Flying Under The Radar: Trevor Releford, Alabama
While Alabama as a team is not flying under the radar, winning the SEC West last season and making it all the way to the NIT finals and subsequently a Top 20 ranking in the pre-season polls, point guard Trevor Releford is.
Most of the attention within the conference was focused on Kentucky's point guard Brandon Knight, who would later become the fourth straight John Calipari-coached one-and-done point guard. But Releford had a very solid freshman season of his own.
On the year, he averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists per game with 1.5 steals on the defensive end, but it was the way he ended the season which has us excited to watch the Crimson Tide this year. In the five-game NIT run, he led Alabama in scoring (15.4 points) and put forth a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
During the jump from his freshman to sophomore years, Releford will need to improve consistency and ability to knock down shots from behind the arc; he made just 19-of-68 3-pointers. He also committed 96 total turnovers (2.6 per game), a figure which should fall as Releford matures as a true point guard.
By President Corey Ruff - 11 - 16- 11
