Free 30-Days | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram
Forums: TOC | Recruiting with Andrew Bone | Contact Us
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball's "old man" hasn’t lost touch with the sport’s pop culture. During last weekend’s trip to Nashville, Tenn., Crimson Tide players agreed to use Los Angeles Lakers guard Lance Stevenson’s air-guitar celebration following 3s while in the Music City.
However, as Alabama continued to drain shots from beyond the arc, none of the Crimson Tide’s players followed up on their word. Finally, redshirt senior Riley Norris hit a 3 too big not to celebrate.
After allowing Vanderbilt to chip away at a 19-point deficit, Alabama clung to a 65-60 lead with 2:13 remaining. Norris then sprung into action, hitting all three free throws after he was fouled beyond the arc. Following two Vanderbilt free throws on the other end, Norris helped the Crimson Tide pull away for good, draining a 3 from the top of the arc.
That’s when he got to strumming.
“Nobody had done it on the team,” Norris said. “We were talking about doing it. Like the first 3 hit and someone hit the air guitar. But no one did it, so I was like 'perfect timing.'”
Norris, who turned 24 in November, is the oldest player on Alabama's roster and the only current player to see action under former head coach Anthony Grant. Joining the team in 2014 he played the past four seasons and was granted a medical redshirt last April after missing the majority of the 2017-18 season with a hip injury.
Norris has heard all the old-man jokes from his teammates, especially redshirt junior Dazon Ingram, who admitted he takes pleasure in providing a few jabs when he can.
“It’s mainly me,” Ingram said with a smile.
Of course, none of it bothers Norris who seems perfectly content with his elderly role.
“I hear it a lot around the locker room,” Norris said. “The old man, always getting treatment and stuff. You have to keep your body in shape, especially when you’re old.”
All kidding aside, Norris has been a valuable asset for Alabama. The 6-foot-7 forward recorded his first double-double of the season over the weekend, tallying 15 points and 12 rebounds during the Crimson Tide’s 77-67 victory over Vanderbilt. After missing the first month of the season following a cardiac ablation, Norris has averaged 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game off the bench.
On top of his ability to hit clutch baskets, Norris’ veteran experience goes a long way off the court. He is one of the five members on Alabama’s leadership advisory board and a player head coach Avery Johnson can lean on to get his message across to the rest of the team.
“I can talk to him at a different level,” Johnson said. “Riley can get coached harder than anybody on our team times five. I just think having him to rely on as part of our leadership advisory board — he’s not a captain, but he is the captain. He has a lot of respect from our staff. He’s a guy that I can call at midnight, and we can have a very intelligent conversation.”
Alabama’s victory over Vanderbilt marked the first time the Crimson Tide recorded back-to-back wins since the start of conference play. Alabama (15-8, 6-4 in the SEC) will look to expand on that winning streak as it travels to Mississippi State (16-7, 4-6 ) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Crimson Tide won the previous matchup between the two schools with an 83-79 victory in Tuscaloosa last month.
