Former Seaforth basketball star Jarin Stevenson is supposed to be a senior in high school right now, but being where one is “supposed” to be isn’t always what’s best.
In Stevenson’s case, last year’s decision to reclassify to the class of 2023 and commit to Alabama over North Carolina has landed him where many college athletes dream of going and never get the chance to experience — the Final Four.
Over the weekend, Stevenson, the 2023 Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year, introduced himself to the rest of the country by helping Alabama take down his hometown Tar Heels in the Sweet 16 and having a breakout game against Clemson in the Elite Eight. His efforts pushed the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four in program history.
Against the Tigers, Stevenson chose the right time to have the best game of his young career, making five threes and scoring 19 points in 15 minutes to give Alabama a major boost off the bench. Stevenson made most of his money from the corner three-point shot, and a couple of makes from there helped the Crimson Tide climb out of a 13-point deficit in the first half.
In the second half, Stevenson went a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line, including a huge answer to Joseph Girard III’s triple that brought Clemson back within three points with just 7 minutes, 18 seconds left to play. The 6-foot-11 forward also made some crucial defensive stops down low, recording two blocks in Saturday’s win.
“(Stevenson) grew up tonight,” Alabama senior guard Mark Sears told reporters after the Clemson game. “We don’t win this game without him. When Girard was going off from three it was like Jarin hit three after three after three and kept us in this ballgame. He was huge tonight.”
Against the Tar Heels Thursday, Stevenson was held scoreless but came away with four rebounds and a block. The story from that game may not have been his play but more about his background.
Stevenson’s mother, Nicole played basketball at UNC and won three ACC championships from 1995-98. A feature on Stevenson ran by CBS Sports before tip-off between Alabama and North Carolina detailed how he grew up a UNC fan and even wanted to go there some day under the influence of his mom and his upbringing in Chapel Hill.
However, when the time came to choose where he’d want to continue his basketball career last year, Stevenson picked the Crimson Tide. Alabama had just lost a key frontcourt piece in Noah Clowney to the NBA, freeing up an opportunity for Stevenson to play right away under head coach Nate Oats.
“I know Carolina’s a great school and a great opportunity for me, but the opportunity (at Alabama) I felt was better,” Stevenson said in the CBS Sports segment.
In his two seasons at Seaforth, Stevenson shot 58% from the floor and averaged 21.1 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game. He led the Hawks to two state playoff appearances was a two-time North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection, making the third team in 2022 and the first team in 2023.
Although he never got to call himself a state champion in high school basketball, Stevenson got to place Alabama’s name above “regional champion” after Saturday’s win, continuing his and the Crimson Tide’s chances to compete for a national title.
“I feel like I made the right decision,” Stevenson said to reporters late Saturday night.
