Alabama’s high-octane win over South Florida on Wednesday night came with a concerning development for the Crimson Tide: freshman forward London Jemison exited the game with a knee injury and didn’t return for the second half. Head coach Nate Oats confirmed after the 104-93 victory that Jemison will undergo testing on Thursday to determine the severity.
“He’s got a knee injury that hopefully is not too severe,” Oats said. “He’s going to get tested on it tomorrow morning and we’ll know more about it tomorrow afternoon.”
Jemison got the starting nod and made his presence felt early, knocking down a three-pointer and grabbing three rebounds in just nine minutes of action. But after that brief first-half stint, he was sidelined for the rest of the night, leaving Alabama to finish the game without one of its young contributors.
The Tide have been navigating a string of injuries this season, and Wednesday was no different. Fellow freshman Amari Allen was unavailable due to a hip pointer, adding to the list of players Alabama is trying to get healthy before SEC play ramps up.
“We’ll see how it’s doing,” Oats said of Allen. “We’re off tomorrow. We’ll see how he’s doing Friday/Saturday and make a decision whether he plays Sunday or not.”
Alabama’s depth has been tested early and often this season, and while the offense hasn’t missed a beat-dropping 104 points on South Florida-it’s clear that staying healthy will be a key storyline moving forward. Jemison’s status, in particular, will be one to watch closely. The freshman has shown flashes of what he can bring to this team, and his development could be pivotal as the Tide gear up for the heart of their schedule.
Next up, Alabama heads to Huntsville for a Sunday afternoon matchup against Kennesaw State (1 p.m. CT, SEC Network+), with the hope that both Jemison and Allen can be part of the rotation again soon.