TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The “Dakota Durant” is back for Alabama basketball. After a quiet season opener on Monday, Grant Nelson drew a roar from the Coleman Coliseum crowd multiple times during the Crimson Tide’s 88-79 victory over Arkansas State on Friday night.
The South Dakota native showed off his body control in the first half, driving from the top of the arc before maneuvering past Arkansas State forward Justin Johnson for a layup.
After the break, Nelson displayed a little more muscle, shouldering his way to the basket on a drive from the corner.
Those plays helped the graduate forward shake off some of the rust he was dealing with after being limited due to an injury the past couple of weeks. However, it wasn’t until midway through the second half that Nelson reverted to the form that pushed Alabama through its Final Four run last spring.
With the Tide clinging to a 56-51 lead, Nelson followed a missed 3-point attempt from Latrell Wrightsell Jr., jumping up to grab the ball for a one-handed put-back slam.
Nelson added a strong driving layup to extend Alabama’s lead to 72-68 with 5:48 remaining. That capped off an 8-point second half as he finished the night with 12 points and six rebounds over 27 minutes.
Not bad for someone who was supposed to be on a minute restriction heading into the night.
“It’s good to be back, first of all,” Nelson said. “I’ve been feeling good for like the past week or so, but we’re just kind of limiting the minutes coming into the game. But I think tonight, it’s just like I was feeling good. Coach thought I looked good. Our trainer thought I looked good, so we kind of just talked it through. I should be playing as much as I possibly can moving forward.”
Nelson’s offensive displays might have drawn the biggest reaction from the crowd, but his defensive prowess was equally important. The 6-11 forward recorded four of his six boards in the second half, including three in a crucial three-minute period when Arkansas was cutting into Alabama’s lead.
“He was really good on defense for us,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “He got to the glass. You know he ended up with 12 [points] and six [rebounds]. Probably had a few more minutes than what we planned on playing him. I think he got to the rim and finished a couple at the rim, too. We’re going to need him to continue to play well.”
Nelson’s performance Friday came after he recorded just 2 points and three rebounds over 15 minutes during Alabama’s season-opening win over UNC Asheville. He has come off the bench in each of the Tide’s first two games after starting all 37 games last season.
“He looked like maybe he got in the groove a little bit better tonight than what he was before,” Oats said. “He just looked really rusty on Monday. It was good we were able to get him.”
Nelson will look to build on his momentum next week as No. 2 Alabama (2-0) hosts McNeese State (1-1) on Monday at 6 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum.
