Report: Latrell Wrightsell available in Final Four against UConn
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. will be available for Alabama’s matchup against No. 1 UConn in the Final Four on Saturday, per Jon Rothstein. Wrightsell suffered a head injury in the first half of the Crimson Tide’s second-round win over Grand Canyon on March 23.
The injury forced Wrightsell to remain on the sidelines in Alabama’s Sweet Sixteen win over North Carolina and triumph against Clemson in the Elite Eight. Wrightsell’s return will be a massive addition for the Crimson Tide.
Wrightsell is averaging 9.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game this season while shooting 44.3% from beyond the arc. Wrightsell was key in Alabama’s opening-round win over Charleston, tallying 17 points in 26 minutes in the victory.
Nate Oats is thrilled for Final Four opportunity
Latrell Wrightsell Jr.’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Alabama will need all the help it can get as the team squares off against No. 1 overall seed UConn. It will be the Crimson Tide’s first ever appearance in the Final Four.
“It’s surreal,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. “… Somehow I caught enough breaks I’m coaching in one, which is unreal. Give hope to a lot of high school coaches tonight, that’s for sure.
“I don’t know if it’s truly hit me yet,” Oats said. “Probably won’t hit me until after the Final Four is over because I’m going to enjoy it tonight and we’ve got to figure out how to beat UConn.”
Oats is in his ninth season as a college head coach but is only 11 years removed from working at Romulus (Mich.) High School, where he won a state title in his final year in 2013. After that, he landed a job as an assistant at Buffalo for Bobby Hurley.
Next weekend, Oats will have a full-circle moment coaching against Hurley’s brother, Dan, who is the head coach at UConn and led the Huskies to a national championship last season.
“The Hurley family has got a lot of respect for high school coaches,” Oats said. “Their dad’s a hall of fame coach, and I caught a few breaks. It’s ironic I get to coach against Danny. I don’t know if ‘get’ is the correct word because they’ve got a pretty good team.”
Alabama and UConn will go head-to-head at approximately 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on TBS.