Alabama Basketball Still Hopes to Rebound From Injuries

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball's loss to Vanderbilt on Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum quite literally added insult to injury.

While the Crimson Tide has suffered a vast assortment of injuries dating back all the way to preseason practice, the latest have had a huge impact on both ends of the court.

On Feb. 25 against Mississippi State, junior guard John Petty Jr. went down with a hyperextended elbow after diving for a loose ball in the first half. Petty has since been recovering, unable to return due to the injury.

Prior to Tuesday night's 87-79 loss to Vanderbilt, Petty made his first appearance on the court in an Alabama uniform. While dressed out for the game and participating in warm-ups, Petty was still wearing a sleeve to protect his arm and did not see any action in the game.

Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said that while Petty's recovery is going well, he's still not able to take to the court just yet.

"Yesterday he couldn't really even shoot it from three," Oats said after the loss to the Commodores. "Today he was able to get some up a little deeper so his strength's coming back quicker than maybe — coming along fairly quickly.

"He's not strong enough to get out there, take a fall and protect himself so it wouldn't have been wise. It wouldn't have been best for him and his future if I had put him out there today."

The absence of Petty was noticeable on the Crimson Tide offense against the Commodores. This season, Petty leads the team in three-pointers made (85) and ranks third on the team in overall points (420). On the defensive end, Petty also leads the team in rebounds with 185.

With all of those losses, it's no wonder why Alabama was unable to overcome Vanderbilt, who ranked 169th in the NET Rankings heading into Tuesday night's game.

All of that being said, Oats is positive regarding Petty's rehabilitation and expects him to return against Missouri.

"We definitely want to look out for the player's best interests before trying to put a guy out before they're ready just for the team," Oats said. "You know I would say decent shot he plays in Missouri. If he doesn't play there I'm pretty sure he'll be playing in the SEC tournament but he's got to be strong enough so if he takes a fall you know or gets hit — goes and gets it hyperextended again — he can protect himself to where it doesn't put him out for the whole season, it doesn't seriously injure him.

"That's where we're at with him."

In addition to Petty, junior wing Herbert Jones is also still seeing limited minutes due to a fractured left elbow that he suffered all the way back on Jan. 29 against LSU. The fracture required Jones to undergo surgery on Feb. 1, and since that time Jones has returned, albeit being limited by a soft cast on his left arm.

In Saturday's win over South Carolina, Jones transitioned to a slim brace, ditching the old cast. Jones was still sporting the brace on Tuesday night, but was only able to salvage just one point and eight rebounds.

It is currently unknown when Jones will be able to play without the aid of a brace, but that hasn't stopped him from shooting his now-iconic one-handed free throws.

Prior to his injury, Jones was averaging 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. In the last five games leading up to his injury, he averaged 10.4 points and eight double-doubles. In those five games, Jones had four-consecutive double-digit point performances.

Heading into the SEC tournament next week, having Petty and Jones back will be critical in Alabama's performance. While it will take more than just the duo of injured players to put an optimistic spin on the end of the season, having both of them back and healthy for a potential run in the NIT tournament would go a long way in improving the outlook heading into the 2020-2021 season.