Transfer Houston Mallette makes his debut for Alabama Basketball against UNC

Alabama basketball guard Houston Mallette has made his debut for Alabama basketball.

Despite questions about whether the Pepperdine transfer would make his first appearance as a Crimson Tide player given a season-ending Achilles tendon tear for starter Latrell Wrightsell, Jr., the transfer portal newcomer was included along with former USF guard Chris Youngblood watching the Dean E. Smith Center warm up. Compared to the street clothes they wore on the field all season, the two were fully dressed.

Coach Nate Oats announced that Mallette, a freshman from Pepperdine, would take a redshirt year before Alabama’s season opener against UNC-Asheville in November.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound guard was lethal from 3-point range and ranked 5th in the WCC with an average shooting percentage of 14.7 ppg and a 42% shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Mallette entered the SEC/ACC Challenge against the Tar Heels with 11:40 left in the half.

Chris Youngblood injury update:Alabama basketball player will make his debut “pretty soon.”

As for Youngblood, the sharpshooting former USF player sat on the bench while recovering from ankle surgery and is expected to return in mid-to-late December.

However, Oats was hopeful he would return for the Elite Eight rematch against the Tar Heels after Saturday’s loss to Oregon.