T. J. St. Louis Wins a Scholarship to Powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide
By Michael Clarkson
At times this past season, the site of a giant T. J. St. Louis roaming the halls of FEIA with a limp might have seemed depressing to his basketball Falcon teammates.
He missed the last half of the campaign with a high ankle sprain and the coach who had recruited him for Eastern Michigan University was fired, leaving T. J.’s future cloudy.
When he graduated in June, he considered coming back to FEIA for post grad study.
But then lightning struck – this week he was given a scholarship by the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, a powerhouse in NCAA Division I. It’s the highest ranked NCAA team for an FEIA grad, although Leonard Miller was drafted into the NBA right out of our Nest in 2023 and now plays for the Chicago Bulls.
At seven feet, one inch tall and 265 pounds, T. J. has 7-5 wingspan. He’s expected to provide front court depth for coach Nate Oats, who likes his size, defensive presence and put-backs to the hoop from offensive rebounding.
After Alabama’s season-ending loss to eventual champion Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16, Oats said that “we’ve got to get better,” and it became the theme of his new roster. St. Louis will be the sixth player on the Crimson Tide who is at least 6-10.
The Crimson Tide were ranked 16th in the NCAA during the regular season.
In an interview with me in April, T. J. said that scholarships and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) money given out by American colleges are a big incentive to Canadian players. “I want to make some money, help my family, then go to the NBA,” he said.
St. Louis believes he brings good passing and leadership to any team he plays for. “I want to be like LeBron (James), who makes people around him better. I like to think I have a positive attitude.”
That attitude helped him through physical pains. At age 14, he had a rod placed into his hip because it was slipping. “I was growing too fast,” he smiled. “I’m doing everything I can in my control to get better – stretching, exercising, making sure my body’s right.” Prior to his ankle injury, he suffered a concussion in October and was out for two months.
T. J. played high school ball in Brampton and for the Mississauga Monarchs Elite club team before joining Team Canada for the Under-17 World Championships in 2024 in Turkey. “It was a dream of mine to play for Canada and it was a good learning experience,” he said.
He also played for Orangeville Prep and then, in 2024-25, the NBA Academy Latin America in Mexico.
T. J.’s brother, Dantai St. Louis, played for the Canisius Golden Griffins in Buffalo. N.Y., from 2016-2020.
