Liberty sophomore guard Brody Peebles grew up about 100 miles from Tuscaloosa, Alabama in Hartselle. It was natural for him to become a fan of the Crimson Tide growing up, even dreaming of one day playing basketball for the hometown team.
As he attended high school at Hartselle High School, the 6’2″ guard became a scoring phenom and one of the best players in the state. PrepHoops even ranked him as the No. 2 prospect in Alabama as part of the 2021 recruiting class. Peebles scored over 3,000 points during his career at Hartselle, leading them to the 6A regional finals in 2020.
He was also named the 2021 Alabama 6A Player of the Year after being a finalist for the award during his junior season in 2020. Peebles was a two-time Morgan County MVP and two time 6A all-state selection. While those accolades were never enough to draw the attention of Alabama, he did pick up offers from several in-state schools including UAB, North Alabama, and Alabama-Huntsville.
Peebles decided to play his college basketball away from home, at Liberty. Now, he gets to return home with the Flames and play in Tuscaloosa at Coleman Coliseum when Liberty plays at No. 20 Alabama on Friday night at 8 p.m.
“It will be special,” Peebles said of the game. “I grew up an Alabama fan, football, basketball. It will be really cool going back. I’ve got a lot of friends there, a lot of family. My brother went there. It will be a really cool experience.”
Peebles is looking forward to the experience of playing at Coleman Coliseum in a Division I basketball game. He’s only played summer league games during high school at the court, but he spent plenty of time in the stands taking in games as a fan.
“When (Collin) Sexton was there and played Trae Young and Oklahoma,” Peebles said of the last game he attended at Coleman Coliseum. “That was a fun game, that was probably the last game i saw played there.”
Brody has already shown flashes of his scoring potential during his first year with the Flames. He tied Darius McGhee for the team-high with 17 points in Monday’s season opener against Regent. Last season, Peebles reached double figures seven times and he’s looking to take his game to the next level during his second year with the program.
“Brody’s a legend in Hartselle, Alabama,” said Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay said following his team’s 104-38 season opening win. “The Peebles family, they are such an incredible family. He did such a great job as a high school player. He’s got a well deserved reputation. Obviously, he will be excited about it. I’m sure Coach Oats is going to have their guys well aware that he’s a little bit of a home state hero, and he will have to play through that.”
This won’t be the first time Liberty and Peebles have faced an SEC team. Last year, Peebles scored 12 points in his second collegiate game as the Flames played at LSU. He made 3 of 5 three pointers in that contest, providing a scoring punch for Liberty off the bench.
“Being real intentional defensively, I want to be better at that,” Peebles said during the preseason of what he wants to focus on this season. “A lot of that is just mindset, watching film. Offensively, I think I’m a natural shooter. So, speeding up my shot, tightening my handle, making reads.”
Brody averaged 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game as a freshman last year. He played in all 33 games while making 3 starts. He scored a season high 18 points on Dec. 6 against Delaware State. For the season, Peebles made 39.7% of his three-pointers, connecting 25 times from behind the arc.
“Brody’s not scared,” McKay said of the challenge awaiting him Friday night. “He’s very confident. He could miss 12 in a row and shoot the 13th, I love that about him. That kid is a tremendous kid. I hope he enjoys the experience of playing in Tuscaloosa.”
