Alabama basketball freshman forward London Jemison suffered a knee injury during Alabama's win over South Florida on Wednesday. Nate Oats said after the game that they were hopeful it wasn't serious, but he would get testing to determine that.
Heading into Sunday's game against Kennesaw State, there had been no official update on Jemison. Oats finally provided one to the radio broadcast before Alabama tipped off in Huntsville.
"He had a left knee injury. Not major, though," Oats said of Jemison, via 247's Mikd Rodak. "He's out today, but he'll be day-to-day. Hopefully, he's back by Yale; if not, I'd be pretty certain he'd be back by Kentucky."
Alabama freshman London Jemison should be back soon
There's a bigger role waiting for Jemison to grab once he's able to get back on the court. After a breakout performance in Las Vegas during the Players Era Festival, minutes haven't been easy to come by for him as Alabama has gotten healthier. It's difficult to play everyone, and Oats has prioritized the veterans. Maybe not for much longer.
Oats is looking for guys, particularly in the frontcourt, who are going to bring effort on the glass. He has mentioned Jemison many times as a guy he likes for that, because of the energy he brings. His raw rebounding numbers may not look like anything special, but Oats has clearly liked how he is willing to mix it up inside.
After losing the rebounding battle - again - on Sunday vs. Kennesaw State, Oats is searching for answers. He believes Jemison might be one.
“We gotta get some rebounding in our frontcourt," Oats said after the Kennesaw State win. "So if you don’t wanna rebound, you’re not gonna play. So you gotta learn how to make some tough plays. We gotta get rebounding. We put Amari at that four. I think London will come back and do it. He was hurt. We tried him at that four spot last game. He’s proven he’s tough enough to get in there and get some rebounds."
Jemison is averaging 7.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game so far during his freshman season. He scored in double figures for four straight games recently, three in Las Vegas, and the first after returning home. But his role has been inconsistent since.
Jemison only played five minutes in the loss to Arizona. He only played nine minutes against South Florida, but he left the game early with an injury.
Based on Oats' comments, Jemison should expect a nice role once he returns to the court. It'll be up to him to show that it should continue.