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  • Alabama Grabs a 6'5" Guard with the Addition of St. Bonaventure Transfer Dominick Welch

Alabama Grabs a 6'5" Guard with the Addition of St. Bonaventure Transfer Dominick Welch

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Basketball

The Alabama men's basketball program announced the addition of 6-5, 205-pound shooting guard Dominick Welch as the seventh signee of the 2022 class, and second transfer to join the Crimson Tide program in a month.

Welch comes to the Capstone after a standout four-year career at St. Bonaventure, where he started 105 of the 110 games he played and developed into one of the top shooters in the Atlantic-10.

Welch, who has started 81 consecutive games dating back to his freshman season, brings another veteran presence to the backcourt as he joins fellow transfer point guard Mark Sears (Ohio University), who officially signed with the Crimson Tide program in April.

Welch finished his four-year career with the Bonnies scoring 1,198 points and ranked third in program history for career three-pointers (257). Last season, Welch started all 33 contests and averaged 12.3 points in 37.5 minutes per contest while also adding 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

He was a major factor in the Bonnies run to the NIT semifinals in March, where he averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 40.0 minutes and 4.0 threes made per game. The four-game stretch was highlighted by his performance in the semifinal loss to Xavier when he hit a career-best 7-of-10 threes en route to a career-high 25 points.

Both transfers join the nation's No. 3-ranked signing class, the highest ranked class in program history, which includes junior college transfer Nick Pringle, a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller, along with four-star signees Rylan Griffen and Noah Clowney.

COACH OATS ON DOMINICK WELCH: "We are excited to have Dom join our program. He is a versatile wing who has experience and can really score the ball. He was one of the top shooters in the A-10 leading the league in threes made per game last year, so we expect him to thrive in our system. Dom is originally from Buffalo, so we were able to make an immediate connection. He is also someone who is going to come in and earn his playing time. He's a four-year starter and has had a lot of success both from a team and an individual standpoint. He has impacted winning in a big way, helping St. Bonaventure to 76 wins in the last four years which shows that he cares about doing what needs to be done to help his team win. Combine all those factors with the fact that Dom is a terrific young man off the court, we feel he is the perfect fit for what our program needed."

Dominick Welch (6-5 | 205 | Gr. | G)
Buffalo, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure (Cheektowaga Academy) 

  • A team captain for St. Bonaventure where he played in 110 contests including 105 starts across his four seasons (2019-22)
  • Made 85 consecutive starts dating back to the final three games of his freshman season (2018-19)
  • Finished his four-year career with the Bonnies with 1,198 points and finished third for career three-pointers (257) and 21st in rebounding (649) as well as 32nd in scoring
  • Has made 257 career treys (257-of-687) and owns a career average of 37.4 percent from deep
  • Helped lead the Bonnies to a record of 76-43 (.639) across his career which included an A-10 regular season and conference tournament titles in 2021
  • Started all 33 contests a year ago and averaged 12.3 points per contest while also adding 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game
  • He led the A-10 in threes made per game (2.8), while his 91 total threes made was second-best in the league
  • Had 22 games in double figures, including four 20-point contests, and has compiled a total of 65 double-digit games for his career
  • Scored a career-high 25 points and knocked down 7-of-10 threes, also a career-best mark, in the NIT semifinal defeat to Xavier 
  • Played a key role in the Bonnies success during the 2020-21 season, starting all 21 games while averaging 11.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in over 34 minutes per game
  • Led the team and ranked seventh among all A-10 players during his junior year with 51 three-pointers, shooting over 39 percent from beyond the arc (51-130)
  • Started all 31 games as a sophomore, averaging 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, adding 2.1 assists per contest
  • Hit a team-best 72 three-pointers as a sophomore which ranked fourth in the A-10
  • Ranked second on the team and 14th among all A-10 players that year in rebounding, totaling five double-doubles
  • Chose Alabama over Wisconsin, Texas Tech, Kansas, Maryland, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State, among others