Freshman Guard Josh Primo Already Developing into Solid Contributor for Alabama Basketball

The 6-6 combo guard has had to adjust to the faster pace and physicality of SEC basketball but has taken it in stride

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With second-year coach Nate Oats at the helm, Alabama basketball is poised to make another run as one of the Southeastern Conference’s fastest teams on the court.

The Crimson Tide was one of the fastest teams in all of college basketball last season, finishing third in pace of play in the NCAA. This season, Alabama currently sits at eighth through four games played.

For newcomers like freshman guard Josh Primo, that speed can be quite an adjustment. In his first availability with the media since joining Alabama, Primo said that pace has been what he’s had to focus on growing in since his arrival.

“I think the biggest difference is probably the speed — a little bit of the physicality,” Primo said. “Coach Oats and the guys, they’ve been coaching me up and trying to get me to understand that I’ve gotta use pace, and the guys have been giving me confidence, so each and every day, I’m starting to get better and better at that.”

On top of speed, another adjustment has been the physicality of basketball at the college level. While originally classified as a 2021 recruit, Primo reclassified to 2020 after graduating early from Royal Crown Academic School in Ontario, Canada. Fortunately, the 6-foot-6 combo guard had the size on him to easily adjust to college, but the physical nature of the sport has forced the freshman to adjust.

According to Oats, Primo has done a solid job with the time on the court that he has been given so far this season.

“He’s getting more and more aggressive every day in practice,” Oats said. “When he’s aggressive, attacking the rim, he finishes well, he’s athletic. I think that’s when he’s playing his best. He hit three 3s in our last two games, 3-of-6 each game, so he’s shooting in well. Guys gotta come out and guard him on the perimeter, and I think he’s athletic and skilled and big enough that he can get by guys and make plays.”

While Primo has yet to start for the 3-1 Crimson Tide, he impact has already been felt. Averaging 19 minutes a game, Primo averages 7.8 points and 2.8 rebounds from the bench. Combine that with five assists and four steals, and it’s easy to see why Oats believes that Primo has a large role in his future at Alabama.

“He’s gonna help us quite a bit this year and I’m really happy with the way he’s been playing,” Oats said. “I don’t think he was comfortable right out of the gate necessarily being a point guard. He’s never been the point guard but I think he’s getting more and more comfortable in handling the ball and being more point than two in his combo-guard role.”

Heading into the season, Oats put a strong emphasis on defensive improvement. While Alabama was solid from beyond the three-point line and had some strong offensive showings last season, poor defense, turnovers and rebounding were major shortfalls of the Crimson Tide.

This season, Primo hopes to change that. Combining himself along with the five other newcomers to the Crimson Tide’s 2020 squad, the defense should improve with added height and strength at the position.

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The improvement has become most evident in the rebounding game. Through four games, Alabama is out-rebounding opponents 42.5 to 40.3 rebounds per game. While that might not sound impressive, compare that to last season where the Crimson Tide was out-rebounded 38.4 to 39.8 per game.

When asked what he feels he needs to improve the most in, though, Primo still says that his defensive game needs work.

“The first thing that always comes to mind is my defense,” Primo said. “I try to pride myself on that. I feel like the coaching staff and my teammates have always told me that my defense is gonna jump-start my offense. I always, on the defensive end, just try to lock in on the matchup and be a great help defender.”

While the defense might still need to see some improvement if it wants to hang with the big dogs of the NCAA, there is no doubt that Primo can help get the Crimson Tide there in his future.

Junior wing Herbert Jones, Alabama’s best defensive player and one of the top defenders in the SEC, has full confidence in Primo’s abilities on the court.

“He’s a great player,” Jones said. “He plays hard. He can defend well. He can shoot the ball well. He can handle the ball well. He doesn’t have a lot of holes in his game. I mean, I try to play as hard as him at times. He doesn’t know that, but yeah, I try to play as hard as him most times.”