After a less than stellar nonconference skid, Alabama bounced back Tuesday night with a Southeastern Conference win over Vanderbilt.
Now, the Crimson Tide looks to win back-to-back conference games when it travels Saturday to Athens, Ga., to face the Bulldogs.
Sophomore guard Retin Obasohan played a large part in Alabama’s 68-63 win over the Commodores with 15 points and has seen his role on the team expand since last season.
He said the Crimson Tide’s 6-7 nonconference record will only benefit the team moving forward.
“It’s tremendous for myself and my team,” Obasohan said. “We got an opportunity to play a very tough nonconference schedule, and that definitely prepared us for going into this SEC season.”
The Antwerp, Belgium, native is second on the team with 13 points and 32.6 minutes per game. He leads Alabama and the SEC with 38 steals this season.
“I think with every game he is gaining more confidence and he’s understanding what he is capable of doing,” coach Anthony Grant said.
Fellow guard Trevor Releford shares the backcourt with Obasohan and has been a firsthand witness of his athletic ability.
Obasohan is a crowd favorite at Coleman Coliseum for his strong dunks and powerful blocks. He leads the team with 17 blocks.
“Retin, as you see, is one of the best combo guards [in the country],” Releford said. “In practice he is always in attack mode, and that gets you ready for the game. I don’t think most of the guards I play have the speed that Retin brings.”
His ability to block so many shots is astounding considering Obasohan is 6-foot-1-inch tall. He said he watches the taller players on Alabama’s team to improve his technique when he sails to block a shot from behind.
“Most of it I’ve learned from Jimmie [Taylor]. He does an excellent job in timing when to leave the floor to make plays likes that,” Obasohan said. “So I just try to imitate that on those plays.”
The Crimson Tide looks to improve its record to more than .500 this weekend against Georgia, while Obasohan continues filling up the stat sheet.
Grant said Obasohan has been one of the first players in and last players out of the gym this season and praised him for making the most of his opportunity.
“He’s a guy that loves the game of basketball, plays the game of basketball because he has a passion for basketball,” Grant said. “That’s good to see when you see kids that have a passion to play, just in love with the game. I think those things allow Retin to continue to progress, and I think that’s the jumps that you’ve seen over the last six months … And I think he’ll just continue to get better with that work ethic and that attitude.”
