Alabama F James Rojas Warming Up Prior to Auburn Game
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It's the biggest home game of the season so far for Alabama basketball with rival and No. 4 Auburn in town, and the Crimson Tide lineup might be getting a helpful boost down low.
Senior forward James Rojas is participating in warmup drills prior to Tuesday night's game against Auburn in Coleman Coliseum. Rojas has missed all of the 2021-22 season so far after tearing his ACL over the summer.
On January 4, Alabama head coach Nate Oats gave a timetable for a possible return for Rojas.
"He's participated in non-live drills now, so they're hoping two to three weeks now," Oats said. "Maybe middle of January, end of January — somewhere in there. It's going to be somewhat determined by how he looks once he gets into the lot and some of the live stuff but he's looked so far in all of the live stuff he's done."
In previous games, Rojas has come out in street clothes for warmups, but before the Auburn game he came out dressed in shorts and his participating in warmups and stretches with the team instead of watching from the bench.
The Crimson Tide is facing an Auburn team with one of the most talented frontcourts in the country, and the addition of Rojas could help with rebounding and defense. It is still unclear whether Rojas will actually play or not, but it is at least an encouraging sign that he his participating in warmups again.
Alabama and Auburn will tip off at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Follow along on BamaCentral for Live Updates and analysis before, during and after the game.
