Alabama Basketball Found its Shooting Stroke Against Jacksonville State
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When Nate Oats got hired as the head coach at Alabama, he placed a premium on one particular aspect of the offense: the 3-pointer.
Coming into Friday night's game, the 3-pointer was actually one of the most scrutinized aspects of the 2022-23 iteration of the Crimson Tide. Through three games, No. 18 Alabama was shooting a mere 27.1 percent from beyond the arc — placing the Crimson Tide at 316th nationally in that statistic.
Alabama flipped that number on its head in its 104-62 demolishing of Jacksonville State.
For the game, the Crimson Tide made a whopping 21 3-pointers — just two makes shy of the program and SEC record set in 2021 — on 46 attempts from downtown on the night.
"I've been telling all you guys that we're going to be a much better shooting team this year," Oats said. "I don't know if anybody believed me until tonight, but we've been seeing it all summer, all fall. We have shooters. [...] We've got guys that can make shots that weren't even great tonight."
Seven different Alabama players made a three in the game, but freshman phenom Brandon Miller stood out above the rest. Miller shot 7-for-9 from distance in the game on his way to 28 points — bringing his shooting numbers from the last three games up to 15-for-23.
Sophomore guard Nimari Burnett finally found his stroke after a frustrating first few games where he only made one total 3-pointer. He finished the game with 18 points on 5-for-6 shooting from outside.
"We spaced out well," Burnett said. "We've been talking about spacing, getting to the deep corner, having correct spacing on the floor. It definitely paid off tonight. [...] Once the first one went down everybody started to flow and it was a really fun night."
One of the biggest catalysts for Alabama's impressive shot making was Jahvon Quinerly, who racked up five assists in the first half — all on 3-point makes — while playing just seven minutes. Quinerly displayed a masterful showing of his vision and ability to find open teammates as a passer, and it opened up the Crimson Tide offense with more open shots than it's seen all year.
"It was great to see [Quinerly] out there, man," Burnett said. "He's a true point guard. His vision is unmatched. His ball handling, his IQ is unmatched. For him to be out there, I know it felt good for him to be back in the flow with a new group. He's a big part of that."
Oats echoed Burnett's thoughts about how valuable Quinerly is to the team offensively.
"It's great to get him back in," Oats said. "I think his pass quality is a little better than what they were used to. He's hitting guys right in their shot pocket instead of too high or too low. Good shooters need the ball where they can make a shot. I think he knows how to get it to them there."
As a team, Alabama posted 23 assists, enough for a season high.
"The ball moved well, we shot it better," Oats said. "We ended up with a season-high in assists. It always helps to make shots but I think the ball moved a little better."
Additionally, junior guard Mark Sears added four 3-point makes, while Quinerly hit two of his own. Freshmen Jaden Bradley, Rylan Griffen, and graduate student Noah Gurley each made one shot from downtown themselves.
When Alabama is making 3-point looks at a high clip it creates a pick-your-poison scenario for opposing defenses deciding what to prioritize when game planning to stop Alabama's high-octane offense.
"It's the style of play we've established," Oats said. "We want to space the floor and we want to give shooters room and open the floor up for our guards. I think teams are going to have to pick how they want to guard us. If you want to take away all the threes you're going to leave the lane open, we've got guys that can finish at the rim. If you want to collapse and take away the lane we've got shooters that can make shots."
Alabama will need to continue shooting the ball well to have success offensively against a loaded field in the Phil Knight Invitational next week in Portland Ore., where the Crimson Tide will likely face three high-major programs in four days.
Alabama begins its journey in Portland on Thanksgiving night against Michigan State with a 9:30 p.m. CT tipoff.
As Alabama's season continues, Oats has full confidence in the shooting moving forward.
"I don't think this is going to be the last time this year we have 20 [3-point makes] to be honest with you," Oats said. "We're going to take them."
See also:
No. 18 Alabama Dominates Jacksonville State on Way to 104-62 Win
Alabama Basketball Gets Big Play From Sears, Burnett Against Jax State
Is Alabama Basketball Playing the Real Game of the Week on Thanksgiving? All Things CW
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