Tuscaloosa, Ala. ? At 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, Jermareo Davidson always has been tough to stop inside. On Monday, he displayed something that could make it even harder for opponents to guard him.
Davidson hit two sky hooks – the signature shot of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decades ago – during the key second-half run in No. 8 Alabama’s 70-55 victory over Oklahoma on Monday.
“I’m just getting to where I was feeling comfortable,” Davidson, who scored 17 points, said of the sky hook. “No one can block it so far.”
One of the biggest fans of Davidson’s new shot is Crimson Tide head coach Mark Gottfried.
“I love it. It’s a shot he can make,” Gottfried said. “Nobody really shoots the hook shot anymore. It’s a hard shot to block.”
Richard Hendrix had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double in the last six games as the Crimson Tide (13-1) dominated the Sooners inside to win their 15th straight home game and sixth in a row overall.
Davidson, who has had to deal with the deaths of his girlfriend and brother in the first two months of the season, said playing hard was helping him deal with his personal problems.
“This kind of helps me get away from things. It’s relaxing, and it takes my mind off things,” said Davidson, who is averaging 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds.
Oklahoma was held to 36 percent shooting (23-for-63), including 5-for-21 from three-point range and had its season-low point total. Longar Longar, the Sooners’ leading scorer at 13.9 points a game, was held to six points.
Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said he was impressed by Alabama, particularly the inside strength of Davidson and Hendrix.
“I thought they played very well today, especially in the second half. They are a very capable team,” Capel said. “We were fortunate to be in it in the first half – just down by six. They are very efficient with their offense.”