It’s 2,433 miles from Whale Branch Early College High School in Seabrook, S.C., to Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Quite the journey, one Apple Maps estimates the fastest driving route, which crosses 10 states, at 34 hours without stopping.
Yet here Whale Branch alum Nick Pringle is, about to play in the biggest game of his life for Alabama basketball, facing Clemson in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Basketball has taken Pringle far, from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, to outside of the boundaries of the United States.
The senior isn’t ignorant to the power of the game.
“Basketball just brings you so many things that, if you can’t afford, it’ll get you there,” Pringle said Friday. “I can’t even say much about it, I just wish, I have family that could experience this moment. I’m glad I’m able to experience this to go back and tell them. It’s amazing.”
Before last season, Pringle went to Barcelona and Paris with the rest of the Crimson Tide. Alabama won three games on that tour, one that showed the early signs that the team that eventually drew a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament could be special.
When asked what the coolest thing he’d seen because of basketball was, the trip was the first thing on Pringle’s mind.
“That was truly amazing,” Pringle said. “Just going out there and playing different teams. We played a China team, we played a team in Barcelona. Just seeing different brands of basketball, seeing new places. Shoot, even being here in LA. This is my first time in LA. It’s different. It’s lovely.”
‘It’s not easy stuff’
Clemson center PJ Hall met Pringle years before either of them were playing in the Big Dance.
“I played him at either a top 80 camp or top 15 camp in South Carolina,” the Spartanburg native said. “He was (either) on my team or we played each other, I don’t remember all that, but he told me he didn’t have any offers.”
Pringle hails from Seabrook, an unincorporated community in South Carolina’s Beaufort County. The 2020 census tabbed its population at 1,255.
The forward proudly claims the Lowcountry in his social media bios. But he knows all too well that it can be a tough place to grow up.
To this day, he keeps the current youth of the area at the front of his mind.
“It’s really rare to make it where I’m from,” Pringle said. “I just want to set that big example to everybody to make a change, to be a change. A lot of people come from great families but they get caught up in a lot of the extra stuff around it, so I I’m really just trying to be a great role model.”
Eventually, Pringle’s height shot up. His offerless days soon ended.
He headed to Wofford, a Southern Conference school in Spartanburg. He played sparingly for the Terriers and decided to try a different spot, heading to Dodge City Community College in Kansas.
Through the journey, his attitude impressed Hall, who had signed with Clemson as a freshman in 2020.
“Seeing him get (to Wofford), have confidence there and then have the confidence to go the JuCo route as well, that’s not easy,” Hall said. “It’s not easy stuff. And then, fight to get to a spot like Alabama is incredible, so seeing him grow like that was really cool to see.”
Pringle made good at Dodge City. He impressed on the boards, grabbing double-digit rebounds in 14 games.
Nate Oats and company took notice. Pringle joined the Crimson Tide as a transfer before the 2022-23 campaign, and has remained in Tuscaloosa ever since.
‘We’re still fighting’
Pringle landed hard on his injured left foot during the Crimson Tide’s win over North Carolina on Thursday. He came up limping hard, sat on the bench for a moment, then headed back for treatment.
But the job wasn’t done. Pringle came back in, giving Alabama huge minutes, limping and grimacing around the court as he helped contain Tar Heel big Armando Bacot and score the upset victory in the Sweet Sixteen.
“We don’t win this game without Nick,” Alabama guard Mark Sears said afterward. “He was battling with Bacot, who is one of the best bigs in the country. They were going at it. Down the stretch when we was getting stops he was a very big part of that.”
Despite struggling occasionally this season, often while battling through injuries, Pringle has remained an emotional leader for the Crimson Tide. The emotions have gotten him into trouble at times, with two brief suspensions from Oats, but his teammates look to him for energy.
“Sometimes your strengths can be a weakness at the same time,” Pringle said. “Just finding that level ground and applying that energy towards my teammates and just coming out and doing the best I can possible so I can follow through with the rest of the team.”
The emotion will be there again on Saturday. He’ll face off with Hall and the Tigers from his home state.
A win would be the second victory for the Tide over a team from South Carolina, following the first-round win over Charleston.
“It’s exciting to see him and see our growth,” Pringle said. “Where we are now, two South Carolina guys, never really came from much, but we’re both here, we’re still fighting.”
Stopping Hall and his fellow Clemson big Ian Schieffelin will be a huge key for the Tide, which has struggled in that area throughout the season. Against North Carolina, Grant Nelson came up big, playing the game of his life, while Pringle and others also helped out to stop Bacot from ending their season.
If the group can do it against a Clemson team that beat them in November, they’ll make Alabama’s first Final Four ever. Pringle’s journey from the Lowcountry will continue on to Phoenix.
“Basketball really connects you with a lot,” he said. “A lot of the world on the outside too. You meet a lot of different people and you see a lot of new places. Just knowing where I’ve been and seeing where I’m at today, this is giving me high inspiration to where I can go in the future.”
Alabama and Clemson are scheduled to tip off at 7:49 p.m. CT Saturday in Los Angeles. The game will be aired on TruTV and TBS.
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