TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama freshman center Aiden Sherrell played just two minutes in the Crimson Tide’s 87-78 loss to Purdue on Friday. Sherrell struggled in his limited action, picking up two fouls before he was subbed out at the 13:04 mark of the first half and did not return.
Alabama struggled as a whole defending the lane against the Boilermakers. Purdue scored 34 points in the paint and had consistent success in one-on-one situations against Tide forwards. Clifford Omoruyi ran into foul trouble, while Grant Nelson and Jarin Stevenson were burned on several occasions defensively.
When speaking to reporters Tuesday, Oats took ownership of Sherrell’s lack of playing time and said he should have consulted with the freshman forward about putting him back in the game when Alabama was struggling to defend the post.
“I thought the first two minutes he didn’t really look like he was necessarily ready for it,” Oats said. “But when I went back and watched the tape, as much as we struggled guarding [Purdue forward Tre Kauffman-Ren]. He’s our biggest guy, we should’ve gone with him, gave him another shot at it. So that’s on me.”
Sherrell’s lack of playing time lead to a learning moment for both player and coach. Oats had a conversation with Sherrell and encouraged the first-year forward to let him know if he thinks he should have the chance to make an impact. Oats also said, however, that against such a post-dominant team in Purdue, he should have made that call during the game as Alabama looked to find its footing in a hostile environment.
As for Sherrell’s response, the forward has had a strong week of practice. He won’t have to wait long for a better opportunity to help Alabama in the paint against a Power Four opponent as the Tide face No. 25 Illinois on Wednesday.
The Fighting Illini are led by 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivisic and run plenty of actions through the sophomore, meaning it will be all hands on deck in the front court of the Crimson Tide. After barely seeing the floor against Purdue, Sherrell is hungry for his opportunity to make an impact and help Alabama to a bounceback win.
“I think he’s gonna be ready,” Oats said. “His attitude’s great. I love him. He makes you want to play him more because he’s come in and worked really hard the last three days and I would anticipate him getting a lot more minutes than that this next game.”
