Noah Clowney Asserts Dominance Over Kobe Brown in Semifinal Win Over No. 4 Missouri
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It was a bad day for Alabama fans that want to see true freshman forward Noah Clowney return to Tuscaloosa next season.
In front of numerous media and NBA scouts, Clowney showed the world again why he is a coveted, soon-to-be first-round draft pick.
“He was exceptional today,” guard Jahvon Quinerly said. “I was happy to see him make a couple of shots to get his confidence going. I feel like he needed that. He needed to see a couple go down. What he does for us on the defensive end game in, game out — it’s been huge. Today, he showed a full, complete game.”
A lot was said about the fact that the Crimson Tide didn’t have to face first team All-SEC forward Kobe Brown in Alabama’s 85-64 win over Missouri on Jan. 21 in Columbia.
On that night, Clowney had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
On Saturday, Brown was in the lineup to face the Crimson Tide.
It didn’t matter.
Brown had just six points on 3-for-9 shooting in 32 minutes.
“I think he's a great player,” Clowney said. “As far as defending him, I think it was a five-man deal. A lot of the things we do incorporate other people on the floor just to defend one player at times.”
“We as a team did a great job on him.”
Clowney finished with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field. He went 3-for-6 from deep.
“We [try] to pump our guys full of confidence,” head coach Nate Oats said. “He continues to shoot even if he's had games where he's gone through a lot of misses. Today he ends up 3-of-6. Happy as can be for [him].”
“I work on it a lot so when it does fall in a game, I mean, it just felt good,” Clowney said.
It has been a frustrating couple of months shooting the basketball for Clowney. Since Jan. 14, he is shooting just 19.6% from 3-point range.
Clowney finally saw the ball begin to go through the net on Saturday — could it be the beginning of a new hot streak? After all, he did hit five threes against South Dakota State on Dec. 3. He went 3-for-4 from long range at Arkansas on Jan. 11.
“He’s a special player,” forward Nick Pringle said. “Even when he’s not going offensively, he’s giving his all defensively. He’s giving us all he’s got. That’s what we love the most about him.”
See Also:
No. 1 Alabama Basketball Secures SEC Title Game Berth with 72-61 Win over No. 4 Missouri
Everything Nate Oats, Alabama Basketball Said After Defeating Missouri
