Nate Oats Says Aiden Sherrell Has 'A Little Bit More in Him' After Defeating Gamecocks

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama basketball extended its SEC winning streak to four on Saturday with an 89-75 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Crimson Tide saw multiple players put on strong performances in their second game since Charles Bediako was ruled ineligible, but no one is under the microscope more in his absence than sophomore forward Aiden Sherrell.

Sherrell scored 26 points and hauled in 12 rebounds with three blocks and a steal in Alabama's victories over Ole Miss and South Carolina, but Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats thought the forward struggled with the larger load in Saturday's win over the Gamecocks.

"I thought Aiden Sherrell struggled a little bit, seemed like he didn't quite have the pop we need him to have." Oats said. "So we've got to get him back rested. He's obviously got to carry a lot bigger load without Charles able to play currently. That's part of it. We've got to do a good job of subbing him and making sure he's good."

Sherrell may have lacked explosion in his legs, but his presence was still important as he altered shots and battled for rebounds. The sophomore is no stranger to foul trouble, having five games with four or more fouls this season, but he stayed under control this week. Sherrell had just a single foul against Ole Miss and two against South Carolina, remaining available to Oats throughout both game.s.

"He knows he's needed more when we don't have Charles [Bediako] in there to help," Oats said. "He's like our one rim protector, especially with Taylor [Bol Bowen] out. He didn't have too many blocks tonight so I'm saying he looked like he lacked a little bit of pop from what he had. But double-digit scoring, six rebounds, it'd be nice if he could push a double-double. It's not like he's bad, I think he's got a little bit more in him that we've got to get out of him. We've got to figure out the substitution patterns to keep him as fresh as we can keep him, so he plays with some pop, can block some more shots, finish at the rim better. I didn't think he finished as well as we needed him to either. Hopefully, he can get back knocking some threes down, get his legs up under him, knock a few threes down, be a big help on Wednesday."

So did the 6-foot-11 forward do anything different in the last week to avoid getting in foul trouble?

"Just playing with my hands up, really," Sherrell simply said.

Sherrell has now scored in double-figures 11 times this season, but as Oats pointed out in his evaluation of the forwards week, he is the Crimson Tide's only real rim protector without Bediako, as Noah Williamson's been ineffective, and Collins Onyejiaka hasn't been available. His ability to offer Alabama offensive production is valuable, but his availability on the defensive end is the key to the program's success, and playing without fouling is the answer.