Alabama Starting Guard Out for Season

Tuscaloosa, AL - Alabama men's basketball coach Nate Oats revealed to reporters on Tuesday afternoon that Alabama's depth took a significant hit, losing Latrell Wrightsell Jr. to a ruptured Achilles suffered in Alabama's loss to Oregon in the Player's Era Festival Championship Game.

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Wrightsell averaged 11.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and two assists per game before his season-ending injury against Oregon. He had started five of the eight games Alabama played after dealing with an injury to start the regular season.

Last season, Wrightsell started 12 of 31 games for the Crimson Tide, averaging 8.9 points, three rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Wrightsell is a career 38.6% three-point shooter.

The reaction to Wrightsell's injury can not be understated. He was a key contributor to Alabama's Final Four run last season and was expected to be a strong presence for Alabama this season as the Crimson Tide pursued its championship hopes.

Nate Oats mentioned the idea of "burning" the redshirt that Houston Mallette was originally going to take, but it depends on where Mallette stands in his recovery from an injury he suffered over the summer.