There's no higher compliment that Nate Oats can pay a player than by comparing him in any way to Herb Jones. An Alabama basketball legend who embodied the blue-collar toughness that Oats built the program on, Jones was the SEC Player of the Year in 2021 before becoming a 2nd round pick by the New Orleans Pelicans and a quality NBA starter and defensive savant.
So when Oats was thinking about Herb Jones following the debut of freshman wing Tarris Bouie in Thursday night's exhibition win over Furman, that said something.
And it had nothing to do with Bouie's 18 points. It had to do with everything else. The hustle plays: the deflections, floor dives, getting to the loose ball, grabbing offensive rebounds, etc. All the little things that contribute to winning. All the stuff Jones did night in and night out during his four years in Tuscaloosa.
Along with the 18 points, Bouie grabbed 8 rebounds and came up with 6 steals. He won the hard hat after the game, leading Alabama in blue-collar points with 27.5 points. It was that fact that invoked the memory of Jones.
"That's some Herb Jones stuff," Oats said to the Crimson Tide Sports Network, via Mike Rodak. "I'm not quite sure he can say he's there; he's got to get a lot stronger, but he was active -- had deflections, loose balls, steals, grabbed rebounds."
Tarris Bouie looks far ahead of expectations as an Alabama freshman
The one thing that might hold Bouie back from a big role on this team is his weight and overall strength. Despite being 6-foot-6, he's only listed at 175 pounds. For comparison, that's 10 pounds lighter than what Alabama lists Aden Holloway, who is 6-foot-1.
That could be problematic for Bouie, particularly when the Crimson Tide faces the more physical teams on its schedule.
But then again, it certainly didn't impact him on Thursday night against Furman. You would have never guessed he was physically beneath anyone on the floor. He was all over the place, consistently delivering winning plays that helped Alabama earn an 18-point win.
Bouie will have to earn any minutes that he gets. Alabama has a deep rotation, which was on display against Furman despite Holloway, Anderson Diaz, and Jaxon Richardson all missing the exhibition. All three of those guys will be part of the rotation when they are back.
As difficult as it will be for Bouie to find minutes, he's going to be impossible to keep off the floor if he brings that energy and effort on a nightly basis. Alabama has needed guys like him the last couple of years.
Now that Oats has a player like that again, don't be surprised to see him play a lot more minutes than you might've otherwise thought. When Richardson gets on the court, Alabama might have two such players who are going to do the little things to help the team win.
Those inside the program are bullish on this roster. Thursday night offered the first glimpse of why.
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