TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The Alabama men’s basketball team welcomed three newcomers to the program this offseason with the departures of NBA lottery pick Collin Sexton and two others.

The Crimson Tide, which ended with a 20-16 (8-10 SEC) overall record last year, signed center Javian Davis-Fleming and guard Diante Wood in November and added guard Kira Lewis last month as the 2019 point guard prospect from Alabama reclassified to the 2018 class.

Following UA’s first practice of the season Tuesday, head coach Avery Johnson announced that Wood will miss four months because of ankle surgery and could be a candidate to redshirt. The fourth-year coach also touched on what Davis-Fleming adds to the Tide frontcourt.

“Another young guy, can play inside and out,” Johnson said Tuesday. “He’s a really good passer, so he’s not just a guy who plays with his back to the basket. He can play off the elbows, face up and make the shot. We can run some offense through him at the elbow.”

The 6-foot-9, 268-pound freshman gives Alabama another big body to work with down low, as he joins players like Donta Hall, Daniel Giddens, Alex Reese and Galin Smith in the post.

As for Lewis, with Wood out until at least February and redshirt junior Dazon Ingram (ankle) day-to-day, the Tide will need the late addition to its roster to catch on quickly before the start of the season, along with other guards like Herbert Jones, John Petty and Avery Johnson Jr.

“That’s my guy,” Johnson Jr. said of Lewis. “We’ve got to teach him the ways. He wasn’t here all summer. He hasn’t been through any training camps, so we’ve really got to lead him through because he’s a young guy and still could be in high school at this moment. So, we’ve got to make sure he’s ready for everything because the college season is hard.”

Petty said Lewis is just as quick as Sexton and is a smart player that can shoot the ball. As a guy that should be getting ready for his senior season at Hazel Green (Ala.) High School, UA is taking its time with the 6-foot-3, 167-pound freshman as he adjusts to life in college.

Alabama's latest addition, Kira Lewis.

“He’s young. He has a bright future,” Johnson said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. He’s 17 years old, doesn’t turn 18 until next year. Obviously, he was going to be a senior in high school. So, we’ll take it slow. We’re not in any rush with him, but man, he’s talented. He has a high ceiling. But he needs to work on his body. He hasn’t been with us all summer, so he’s still playing catch up in a lot of areas. But boy, we are so encouraged by his potential and his future.”

Along with the trio of freshmen, Alabama will also welcome a veteran player to the court for the first time. Junior Tevin Mack will make his Crimson Tide debut this year after sitting out 2017-18 campaign per NCAA transfer rules. And his new teammates are excited to add him.

“Tevin gets buckets,” Johnson Jr. said. “Just knowing him back from his Texas days, I’m from out there. Watching him play in Texas, he was the leading scorer before he transferred. Watching him this whole summer and his redshirt year, that dude gets buckets, so ya’ll will definitely see that soon.”

Mack, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound wing that spent two seasons at Texas, will provide the Tide with another scoring threat as it prepares for life without Sexton this upcoming season. He will give Alabama a third guard-forward combo, along with Jones and redshirt senior Riley Norris.

“He’s just a great shooter just like I am, so it’s going to bounce and fly because they ain’t going to be able to just play tight on me,” Petty said of Mack. “They are going to have to play tight on him, and we got Herb Jones, who’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot, too. … So, it’s going to make the defense think a lot with him being out on the court.”

The coach added: “One of our Achilles heels was the three-point shot. We didn’t shoot a high enough percentage. If you look at the teams that made it to the Final Four or Elite Eight, boy, they take care of the ball, they don’t turn it over, they don’t make a lot of careless turnovers, but they make their wide-open shots. Guys like Mack can help us there.”

Alabama will open the season with an exhibition game versus Montevallo on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. CT. The regular season will begin with a home contest on Nov. 6 against Southern University.

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

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