback. I think this is an impeccable merger of classic Alabama sports with a clean design that stands out on tv and in-person at Coleman. Wearing these in a weekend game against Auburn or Kentucky would be a treat for the loyal Bama fanbase and likely, a bit of fun for the team as well.

Alabama Crimson Tide v UCLA Bruins
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I'll loudly admit the fact that I like throwback looks in basketball, though, mostly in hopes that HC Nate Oats agrees with me and decides to make a change. However, I believe most Bama hoops fans, like myself, would enjoy the 80s/90s throwback-style alternate uniform, especially if it produces wins similar to that era as well. (Pictured: Richard Hendrix, NCAA Tournament, 2005)

Photo courtesy of AL.com
Leon Douglas (Photo courtesy of AL.com)
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