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Nate Oats' mission at the beginning of the season wasn't just for Alabama basketball to win games. The goal was to win championships.
Injuries down the roster have hurt the ceiling that the Crimson Tide − a program only two seasons removed from the biggest stage of the NCAA Tournament − had coming off of its run to the Elite Eight.
The ups and downs that came through sustaining four SEC losses put Alabama's head coach in a position where he was grasping for whatever he could to stir up some Final Four magic leading up to an 89-75 win over South Carolina.
Fortunately for Oats, one piece of that one-of-a-kind team remains.
SABAN'S STANDOUT: Nick Saban's had his eye on which Alabama basketball star this season?
REQUIRED READING: Alabama basketball’s Charles Bediako is student-athlete and ‘will be treated as such’
This week, Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC) received new uniforms − replicas of the ones the team wore on a historic Final Four run.
Not long before that, Oats called on colleague and Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy to give the team a talk on "Mudita" − the same chat that taught the Tide the selflessness it needed to reach Arizona in 2024.
The white threads and retro block lettering were only a familiar sight to Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who was also the only member of the current roster to receive the "Mudita" speech that Oats felt shaped that 2023-24 season.
"When we talked two years ago, I thought it was outstanding. When we talked this time, I thought it was even better," Oats said. "I just felt like we needed to come together. We've faced a lot of adversity. ... The injuries are the biggest adversity that we've had to face."
A plethora of injuries have impacted Wrightsell − who entered the year recovering from an Achilles tendon that he ruptured last season − alone. Now, halfway to March, Wrightsell is playing what Oats feels is the best basketball he has played since arriving at Alabama in 2023, and his delight in his teammates' success − or "Mudita" − could be the most important ingredients to restoring the Tide's championship caliber.
Before the Gamecocks arrived to Tuscaloosa, Oats underscored the importance of the timing of Wrightsell's arrival, shouting out the veteran guard for his second game of the year with seven 3s at Ole Miss.
Entering the season, Oats believed that the Tide had its best shooting team yet, a bragging right still held by the 2023-24 team that made over 37% of 3s.
"We're starting to shoot it how I thought we could shoot it, and Wrightsell is a big part of that," Oats said after the game.
Wrightsell's touch for 19 points and three triples against South Carolina helped Alabama's effort to look more like the Final Four squad from the perimeter. Even before halftime, the Tide had shot over 55% in its last two halves.
After halftime, Alabama went from 9-for-17 from deep to 5-for-17. South Carolina chipped away at a 17-point deficit to make it a two-possession game late, but there was Wrightsell in the corner, ready to calm fans with a corner 3 and keep the Tide on top by double-digits.
Despite coming off of the bench, Wrightsell briefly took over as Alabama's lead scorer when 6:19 remained. He hasn't started every game, or appeared in every game. Wrightsell didn't start against Ole Miss, and he didn't against South Carolina, either.
However, bench points proved to be an X-factor.
South Carolina non-starters struggled to cough up seven points. Wrightsell had all but 10 bench points for Alabama, which scored 29. In 27 minutes, he also had three rebounds and three assists.
To Oats, Wrightsell has a commitment to winning that makes getting the starting nod moot.
The minutes will come, and so will the points, just like they did for Wrightsell against the Gamecocks − a trend the Tide needs to continue in order to be the last one standing.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: After South Carolina, Alabama basketball restoring Final Four magic
Continue reading...
Injuries down the roster have hurt the ceiling that the Crimson Tide − a program only two seasons removed from the biggest stage of the NCAA Tournament − had coming off of its run to the Elite Eight.
The ups and downs that came through sustaining four SEC losses put Alabama's head coach in a position where he was grasping for whatever he could to stir up some Final Four magic leading up to an 89-75 win over South Carolina.
Fortunately for Oats, one piece of that one-of-a-kind team remains.
SABAN'S STANDOUT: Nick Saban's had his eye on which Alabama basketball star this season?
REQUIRED READING: Alabama basketball’s Charles Bediako is student-athlete and ‘will be treated as such’
This week, Alabama (18-7, 8-4 SEC) received new uniforms − replicas of the ones the team wore on a historic Final Four run.
Not long before that, Oats called on colleague and Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy to give the team a talk on "Mudita" − the same chat that taught the Tide the selflessness it needed to reach Arizona in 2024.
The white threads and retro block lettering were only a familiar sight to Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who was also the only member of the current roster to receive the "Mudita" speech that Oats felt shaped that 2023-24 season.
"When we talked two years ago, I thought it was outstanding. When we talked this time, I thought it was even better," Oats said. "I just felt like we needed to come together. We've faced a lot of adversity. ... The injuries are the biggest adversity that we've had to face."
A plethora of injuries have impacted Wrightsell − who entered the year recovering from an Achilles tendon that he ruptured last season − alone. Now, halfway to March, Wrightsell is playing what Oats feels is the best basketball he has played since arriving at Alabama in 2023, and his delight in his teammates' success − or "Mudita" − could be the most important ingredients to restoring the Tide's championship caliber.
Before the Gamecocks arrived to Tuscaloosa, Oats underscored the importance of the timing of Wrightsell's arrival, shouting out the veteran guard for his second game of the year with seven 3s at Ole Miss.
Entering the season, Oats believed that the Tide had its best shooting team yet, a bragging right still held by the 2023-24 team that made over 37% of 3s.
"We're starting to shoot it how I thought we could shoot it, and Wrightsell is a big part of that," Oats said after the game.
Wrightsell's touch for 19 points and three triples against South Carolina helped Alabama's effort to look more like the Final Four squad from the perimeter. Even before halftime, the Tide had shot over 55% in its last two halves.
After halftime, Alabama went from 9-for-17 from deep to 5-for-17. South Carolina chipped away at a 17-point deficit to make it a two-possession game late, but there was Wrightsell in the corner, ready to calm fans with a corner 3 and keep the Tide on top by double-digits.
Despite coming off of the bench, Wrightsell briefly took over as Alabama's lead scorer when 6:19 remained. He hasn't started every game, or appeared in every game. Wrightsell didn't start against Ole Miss, and he didn't against South Carolina, either.
However, bench points proved to be an X-factor.
South Carolina non-starters struggled to cough up seven points. Wrightsell had all but 10 bench points for Alabama, which scored 29. In 27 minutes, he also had three rebounds and three assists.
To Oats, Wrightsell has a commitment to winning that makes getting the starting nod moot.
The minutes will come, and so will the points, just like they did for Wrightsell against the Gamecocks − a trend the Tide needs to continue in order to be the last one standing.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: After South Carolina, Alabama basketball restoring Final Four magic
Continue reading...
