TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Backup guard Houston Mallette will be out for No. 5 Alabama basketball’s trip to No. 10 Texas A&M this weekend. Following the Crimson Tide’s practice Friday, head coach Nate Oats said the Pepperdine transfer is currently having his knees evaluated as the team considers whether or not to medically redshirt him.

“I love Houston. I think he’s going to be really, really good, but his knees have been bothering him still,” Oats said. “That’s the issue with him is they got him well enough to play the games they needed him to at Pepperdine, but he didn’t practice the entire summer. A lot of the fall he was out because he’s had these recurring knee issues, and he’s still not 100%.”

After joining Alabama this past summer, Mallette was originally set to redshirt before using his final season of eligibility during the 2025-26 campaign. However, he elected to burn his redshirt after starting guard Latrell Wrightsell ruptured his Achilles tendon during a loss to Oregon in November.

Mallette has averaged just 7.8 minutes per game over six appearances this season. The senior guard is averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 58.3% from the floor and 50% (5 of 10) from 3. Mallette saw the court for just two minutes during Alabama's SEC opening win against Oklahoma last weekend. He did not play during the Tide's win at South Carolina on Wednesday.

“When he’s played, his effort is unbelievable,” Oats said. “That’s the issue too with him, he’s got bad knees but he’s flying around like he’s 13 years old and has no mileage on his knees. He’s got no off switch as he likes to say, which is great. He gets O boards, he sprints the floor, he’s been able to shoot it well. If we can get his knees right he’s gonna be a really good player in this program. He shoots it well from three, plays ridiculously hard, and all he cares about is winning. I love him, he’s just been having knee issues and they’re continuing to flare up.”

NCAA rules allow for medical redshirts if players participate in less than 30 percent of games without playing in the second half of the season. Heading into the matchup against Texas A&M, Alabama is 15 games into its 31-game schedule.

Without Mallette, Alabama is down to 10 scholarship players for this weekend's matchup. Alabama (13-2, 2-0 in the SEC) is set to tip off against Texas A&M (13-2, 2-0) on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT inside Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN.