Houston Mallette embodies “Mudita” for Alabama basketball

The catchphrase for Alabama basketball the past two seasons has been “mudita,” a Buddhist term that Nate Oats adopted from softball coach Patrick Murphy. Mudita is a concept that refers to the joy one feels when another person succeeds.

Given the talent and depth of this Crimson Tide team, it made sense that Oats would bring the term back for another try. And with Pepperdine’s trade to Houston Mallette, there was no player who better embodied Mudita.

Mallette committed to Alabama in March before the Crimson Tide reached the Final Four. He was the first transfer portal signing for the team in 2024. After Alabama’s run, the Crimson Tide got hot in goal, landing players like Chris Youngblood from USF, Aden Holloway from Auburn and Clifford Omoruyi from Rutgers. Even more surprising was that Mark Sears and Grant Nelson were playing college basketball for the fifth time.

This left Mallette with a more uncertain role than he expected. He also suffered a knee injury in the summer, which made it impossible for him to train at times. After back-to-back good performances in a small role in Alabama’s preseason victories over Wake Forest and Memphis, Mallette finally agreed to a redshirt to preserve his final season of eligibility.

Mallette was an energetic cheerleader for the Crimson Tide off the bench for the first eight games of the season. Although I was sure it was disappointing, you could never have told it. He was constantly smiling, cheering on his teammates and providing leadership.

After Latrell Wrightsell suffered a torn ACL in the second half of Alabama’s loss to Oregon on Saturday night in Las Vegas, the Crimson Tide were left with just nine healthy scholarship players as they await Youngblood’s return.

Oats mentioned the possibility of redshirting Mallette and putting him on the field, but ultimately that decision should be left up to the player.

“I think a lot of times in society we have what’s best for me,” Mallette said after Alabama’s win over North Carolina. “But I feel like what’s best for me in my life is also what’s best for the team.”

Mallette played nine minutes in Alabama’s 94-79 victory over North Carolina. In those nine minutes he was +12. He made both of his three-point attempts and his active defense resulted in two steals.

Mallette still probably won’t have a 20+ MPG role, which is certainly what he was hoping for in his final season of college basketball. But his selfless attitude and willingness to do what’s best for the team will serve him well in life. And it’s that kind of attitude that has built a sustainable culture under Hafer in Tuscaloosa. And it is this kind of attitude that embodies what Mudita is all about.

“Obviously my prayers are out there with Latrell,” Mallette said. “Obviously I didn’t want to play like that. If I had it, I would have loved to play Latrell.”