Houston Mallette isn't taking anything for granted in his final season of college basketball. The Pepperdine transfer battled nagging knee issues last year, which held him to just six total games. He received a medical redshirt to return to Alabama for a fifth season of eligibility this year. Now healthy, Mallette made a big impact in Alabama's 91-62 win over North Dakota to open the 2025-26 season.
Mallette was the Tide's second-leading scorer behind only Labaron Philon, scoring 15 points and connecting on 2-of-4 attempts from deep. He was the team leader in rebounds with eight, including four on the offensive end. He also added three assists.
His energy and effort were contagious. To Nate Oats, Mallette provided the standard that he wants all others to follow.
"He plays so hard," Oats said of Mallette. ..."He had four O-boards. We had 11, but three of those were team O-boards. So there was eight offensive rebounds assigned to an individual, and Houston had half of them. He plays so hard, he has to ask to come out of the game. He gives so much effort. We’ve got a lot of guys on the team that are learning from him.
"I think Houston can lead, because he’s the hardest-playing guy on the floor all the time. He’s the ultimate teammate. He gets super fired up whenever his teammates do well. Houston’s all about the right stuff, in my opinion. He’s a winner."
Nate Oats calls Houston Mallette 'the hardest-playing guy on the floor'
Alabama was missing four key players in Monday night's opener, but Mallette is going to play a pivotal role for this team even at full strength. As Oats said, he's about the right things. Oats has said for years now that playing hard leads to minutes. Mallette plays 100 miles per hour the entire time he is on the court. So much so that, as Oats said, he has to ask to get subbed out at times to catch his breath.
He still logged 28 minutes, however, which was third on the team behind Philon and freshman Amari Allen.
Allen and classmate Davion Hannah certainly seem to be taking their cues from Mallette. The two freshmen played with a ton of energy and effort when they were in the game. Mallette's leadership is clearly invaluable to this team, something that Philon spoke about in the postgame, too.
"He's one of the best people and teammates I've ever had in my whole career playing basketball," Philon said.
Mallette's return to Tuscaloosa for an additional year of eligibility flew under the radar for how actually valuable it has turned out to be. It won't for much longer. The fifth-year senior impacts winning in every area, and that will be pivotal for this team.