When a team is struggling on the road and in need of a spark, sometimes a coach will look for a young, streaky player off the bench to give some life to the rest of the team. Wednesday night in Oxford, Mississippi, Alabama head coach Nate Oats did just that.
After a below average first half against the Ole Miss Rebels, the Crimson Tide found itself battling for a lead for the majority of the second half as well. With just under eight minutes left in the period, Oats subbed in his freshman guard Davin Cosby Jr. to try and extend a narrow lead.
Holding a four-point lead over the Rebels, Cosby took no time to try and make a difference in the game as the young guard put up four three-pointers in just over two minutes of action on the floor, burying two of them and watching the lead spring to double digits.
However, it wouldn’t take long for Ole Miss to claw its way back into the game and bring it back to a seven point margin. Once again, Cosby stepped up and drained two more threes, including the dagger to finish off the 103-88 victory on the road.
“Davin had an unbelievable practice yesterday so I told him, you’re going to play,” Oats said. “I’m going to find you some minutes in the first half, make sure you’re ready to go on defense. I think you have to reward guys that practice hard and play well.”
Cosby finished his night with a career-high 15 points, shooting 5-for-10 from deep, all in just 13 minutes of action. When his team needed him the most, the Richmond, Virginia native stepped up and delivered in spectacular fashion.
Currently, Cosby is averaging 7.6 minutes per game, and hasn’t tallied over three minutes on the floor of any SEC game, unless it was by a blowout margin. Through it all, the young freshman kept his head high and continued to work.
“I felt like all season I had the role of having my teammates,” Cosby said. “Being the leader off the court, helping everybody else see what I see. Like coach said, I waited my time, I practiced hard, and I had a great practice last practice, and when the time showed, I came and showed out.”
“His attitude all season has been A-plus I feel like,” said senior guard Aaron Estrada. “Just from observing when I’m playing, being around him, talking to him off the court, in the locker room, the hotel room, he never had a bad attitude. I’m actually happy for him as well. I think he deserves it.”
Not only did Cosby play the best game of his career so far, but he also helped one of his fellow teammates achieve a milestone that has rarely been seen in the Alabama basketball program.
Cosby’s final two three-pointers were both assisted by Estrada, notching his first ever triple-double in his collegiate career. The milestone was just the fourth triple-double in school history.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I was close to the triple-double, I was just kind of out there playing,” Estrada said. “Hitting guys for open shots, I think my last few assists came from Davin too.”
While Alabama closes in on the conclusion of the regular season and needs players to step up for an injured Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Cosby played his role perfectly as the Crimson Tide picked up another conference victory.
After a quick step in the right direction, Alabama will face its toughest and most important task of the season as the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers will make the trip to Tuscaloosa to face-off against the Crimson Tide on March 2 at 7:00 p.m. CT.
