No 'easy decision' for Nate Oats when splitting Alabama basketball minutes this year
· Yahoo Sports
Nate Oats dispatched 13 different Alabama basketball players in a 96-74 win over Sam Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 3. But sooner than later, finding room for all of them could become considerably more complicated.
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Eleven Crimson Tide players logged at least 10 minutes in the season opener, and none played more than 22. That's before guard Aden Holloway rejoins the rotation following Friday's home matchup against Arkansas State, which is the last game of his suspension.
"It's gonna be hard to split up minutes among 12 guys," Oats told the Crimson Tide Sports Network after the Sam Houston game. "We're gonna have to figure these minutes out, because it's not gonna be an easy decision for me."
Alabama's box score offered plenty of reasons for the dilemma.
Drew Fielder and London Jemison shared the team lead with 15 points, with Jemison shooting 6-for-7 and Fielder adding six rebounds. Freshman Tarris Bouie contributed 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. Amari Allen supplied 12 points and four assists.
The production extended beyond scoring. Freshman Qayden Samuels recorded a team-high five assists and four steals, while Keitenn Bristow blocked four shots in a team-high 22 minutes. Alabama finished with 17 steals and 10 blocks, converting 23 Sam Houston turnovers into 33 points.
"We got one more game, then Holloway comes back, and all the sudden there's 12 guys who probably would all love to play over 20 minutes," Oats said, referring to Alabama's game against Arkansas State on Friday, Nov. 6.
Oats made clear playing time won't be determined by offensive production alone.
"If you don't move the ball, if you don't take good shots, if you don't rebound, if you don't play hard on defense, we're gonna have to eliminate some minutes in some way," Oats said.
The Arkansas State game will offer one more opportunity for players to make their cases before Holloway returns, adding another contender for an already crowded rotation.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: No 'easy decision' for Nate Oats when splitting Alabama basketball minutes this year