Alabama's Latrell Wrightsell to miss second straight game due to injury
Alabama senior guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. will miss his second consecutive game due to a head injury. Wrightsell also missed the Crimson Tide’s last game against Florida – an overtime win for UA – and will not play today in Lexington against No. 17 Kentucky.
Alabama coach Nate Oats said on Friday, before the Crimson Tide landed and practiced in the Bluegrass State, that Wrightsell’s injury was still being evaluated on a day-to-day basis. But the guard did not travel with the team to Kentucky, according to a UA spokesperson.
“Obviously it hurts not having Wrightsell again,” said Oats in his pregame interview with the Crimson Tide Sports Network. “He’s been arguably our best shooter over the last month. It would be great if we got him back soon, but you don’t want to rush the head injuries.”
Wrightsell has played in all 25 of the Crimson Tide’s games this season, his first with the team after transferring from Cal State Fullerton, and has been in the starting lineup for each of the last seven games. Wrightsell is averaging 9.0 points per game on the year but averaged 18.5 points during his last two outings and shot 10-of-17 from behind the 3-point line.
Wrightsell is shooting 42.4 percent from the field, 44.5 percent from three and 100 percent from the free-throw line this year. He currently ranks fifth in the SEC in 3-point percentage. Wrightsell has scored double-digit points in eight games, and the Tide has won all eight.
Freshman forward Jarin Stevenson replaced Wrightsell in the starting lineup against the Gators, marking his first career. Another true freshman, Sam Walters, also stepped up in Wrightsell’s absence, scoring 14 points on a season-high four made threes in 18 minutes.
“We need Sam to play well,” Oats said on Friday. “Trelly had been making shots at a high clip. Sam’s capable of making shots. He was 4-of-7 from three the last game. He’s gonna need to play well on both sides of the ball. Trelly has been one of our best perimeter defenders all year. We need Sam to continue to step up his defense, and it’s been getting better.
“Sam’s playing his best defense of the year right now, too, and I think he’s getting his confidence back on offense. It’d be big if he stepped up and have a big game. Even if Trelly can go, it’d still be huge if Sam could play well for us.”
Alabama will also be without forward Mohamed Wague, who is suspended after committing a fighting act in the Florida game. That leaves the Tide with nine scholarship players.
Today’s Alabama-Kentucky game is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. CT and air live on CBS.
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