Problem, Alabama basketball has a Houston.

Houston Mallette, a Pepperdine guard, has announced on Instagram he will transfer to the Crimson Tide for the 2024-25 season.

Mallette is a 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard from Alameda, California. He's heading into his senior year, and this past season, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and shot 41.5% from beyond the arc this past season. Mallette also made 47.8% of his total shots.

The guard help is welcomed for an Alabama team that will lose at least one veteran after this season. Aaron Estrada's eligibility is expiring, and Mark Sears has a decision to make whether to head to the NBA or stay for one more season. The addition of Mallette, no matter what the current guards decide, provides a boost to the position heading into next season.

But first, Alabama will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this week. The No. 4 seed Crimson Tide is set to face No. 13 seed Charleston on Friday (6:35 p.m. CT, truTV) in Spokane, Washington.

SCOUTING REPORT: Alabama basketball vs Charleston prediction: Who has edge in 2024 NCAA Tournament?

NICK SABAN COMMEMORATIVE BOOK: Relive Nick Saban's epic career with our special book. Preorder here.

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Houston Mallette: Alabama basketball lands Pepperdine transfer