Alabama Guard Houston Mallette Out vs. Texas A&M

Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats discussed the possibility of Mallette receiving a medical redshirt.

Dec 22, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Houston Mallette (95) shoots from the three point line against Kent State Golden Flashes center Cli'Ron Hornbeak (42) during the second half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images / Will McLelland-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama men's basketball guard Houston Mallette will not play in Saturday's highly-anticipated road matchup between the No. 5 Crimson Tide and No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies due to lingering injuries to his knees, per head coach Nate Oats.

"He will be out this game," Oats said during Friday's press conference.

Mallette, who transferred from Pepperdine this offseason dealt with knee issues there and it's still ongoing. If a player plays less than 30 percent of the games in a season or any contests in the second half of the season, he has the option to medically redshirt. Oats said this is very much on the table as the Texas A&M is right around the deadline.

"We've got to make a decision [to medically redshirt him]," Oats said. "Can we get [his knees] better to the point where he's good enough to play the minutes he deserves because this is his last year in college? Or are his knees not going to be good enough and would it be smarter to play him until the last game with the regular amount of minutes and still get the medical redshirt with the knee deal? He's going to be out this game and based on how rehab goes these next couple of weeks, we have to make a decision on that."

As previously stated, Mallette has been nursing and recovering from these injuries for quite some time. Oats explained that he didn't practice the entire summer and a lot of the fall. Prior to guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. rupturing his Achilles, Mallette was redshirted by Oats but it was burned so he could fill in for Wrightsell despite not being 100 percent.

When Mallette has played this season, despite the deteriorating amount of minutes, Oats has been very pleased with his production and looks forward to seeing him back on the court fully healthy.

"When he's played (even with his knees), his effort is unbelievable," Oats said. "But that's the issue too with him––he's got bad knees but he's flying around like he's 13-years-old with the mileage on his knees. He's got no off switch as he likes to say, which is great. He gets O-boards, he sprints the floor, he's able to shoot it well and if we can get his knees right he's going to be a really good player at this program. All he cares about is winning. I love him, he's just had knee issues and they've been flaring up."

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