How a Weekly Bible Study Became the Foundation of Alabama's Season

TAMPA, Fla. — Scotty Hollins was holding back tears.

On the final Thursday of the regular season, the Alabama basketball team was gathered at a table inside the athletes' dining hall for a Bible study. Around them, the rest of the room carried on, as athletes from other sports went about their nights as usual.

But something special was happening at that table.

It wasn't the Bible study. That had taken place every Thursday night throughout the season in that same room, led by Hollins and Dre McClean, the team chaplains. It was the fact that, on this night, Hollins wasn't preaching.

He was listening.

Latrell Wrightsell and Houston Mallette had taken the lead and were speaking to the team about their faith and the journeys that had built it.

"None of us wanted that night to end," Hollins said. "They were just sharing their hearts and talking about their gratitude for what God had done and what God was doing through their lives and through our team."

What began as a weekly gathering organized by Hollins and McClean at the start of the season gradually became something more. At a player’s suggestion, the group moved the study into the athletes’ dining hall, where it became a consistent space for connection. Over time, Wrightsell and Mallette emerged as the clear leaders, not only on the court but also in the team's faith.

As the season progressed, one message came to define those meetings: Galatians 6:9.

Galatians 6:9 (NIV) — Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The verse holds particular weight for Wrightsell and Mallette, who both saw the previous season cut short by significant injuries, leaving their futures in question going into their final year of college basketball.

"I talk about this with Trelly all the time, it's not 'could,' it's not 'may,' it's 'will,'" Mallette said. "The word 'will' in the Bible is important, like you will 100% reap a harvest if you do not give up. That means God does have something for you in your life. It may not be basketball-related at all, but God is going to show you his love and show you his plan."

Their careers bear striking similarities. Both started at small California schools as low-ranked recruits, transferred into Alabama after impressive seasons, and then suffered major setbacks right as their opportunities were about to expand. The time away from the court taught them patience, and both players turned to the story of Joseph — the biblical figure who was sold into slavery before rising to save others — for strength.

"Joseph was the guy that we focused on a lot," Hollins said. "If you're human, you will grow weary, but don't grow so weary that you give up."

"He could have grown weary as he was when he was sold as a slave. He could have grown weary when he was falsely accused of a crime. He could have grown weary in all these things, but he didn't grow weary, and, as a result, he was able to see that God was using all that to prepare him."

Mallette and Wrightsell first met while playing in the Real Run, a Los Angeles summer league for college players. They bonded there, setting in motion the course of events that would lead Mallette to follow Wrightsell to Tuscaloosa in 2024.

"He was the first person I texted. I DM'd him on Instagram just about his experience at Alabama when I was in the portal," Mallette said. "Our relationship has grown immensely. We hang out all the time. Those injuries that we had were pretty hard on both of us mentally, and we've grown. That's my dog, I've just got real love for him."

The relationship between the seniors has been central to the role faith has played on the team. They have, alongside Preston Murphy Jr. and walk-on Klark James, been the catalysts for the increased attendance at these Bible studies. What began with a handful of players expanded across the roster, with regular attendees and even one freshman, Davion Hannah, who Hollins said “gave his life to the Lord” this winter.

"Every Thursday, when we met throughout the year, we would just talk," Mallette said. "It's helped keep me centered, it's kept Trelly centered, it's kept everybody on the team centered."

The lessons learned from a season of study and growth all came to a head following the arrest of star guard Aden Holloway on marijuana charges last Monday. As the team huddled up at the end of that morning's practice, overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the situation, Mallette asked to lead the team in a word of prayer.

"They really know Him, and they have a relationship with the Lord," Hollins said. "I wouldn't be overstepping by saying He's not just a part of their life, He is their life."

For head coach Nate Oats, the impact of those moments hasn't gone unnoticed.

"I think it's great. I think it brings the camaraderie with the team," Oats said. "The stuff they learn with that is a lot more important than the basketball stuff I teach them, when you think about life."

Oats added that the impact has been most meaningful precisely because it hasn’t come from him.

"It's great when all that stuff is player-led," Oats said. "That's how it needs to be, and those two guys have done a good job. I just hope I can keep coaching these guys a long time because I think they're about the right stuff. It's great that they've been able to have influence within the team that way."

Oats has also been open about his own faith, revealing that he swapped verses with Wrightsell and Mallette during their recoveries and occasionally sharing messages he feels are relevant to the team.

"His faith is real to him, and it's something that he's unashamed of," Hollins said. "He's not preaching to the team all the time or anything, but his faith is a part of his life, and it does come up in just natural ways as he communicates through different seasons of things that we face. It's clear that this is who he is."

That foundation has given Hollins, in his 18th year as a University of Alabama chaplain, the opportunity and space to spend so much time with the players, who have made those teachings part of their culture.

"We've got a lot of guys who are from different schools and different programs, and we just brought them into our culture," center Aiden Sherrell said. "There are core values that we have as a team, and faith plays a big part for all of us. We can all collaborate with that."

As the team has navigated a season filled with adversity, humility has also emerged as a theme, with Hollins building lessons around John 15:5 to keep players grounded in the Word.

John 15:5 (NIV) — “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Wrightsell and Mallette, shaped by their previous setbacks, have exemplified this Christ-centered humility as well as anybody on the team.

"They have a level of humility about them that they would never say, obviously, but I see it," Hollins said of the seniors. "You can't really depend on the Lord and look to Him and trust Him if you think you've got it all figured out on your own. They don't start their days without being in the Word because they're like, 'I need this.' And more than just needing it, they want it."

If humility is the foundation, love is what has defined player relationships. Mallette has a tattoo on his arm that says "AGAPE," Greek for "unconditional love," which he says serves as a reminder of God's love for mankind.

"I think the greatest leader ever is Jesus Christ," Mallette said. "He loved everybody. That's the way I've tried to lead. That's the kind of impact that I've wanted on my brothers and everybody around me. I want people to know I genuinely love them."

Mallette’s approach to leadership has shaped more than his own journey— it has influenced the way the entire team interacts with one another.

"These brothers really love each other," Hollins said. "They care about each other, they're selfless. When one guy hurts, they all hurt, we all hurt. When one guy wins, we all win. That really communicates who this team is."

Back in the dining hall on that Thursday night, as the conversation stretched on, the reality wasn’t lost on anyone in the room.

There was no way of knowing how many moments like this they had left.

“I think we all use that as motivation to just be grateful for the opportunity because you never know when it’s taken away,” Wrightsell said. “For us to be able to be on this stage is a blessing that we can give all of our glory to the Lord. I'm just happy to be here."