Bryce Young has been described as a point guard in the pocket due to his ability to juke out defenders and distribute the ball to his receivers at various arm angles. Friday, the Alabama quarterback even received a bit of love from an actual Crimson Tide basketball star as junior guard Jaden Shackelford gave him his endorsement for this year’s Heisman Trophy.
Shackelford, a native of Hesperia, Calif., grew up roughly an hour and a half east of Young’s hometown of Pasadena, Calif. Friday, the shooting guard said he’s excited to see the quarterback represent the Golden State and Alabama in New York during the Heisman Trophy presentation. The Heisman Trophy will be handed out Saturday night during an award ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
"It's super dope, man. I'm hyped to see him up there,” Shackelford said. “I feel like he deserves it. He had my vote before the season even started. I knew he was gonna have a great year. Being from the West, it’s super cool to see somebody from where I’m from going out there and achieving great things like that. So I hope he goes out there and wins that award.”
Young has been the Alabama football team’s biggest weapon on offense, completing 68% of his passes for 4,322 yards and 43 touchdowns with four interceptions. His 43 touchdowns rank second nationally while his passing yards rank No. 4 in the nation. He also ranks fifth nationally with a 175.53 passer rating.
Shackelford is off to a solid start to his season himself on the hardwood. Through eight games, he leads Alabama in scoring (19.3 points per game) and 3-point percentage (43.1). He also ranks second on the team averaging 6.8 rebounds.
In November, Shackelford and point guard Jahvon Quinerly were named to the watch list for the Naismith Trophy presented to the nation's most outstanding player. Shackelford is currently on the watch list for the Jerry West Award given to the nation’s top shooting guard, while Quinerly is on the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award presented to the nation's top point guard.
Last week, that duo combined for 45 points to help Alabama knock off then No.3-ranked Gonzaga in Seattle. If the Tide can maintain that success moving forward, perhaps Young will be cheering on one of those two for hardware this spring.
“If we can take off and win at a high level, who knows what awards our guys may be able to get,” Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats said during his Friday press conference. “We’ve got some really talented players on the roster, and in the future years moving forward we’ve got some very talented players coming in. We’ve got a saying, ‘When the Tide rises, all the boats rise.’ I think when we play well and win at a high level, guys are up for those awards.”
While Shackelford plans to root on Young on Saturday night, he won’t be able to spend too much time watching the awards ceremony. Instead, he’ll be looking to lead No. 9 Alabama to its second straight win over a ranked opponent as the Tide hosts No. 14 Houston (8-1) at 9 p.m. inside Coleman Coliseum.
“This is a premier game," Oats said. "They played in the Final Four last year. They’re top 15 in the country. Coach [Kelvin] Sampson is one of the best coaches in the country.
“It would’ve been ideal if we could have maybe played this game when we would have had all the students on campus. I realize a lot of them maybe have left [after] finals. Hopefully, we still get the place close, full to a sellout."
Shackelford, a native of Hesperia, Calif., grew up roughly an hour and a half east of Young’s hometown of Pasadena, Calif. Friday, the shooting guard said he’s excited to see the quarterback represent the Golden State and Alabama in New York during the Heisman Trophy presentation. The Heisman Trophy will be handed out Saturday night during an award ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
"It's super dope, man. I'm hyped to see him up there,” Shackelford said. “I feel like he deserves it. He had my vote before the season even started. I knew he was gonna have a great year. Being from the West, it’s super cool to see somebody from where I’m from going out there and achieving great things like that. So I hope he goes out there and wins that award.”
Young has been the Alabama football team’s biggest weapon on offense, completing 68% of his passes for 4,322 yards and 43 touchdowns with four interceptions. His 43 touchdowns rank second nationally while his passing yards rank No. 4 in the nation. He also ranks fifth nationally with a 175.53 passer rating.
Shackelford is off to a solid start to his season himself on the hardwood. Through eight games, he leads Alabama in scoring (19.3 points per game) and 3-point percentage (43.1). He also ranks second on the team averaging 6.8 rebounds.
In November, Shackelford and point guard Jahvon Quinerly were named to the watch list for the Naismith Trophy presented to the nation's most outstanding player. Shackelford is currently on the watch list for the Jerry West Award given to the nation’s top shooting guard, while Quinerly is on the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award presented to the nation's top point guard.
Last week, that duo combined for 45 points to help Alabama knock off then No.3-ranked Gonzaga in Seattle. If the Tide can maintain that success moving forward, perhaps Young will be cheering on one of those two for hardware this spring.
“If we can take off and win at a high level, who knows what awards our guys may be able to get,” Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats said during his Friday press conference. “We’ve got some really talented players on the roster, and in the future years moving forward we’ve got some very talented players coming in. We’ve got a saying, ‘When the Tide rises, all the boats rise.’ I think when we play well and win at a high level, guys are up for those awards.”
While Shackelford plans to root on Young on Saturday night, he won’t be able to spend too much time watching the awards ceremony. Instead, he’ll be looking to lead No. 9 Alabama to its second straight win over a ranked opponent as the Tide hosts No. 14 Houston (8-1) at 9 p.m. inside Coleman Coliseum.
“This is a premier game," Oats said. "They played in the Final Four last year. They’re top 15 in the country. Coach [Kelvin] Sampson is one of the best coaches in the country.
“It would’ve been ideal if we could have maybe played this game when we would have had all the students on campus. I realize a lot of them maybe have left [after] finals. Hopefully, we still get the place close, full to a sellout."
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