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Alabama guard Houston Mallette explains why he decided to come off his redshirt

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — With Alabama basketball’s rosters being one of the most talented in the country, a mutual decision was made between head coach Nate Oats and transfer guard Houston Mallette to redshirt him this season, saving his final year of eligibility for next season when he could potentially find more playing time and make a greater impact.

A wrench got thrown into those plans early on this season as Latrell Wrightsell, a starter and Alabama’s top 3-point shooter, went down with an Achilles injury that has ruled him out for the season. This left the Crimson Tide backcourt thinner than previously expected.

Needing another body to play as well as another shooter, Mallette made the unselfish decision to come off his redshirt in Alabama’s game against North Carolina on Wednesday night, which means he’ll play the rest of the season and exhaust his final year of eligibility even after missing the first eight games of the season.

Following the Crimson Tide’s 94-79 win in Chapel Hill, Mallette explained his decision.

“I talked to Oats, he talked to my father and I, and we just thought it was best for the team,” Mallette said. “In my opinion a lot of times in society we have, ‘what’s best for me?’ But I feel like what’s best for me in my life is what’s best for the team, and anything I can do to help impact people and impact the team is what I’m gonna do.”

Mallette stated how he wished it were under different circumstances, bringing up his relationship with Wrightsell that was established before he even came to Alabama in the offseason.

“Obviously my prayers are out there with Latrell. He’s a big part of this team,” Mallette said. “He’s helped me, I’ve talked to him a lot, since he played at Cal State Fullerton … he was a big reason why I came here. This isn’t the way I wanted to play, if I could have it I would want Latrell to play.”

Mallette entered the game at the under-12 timeout in the first half against the Tar Heels and made a massive impact in his nine total minutes on the floor. He scored six points on 2-of-2 shooting from 3-point range and grabbed three rebounds, while making more than a few hustle plays that didn’t show up on the stat sheet.

“Houston was unselfish enough to come off as a redshirt and come in, and we were plus-12 in his nine minutes,” Oats said. “He hit two threes, made some huge defensive plays, some rebounds, had a tip that kept an offensive rebound alive, and I think we got a dunk on that play. So he was great.”

Mallette’s availability and selflessness speaks volumes about the depth of this Alabama team, and he’s shown he can be a contributor as he continues to ramp up into playing more minutes.

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