Alabama basketball loses Latrell Wrightsell Jr. for a season due to an Achilles tendon injury

Alabama Basketball will be missing a significant portion of its roster for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is out this year with an Achilles tendon injury, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats confirmed Monday.

Wrightsell was injured during the final game of the Players Era Festival, a UA loss to Oregon, on Saturday. The fifth-grader was going for an offensive rebound when the injury occurred. Oats said the guard would be evaluated for an Achilles tendon injury when the team returned to Tuscaloosa from Las Vegas.

“He tore his Achilles tendon,” Oats said. “So he’s out this year, which is disappointing.”

Oats said Wrightsell will undergo surgery Wednesday. He said he expects the guard to make a full recovery, although it will obviously be a lengthy process.

Oats also said Alabama is considering trying to get a medical redshirt for Wrightsell.

The 6-foot-2 Wrightsell averaged 11.7 points per game before the injury. He was in his second season at Alabama after transferring from Cal State-Fullerton.

His season high came in November against Illinois when he scored 16 points. He also averaged 1.8 rebounds and two assists per game.

He had scored 10 points before the injury. Wrightsell later returned to the bench in the second half of Saturday’s game wearing a boot on his left leg.

Alabama travels to North Carolina for its next game on Wednesday. After that, the Crimson Tide will have some time to figure out how to replace Wrightsell in the lineup with a 10-day break before playing Creighton at Coleman Coliseum.

The Tide and UNC are scheduled to end at 6:15 p.m. CT in Chapel Hill. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.