The Masked Man: Juwan Gary Victorious in Return for Alabama Basketball

Donning a black protective face mask, Gary provided a spark off the bench with 15 points in the Crimson Tide's upset win over Baylor.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Not only did Alabama pick up a big win on Saturday afternoon over No. 4 Baylor, the Crimson Tide got a big addition back on the bench with the return of redshirt sophomore forward Juwan Gary. 

After taking an elbow to the face against LSU on Jan. 19, Gary did not play in the Crimson Tide's previous two games because of a facial contusion. With the help of trainer Clarke Holter and a black protective face mask, Gary returned to action against the Bears. 

And he was big for the Crimson Tide. The forward had 15 points on a 7-8 shooting night from the floor along with three offensive rebounds and a key block on the defensive end. 

"It was huge," Alabama guard Jaden Shackelford said on the return of Gary. "Everybody knows how much he means to our team. He’s one of our glue guys, if not the biggest glue guy on our team. He does all the blue-collar stuff. He’s a really vital part of our team. He makes us go, so it was good to have him back out there."

Alabama Athletics

Alabama Athletics

Alabama Athletics

On the season, Gary is averaging 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with 11 starts. Last season, the forward only had two starts but became a major role player off the bench for Alabama down the stretch. Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats said he's excited to see Gary returning to what he was for Alabama last season.

"He’s big to have back," Oats said. "He’s kind of a slasher on offense. We want him to get back to being who he was. Why’d he play so many minutes last year for us? Because he’s tough, rebounds. You look, he goes 7-8 from the field [tonight.]"

Along with Shackelford and fellow forward Noah Gurley, Gary led the team in plus/minus at 15. Another reason he is so valuable for Alabama is because of his versatility. At 6-6, 218 pounds, Oats can use Gary at the three, four or five position on offense and defense. 

"You see his impact on the game," Oats said. "He had the huge block on defense. I thought that was big. He’s just kind of a guy that you can mix it up."

Alabama stuck to a pretty consistent rotation of eight guys against Baylor with Shackelford, Charles Bediako, Jahvon Quinerly, Keon Ellis and James Rojas starting and JD Davison, Gurley and Gary coming off the bench. 

It was also a big night for Shackelford and Quinerly, who finished with 19 and 20 points respectively. With the combination of strong guard play and bench play from guys like Gary and Davison, it makes Alabama hard to beat. 

Gary put an exclamation point on the night and the upset win for the Crimson Tide with Alabama's final field goal being an alley oop from Davison to Gary that gave the rowdy Coleman Coliseum crowd a final burst of energy before Rammer Jammer.  

"I’ve been playing with him for a while now, so I know what to expect out of him each night out," Quinerly said about Gary. "Tonight he provided a huge spark for us that we missed the last two, three games. He played really well."

That spark will be important with the stretch Alabama has coming up against No. 1 Auburn on the road Tuesday night and No. 12 Kentucky back in Coleman Coliseum next Saturday.