Nate Oats Gives Hopeful Update on Derrion Reid Ahead of SEC Tournament

The Alabama forward missed the Crimson Tide's final six games of the regular season due to a hamstring injury.

Jan 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Derrion Reid (35) dunks against the Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama men's basketball forward Derrion Reid hasn't played in a game in quite some time due to a hamstring injury.

Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats has given very similar updates on him over the last few press conferences, but Tuesday provided some hope for the freshman's return as Alabama prepares for the SEC Tournament.

“Derrion was able to practice in some limited capacity but wasn’t doing 5-on-5 stuff,” Oats said. “Provided he has another good day tomorrow morning in practice, hopefully he’ll be cleared to play for the weekend, which would be great. It would give us a little bit more depth if we’re fortunate enough to end up playing three games in a row.”

The freshman was out for the Arkansas and Texas games before making a return for the then-No. 2 Crimson Tide's home loss to No. 1 Auburn, but he only played for four minutes. He also sat out against Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida and also the road win over Auburn due to the hamstring injury.

The McDonald's All-American is averaging 7.1 points and 3.2 rebounds this season, scoring in double figures twice against SEC competition, against Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

Alabama may have taken down No. 1 Auburn on the road but it finished its final seven games of the season 3-4––all of which were against ranked opponents. Reid's defensive presence was pivotal to the Tide's success up until his injury and Alabama has struggled on that side of the ball throughout his six-game absence.

The Crimson Tide locked up a double-bye for the SEC Tournament and will be the No. 3 seed. Reid has until Friday to be ready to go for Alabama's quarterfinal matchup. 6-seed Kentucky will face the winner of 14-seed Oklahoma vs. 11-seed Georgia and then whoever comes out on top of that game will go head-to-head with the Crimson Tide.

Oats said on Tuesday that although Grant Nelson dominated in the Auburn win, he wasn't and still isn't 100 percent healthy.

“If we can get Grant and Derrion back at full strength and helping us, we’ll be in great shape to try to play three in a row.”