Alabama freshman Jarin Stevenson playing 'with more of an edge'
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After Alabama’s win over Auburn on Wednesday night, head coach Nate Oats praised freshman forward Jarin Stevenson, who “really grew up these last two games.”
“I thought he was one bright spot at Tennessee, too, to be honest with you,” Oats said. “He guarded in there pretty well. I thought he was big. It’s not like he scored a bunch of points or anything, but he’s plus-12 when he’s in the game. He played 23 minutes.”
Stevenson tallied six points and three rebounds in the 79-75 win over the Tigers. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound freshman has scored 13 points in his last two outings and was 2-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line against two of the Crimson Tide’s top rivals. On the year, Stevenson is averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while seeing 15.9 minutes per game.
Stevenson reclassified to the 2023 class, where he was ranked the nation’s No. 21 prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings, and joined the Alabama program this summer. UA lists the forward at 6-foot-11, 210 pounds after the 4-star recruit averaged 21.8 pounds, 11.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game in his final season of preps at Seaforth (N.C.) High School.
His 23 minutes against Auburn were the second-most for Stevenson this year, trailing only the Ohio State game (25) two months ago. He has seen his role increase of late, logging some of his most minutes of SEC play against Tennessee and AU, and Oats shared where Stevenson has grown since joining the Alabama men’s basketball program earlier this summer.
“He’s got more confidence,” Oats said. “He’s playing more aggressive. He’s more consistent with his physicality. I mean, we saw he could be physical right away on campus, it just showed up once or twice a day. Now, it’s a lot more frequent. It’s more of his DNA that he can do it on every play. He’s learning the system. Defensively, he’s playing with a little bit more of an edge. He’s got a lot better sense of urgency to him.
“You’ve got to get used to playing at this level when every possession matters and every guy you’re going against is another really high-level athlete. For a kid that is supposed to be in high school still, he’s come a long ways, and he’s playing really well for us right now.”
Stevenson and the Tide will take on LSU on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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