How walk-on Britton Johnson sparked Alabama basketball against Missouri

About a week ago, Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats and walk-on Britton Johnson decided to hold a meeting.

Johnson had one question for his coach.

"What can I do to help this team be the best version of itself?" Johnson asked.

Johnson half expected Oats to tell him he wasn't going to get playing time but to be the best scout team player he could be. Oats, however, had a different message.

"You'll never know when your opportunity will come," Oats said. "So be ready."

That opportunity arrived 3:30 into the game that Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SEC) eventually won 86-76 over Missouri (8-10, 2-4) on Saturday. The Crimson Tide's effort was not where Oats wanted it with the team already down 14-3, so he put Johnson into the game.

"The one thing you're going to get out of B.J. is he's going to play hard," Oats said.

And Johnson did. Eighteen seconds after he walked onto the court, he snagged an offensive rebound. He finished with three boards in three minutes of playing time.

MISSOURI GAME: Alabama basketball wakes up in time to overtake Missouri, avenge defeat

LSU GAME: Why Alabama basketball's Jahvon Quinerly came off the bench against LSU

"We gave up too many buckets early without the stops," guard Jaden Shackelford said. "So coach went with who we felt was ready to go out there and do that. B.J. is always ready when his number is called. He's the most blue-collar guy we have."

Johnson tied for the team lead in offensive rebounds, despite only seeing three minutes of time.

Johnson also grabbed two boards in the Louisiana Tech game at the beginning of the season. A senior from Mountain Brook, Johnson also saw time in 12 contests in 2020-21.

"It was really, really cool in that I have a coach that trusts me enough to come in and try to help the team, and I have teammates that trust me enough to have me in that situation and not think I'm not prepared for it," Johnson said. "I have great teammates and a great coach. I'm just grateful for the opportunity and just trying to help the team win. That's all I really want to do."

Johnson also hit on a layup and drew a foul. He couldn't hit a shot from deep on both 3-pointers he tried, but the overall effort he displayed alone could get him back in the lineup if Alabama falters again in that department.

"For his sake, it's nice that he's able to get in and do that," Oats said, "but it's disappointing that you've got to show some other guys who are in the rotation that maybe have some more God-given ability and athletic ability and talent that aren't playing as hard as B.J. plays."

Contact Alabama reporter Nick Kelly: nkelly@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Nate Oats played Alabama basketball walk-on Britton Johnson early vs Missouri