NBA Summer League Has 'Tide Tuesday' Look

It will be “Tide Tuesday” in Las Vegas Tuesday night when four former University of Alabama basketball players meet up in NBA Summer League play. Golden State will play Charlotte at 9:30 p.m. CT.

The Golden State Warriors’ roster includes just-graduated Alabama players Richard Hendrix and Mykal Riley. The Charlotte Bobcats’ roster includes Jermareo Davidson and Chuck Davis, who finished their Crimson Tide careers earlier.

The NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas began Friday and continues through July 20 and games can be viewed live on the NBA’s official website, www.nba.com

Going into Monday’s games Golden State was tied with Detroit with 2-0 records. Hendrix, an All-Southeastern Conference forward as a junior this past season for the Tide, did not play in those games as he is nursing a quad injury. The second round Warriors draft pick is hoping to get on the floor in Vegas, including Tuesday night’s game.

“We won our first game in the 2008 NBA Summer League against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday afternoon at UNLV,” Hendrix wrote in a blog on the Warriors website Sunday. “I felt like our team played well, but we can always improve, especially in the turnover department. For me personally, the trip has been bittersweet. It's exciting to have an NBA franchise's logo across your chest and it really makes me proud to be a Golden State Warrior. On the downside, I've been sidelined by an unfortunate quad injury. I've been getting treatment around the clock with our excellent training staff (headed by Tom Abdenour) and I have high hopes of returning to the court soon and helping our squad win a few more games. In the meantime, all I can do is focus on our plays from the sidelines, listen to Coach Smart and be the best "Hype Man" in Las Vegas! I hope to be running and ballin' real soon! The anxiety I have in anticipation of playing in an actual game is increasing by the day and probably raising my blood pressure a little. But, my time will come and I need to be patient."

Meanwhile Riley, who was a senior on the Alabama team this past season, played 6:38 in Golden State’s 95-86 win against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Riley did not score in the game (was 0-1 from the field) but he did get two rebounds. He did not play in the Warriors’ opening game on Friday.

Davidson, a senior at Alabama in 2007, played his rookie NBA season this past year with the Bobcats who are 1-1 in summer league play. Davidson is starting and has averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in his two games. He scored 15 points and had 8 rebounds in an 81-66 win against the Clippers and scored 12 points and had 9 rebounds in a 77-75 loss to the Hornets. Davis, who has been playing in Europe since his senior season at Alabama in 2006, is averaging 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds. He played just under 11 minutes in the Clippers game and scored six points and had four rebounds. He played 6:40 against the Hornets and scored four points and had two rebounds.

Hendrix, Riley and Davis all graduated from Alabama, receiving their degrees in three and a half years for Riley and Davis and in just three years for Hendrix. Davidson is about a semester away from graduation.