TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball received a boost, as South Florida transfer Chris Youngblood is set to make his debut against Creighton this weekend after undergoing ankle surgery in late September.
The sharp-shooting guard will be a welcomed addition to the floor, especially after Latrell Wrightsell Jr. suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon earlier this month. Alabama also burned Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette’s redshirt, playing the senior guard in its most recent win at North Carolina.
Now that the reinforcements have arrived for the Tide’s backcourt, Nate Oats will have some decisions to make when crafting out a starting five. Friday, the head coach said those might come on a game-by-game basis.
“Some years we’ve had rotating starters, some years we’ve had the same five for the bulk of the year,” Oats said. “We’ve got some guys that I think will probably be in there most nights, and we’ll see where we go.”
Four of Alabama’s starting five appear to be set in stone. Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi were the first names Oats rattled off when going through his lineup options Friday. From there, the Tide has plenty of options.
Oats elected to start Jarin Stevenson in Wrightsell’s place last time out against Carolina. That decision was made as the head coach liked the matchup the sophomore forward had with North Carolina star guard R.J. Davis. That move paid off for the most part, as Stevenson (6-foot-11) contributed to Davis (6-foot) making just 1 of 11 shots from beyond the arc in Alabama’s 94-79 win.
Alabama could also opt to insert freshman forward Darrion Reid at the three role. The five-star talent has started two games this season and is coming off a season-high 11 points against the Tar Heels.
Oats also has plenty of available talent when he wants to go with a three-guard look. Auburn transfer Aden Holloway is Alabama’s best active 3-point threat, shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc. The sophomore made 5 of 9 shots from deep his last time out against North Carolina.
Oats said Youngblood will be on a minutes restriction Saturday night. However, the graduate guard will also be a capable option when he returns to full health. Last season, Youngblood earned Co-American Conference Player of the Year honors, averaging 15.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 41.6% from 3-point range.
While Mallette isn’t likely to start, Oats mentioned him as well as sophomore forward Mo Dioubate and freshman center Aiden Sherrell as players who will see minutes moving forward.
“You can play three guards, you can also go big and play Jarin or Darrion at the three and stay pretty big at the four,” Oats said. “We’ve got pretty good options.”
No. 7 Alabama (7-2) will host Creighton (7-3) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
