The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team saw their 2025 March Madness run cut short by the buzzsaw that is the Duke Blue Devils. Up until they ran into the East's number-one seed and their triumvirate of projected lottery picks, Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and Kon Knueppel, the Tide had taken care of business as the second-best squad in the division.
With their easy dismantlings of Saint Mary's in the second round and Brigham Young in the Sweet 16, it was easy to forget that Alabama was nearly upset in the first round by a feisty Robert Morris team. In the Round of 64, they found themselves down 65-64 to the Colonials with just over seven minutes left in the second half.
A huge reason the Tide outlasted Robert Morris was Mouhamed Dioubate, who re-entered the game just seconds before the Colonials took the lead to help drag Alabama to a nine-point win. He was easily their best player that night, finishing with 10 rebounds, two stocks, and 18 points off the bench on a pristine 8-10 shooting. His performance as a Swiss army knife wing who did all the little things necessary to pull out the victory was reminiscent of a former member of the Tide and current New Orleans Pelican: Herb Jones.
Herb Jones has been a mentor to Mouhamed Dioubate for the Crimson Tide
It's been a while since the basketball world has seen Herb Jones play. He's been out since early January with a torn rotator cuff, and the Pelicans are hoping to get him back for the start of the 2025-26 NBA campaign, but his rehabilitation could carry over into the regular season. But anyone who caught some of the Crimson Tide's run to the Elite 8 was bound to catch glimpses of Herb's game while watching Mouhamed Dioubate play.
They're both strong wings who use their functional athleticism to lock down on the defensive end of the court and terrorize opponents in transition. Both built a reputation for doing the dirty work on the floor to constantly give their teams the upper hand. This past season, Dioubate averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 16 minutes per game as a sophomore. In Herb's second season with the Tide, he put up 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.9 in 21 minutes a night.
The similarities are no coincidence, either. Jones has reportedly been directly mentoring his doppelganger at Alabama. According to AL.com's Nick Kelly, Jones and Dioubate often speak. Herb spent time in Tuscaloosa earlier this year while rehabbing his shoulder injury. During that time, the two connected every day. When they're not physically together, Herb's been known to give Dioubate feedback on his performances via text. According to Dioubate, Jones has been giving him some very on-character advice:
"He’s just told me, ‘keep doing the dirty work. It’s all going to pay off. The next level, that’s what a lot of teams are looking for.' He just told me, ‘keep staying in the gym. Keep worrying about the important things on the court. Everything else is going to take care of itself once you worry about the hustle plays and all the blue-collar stuff.‘”
At this point in their careers, Dioubate's a little ahead of Jones's trajectory, likely in part due to Herb's guidance. Perhaps by this time next year, Dioubate will be preparing for the draft, and the Pelicans will have a chance to employ both Herb Jones and Herb Jones Jr.