Hornets add high-major transfer Liddell
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BVM) — In head coach Mo Williams’ first season drawing up plays for Alabama State, things didn’t go quite as planned. The team finished just 4-14 on the year, and missed the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament due to APR sanctions. But the Hornets have reinforcements on the way.
Gerald Liddell, a 6-foot-8 forward who was a Shaka Smart recruit at Texas, is coming to Montgomery for his senior season. Once a four-star recruit out of Cibolo, TX., his college career has been slightly disappointing considering expectations, but he’ll get a fresh start under the tutelage of a former NBA player in Williams.
This past season, Liddell played just 11.4 minutes per game, a significant decrease from his sophomore campaign where he played 18.3 minutes a night. His three point and free throw percentages took a dip as well, leading to averages of just 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, respectively.
However, a move to the SWAC could be a huge benefit to both Liddell and the Hornets. This past year, Coach Williams had just four players on his roster at 6-foot-8 or taller, and two of them were seniors. In the low-major conferences such as the SWAC, size can make all the difference between a winning and losing program as they tend to be overall smaller teams.
For example, this year’s SWAC champion, the Texas Southern Tigers, had three frontcourt starters listed at 6-foot-9. They were able to run the table as the No. 3 seed in the tournament and even won an NCAA Tournament game. Liddell’s length and upside, having been a highly-touted recruit out of high school, could pay big dividends if Williams can maximize his potential.
Liddell is looking forward to the change as well, taking to Instagram to express his excitement about joining the Hornets and playing in Montgomery where lots of positive African-American influencers have made their mark.
So far, Liddell joins an incoming class that is just two recruits deep. They are Juan Reyna III, a two-star point guard out of San Antonio, TX, and Darrell Reed, a two-star power forward out of Hammond, IN.
