TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- James Bolden is ready to get back on the court.

The player commonly referred to as “Beetle” missed the final 18 games of his redshirt junior season at West Virginia due to an ankle injury and entered the NCAA transfer portal to finish his college career elsewhere. He played in 82 career games for the Mountaineers, started 15 times and finished with 635 points (7.7 ppg) and a 39.9 shooting percentage from 3-point range.

“It was a difficult process,” Bolden said of his decision. “West Virginia holds a special place in my heart. I was there for my first four years of college and have some great memories there, so my decision to leave there was kind of difficult. But after talking to my family and everybody else that was involved, I felt like I made the right decision as a career move.”

Bolden committed to play for Alabama on April 14, and after dealing with a minor shoulder injury for most of his time as a member of the Crimson Tide, he’s finally nearing 100-percent health. Speaking to reporters for the first time since joining Alabama’s program, Bolden shared why he chose to come to Tuscaloosa, and it dates back to the first game of his redshirt junior year.

“What just attracted me here was Coach (Nate) Oats,” Bolden said. “He was actually our first game last year of the season at West Virginia, and the way he ran his offense, I liked the way they played, so it was definitely one of the options coming out to put my name into the portal. Once I got here, it just felt like a family, a home for me, and I just fell in love with everything here.”

First-year head coach Nate Oats is known for an up-tempo offense, and that clearly was a draw for Bolden. The graduate transfer said there are no similarities to the offense he played within at West Virginia, which was stationary compared to the always-moving formations Oats draws up. Bolden said he and his new teammates sit talk a lot about their excitement for this offense.

But Bolden is also savvy on the defensive end of the floor.

“I kind of had to play defense playing for Coach (Bob) Huggins back at West Virginia,” Bolden said. “He helped me with that part of my game, and I just want to bring that part of my game here to these guys and let them know that I’m here with them and I’m going to be fighting with them when I’m on the floor.”

Teammates like junior guard John Petty appreciate that approach, as well as the shooting.

“There’s a lot of extra scoring on the court, for sure,” Petty said of Bolden. “He plays hard. He does all the blue-collar plays, like take a charge, get a steal. He’s just another added body to the roster that’s going to help us a lot this year.”

In his final season at West Virginia, Bolden ranked second on the team with 12.2 points per game, while adding 2.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21.4 minutes per contest. He ended his redshirt junior season shooting 40.9 percent (70-of-171) from the field, 34.9 percent (30-of-86) from beyond the arc and a team-leading 82.0 percent (50-of-61) from the charity stripe. He scored a career-best 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting in a win over Oklahoma State.

Alabama guard James "Beetle" Bolden

“Beetle’s great,” Oats said. “He played so hard at West Virginia. He steps in, takes charges. He’s not even fully cleared yet, and you can see him in live drills that he’s able to participate in, he’s taking charges, scrappy, getting on the floor for loose balls, gets his hand on a lot of balls. So, he’s going to be big with the way we want to play, and he shoots the ball so well and spaces the floor.

“... Especially if (Jahvon) Quinerly doesn’t get cleared, he’ll be big. We knew we needed another ball-handler. When we recruited him at Buffalo, we weren’t sure of the roster. We sat down and looked at the roster once we got the job here, and Kira (Lewis) had to handle the ball a lot last year. He’s able to play off the ball because he scores it so well, and I think you’d be smart to use him on and off the ball. … Beetle enables us to do that a little bit.”

Bolden wants to showcase his skills on the perimeter, and Friday will be his first opportunity to do that when Alabama’s men’s and women’s basketball teams participate in the Tide Tipoff.

“I’m very excited,” Bolden said. “This is my first time going to be in front of the fans. I just want to let them know that I’m here, and I’m going to be out there fighting for them, as well.”

ADDITIONAL DETAILS FOR TIDE TIPOFF

The Alabama basketball teams will welcome in the new season with the fifth annual Supe Store Tide Tipoff event. This year’s Tide Tipoff will take place on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum. The free event to the public will be packed with entertainment, giveaways, prizes and more.

Doors for the event will open at 6 p.m. CT. The on-court event begins at 7 p.m. Seating for the fifth-annual event is general admission, with up to 500 students having floor access for an up-close view of player introductions and the entertainment on the court.

Tide Tipoff schedule of events

5 p.m. -- The Tide Tipoff Block Party, which will be open to UA students only, will begin on the east side of Coleman Coliseum. Festivities will include free food, inflatables, yard games and more. Wristbands for court access during Tide Tipoff will be issued to students on a first-come, first-served basis during the Block Party. Students can also enter for a chance to attempt a $10,000 half-court shot during Tide Tipoff.

6 p.m. -- Doors open to Tide Tipoff. The men’s and women’s basketball teams will sign autographs around the concourse from 6-6:40 p.m. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free Tide Tipoff T-shirt and the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive an LED foam stick to help light up Coleman Coliseum during the event.

7 p.m. -- Tide Tipoff begins. The event will feature team introductions, a three-point contest, dunk contest, a live DJ, a $10,000 half-court shot attempt and plenty of additional entertainment.

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).