BY DANIEL LOCKE | PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY ANDY HAYES AND UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA ATHLETICS

Alabama basketball completed another run to the Elite Eight, and one of Helena’s own had a front-row seat to the action all season long.

Andy Hayes, a Helena native and Helena High School graduate, served as the president of Crimson Chaos, Alabama basketball’s student section this season. The opportunity came after being involved in the group’s leadership staff in different capacities since his freshman year at the university.

Hayes’ love for Alabama basketball dates back to when deep runs in the NCAA Tournament were nothing but wishful thinking.

“I grew up playing a little bit of basketball as a kid and I had (Alabama) games on the TV when I was really young, back when they weren’t very good and I just fell in love with it,” Hayes said. “Everyone loves (Alabama) football, and I do too, but there was just something about basketball that captivated my interest.”

Hayes’ involvement in Crimson Chaos began at a pivotal time in the organization, right after Luke Ratliff, an Alabama basketball superfan who is often credited for building the student section into what it is today, passed away due to COVID-19 complications in 2021.

Blake Bullock, one of Ratliff’s best friends and another Helena High graduate, took over as the organization’s president and recruited Hayes to serve alongside him.

“(Bullock) knew I liked Alabama basketball and ended up asking me if I was looking to get involved, I said absolutely,” Hayes said. “I didn’t get the chance to know Luke personally, but obviously watching the program and keeping up with it, I very much knew who he was.

Hayes immediately knew that he wanted to help continue carry on Ratliff’s legacy and the passion that he elevated with the Crimson Chaos.

“As soon as I had the opportunity to help carry this thing on after he unfortunately passed away, I knew it was something I wanted to get involved in,” Hayes said.

Filling the shoes of a legendary figure within the program is an honor Hayes does not take lightly. He has had the opportunity to get close to people who were close to Ratliff, adding fuel to his passion for building the best possible environment at Alabama basketball games.

“I do have a relationship with his mom, Mrs. Pam Ratliff—she’s just the best,” Hayes said. “It’s just meant a lot to carry on what he created. I hear the stories about how there wasn’t a lot of student engagement.”

Hayes emphasized that Ratliff got the student engagement up to an all-time high even when Alabama’s program was not the most successful, crediting the work he did as the president of the student section.

“A lot of people think we have student engagement now because of success on the court—and that absolutely helps—but Luke had this thing rolling (Nate) Oats’ first year when we were like 19-15 and this place was packed out,” Hayes said.

Hayes first served as the organization’s secretary and held other titles before being named as the vice president before the 2023-24 season. Following Alabama’s historic run to the Final Four that year, Hayes was selected for the role of president, something he had been working toward since arriving on campus.

“There was a lot of excitement last year and then kind of right after that they asked me if I would be looking to step into the role as president and of course that was a very easy answer,” Hayes said. “From there it was all about setting up a great team around me.”

A lot of time goes into Hayes’ role, particularly on game days. He spends a lot of time inside Coleman Coliseum ensuring that the students have everything they need.

“A lot of times I get to Coleman around five or six hours before tip-off,” Hayes said. “We usually already have some students lined up so just making sure they didn’t have any needs, making sure they were all taken care of. Just making sure everything was set up and ready to go.”

Hayes went on to discuss how although the days were sometimes long, he would not trade them for anything else.

“They were exhausting, busy, but they were so rewarding,” Hayes said. “Some of my favorite college memories came in Coleman Coliseum on those long days, so I’m gonna miss them for sure.”

Hayes has been there for some of the biggest moments in the history of Alabama basketball. From SEC Championship-securing wins to witnessing the team advance to its first Final Four, Hayes has had no shortage of memorable basketball to watch.

“Obviously, a lot of the big wins have brought some great memories,” Hayes said. “My sophomore year we won a double (championship) in the SEC. We won the regular season at home against Auburn in overtime and that was really special to get to wrap that up at home.”

However, seeing the wins was not the only great memories that Hayes had while leading the student body at Alabama basketball games. He credits a lot of his fond memories to the friends he shared it with along the way, knowing he could not have done what he did without them.

“A lot of my favorite memories just came spending time with some of my best friends that did this with me, whether it was in Tuscaloosa or somewhere else,” Hayes said. “Of course winning games and hanging some banners helped a lot too, but really just getting to make memories with my buddies is what was most special to me.”

Alabama basketball has reached a new level of consistent competitiveness, more so than many ever thought to be possible. Hayes had a role to play in getting his peers to buy in, something he spent the majority of his time as a student working to accomplish.

The Tuscaloosa community has made an impact on Hayes in addition to the university, and he plans to stick around as a result. He graduates in May with a bachelor’s degree in operations management. After he walks across the stage, he will begin a job as a process improvement engineer in Tuscaloosa.

No matter where life takes him though, Hayes will always remember the journey he took with the Crimson Tide, but more importantly, the great legacy of Ratliff that he carried on.