Tide enters SEC race this week  

 Tide ends 10-3 in Pre-SEC

        Alabama played a good game in the second half against a pretty gritty Norfolk team. The Spartans have played in the postseason the last four seasons. Time for some objectivity here. Alabama is not a great basketball team, but they are getting better. I don't see how Avery Johnson could have done any better with his team up to this point. The only thing surprising to me is that the scoring remains low. I think the Tides average shooting is the culprit. Lack of inside scoring is not nearly where we hoped it would be, but maybe it's all it is going to be. I'll give credit to Jimmie Taylor. He's getting better. I'll give a knock to Michael Kessens, who should be able to score more but has not done so. You can't dismiss Kessens rebounding has been excellent.

        The players have impressed me so far. Retin Obasahan may not make many all-conference teams but he should. Riley Norris is a good player. He brings all he can, and is a surprisingly good rebounder. Arthur Edwards isn't a great all-around floor man. The man can shoot. The man can shoot the three ball. He's isn't afraid to pull the trigger

      Those three have played well and have made significant contributions. The improvement of Justin Coleman has been fun to watch. The little guard has the game and seems to be finding the confidence to match. His shooting is up and down. It always was as a high school player. It will get better with playing time and better coaching. 

      I think the Tide has the toughest opening SEC schedule of any team in the league. It is entirely possible that Alabama will lose it's first five or six SEC games. That's not going to be fun to read, but the SEC office did the Tide no favors when they drafted the league schedule. The Tide needs to win another  12-14 games to get an NCAA game. No one wants to see that happen than me, but Johnson will get the Tide to the field next season. 

      And to all the misinthropss oin cyber-space, I count TR.NAZ as a win. I understand the NCAA does not. And please, if you don't like what I write, just don't read. My late father used to tell me, "their is only two letters of difference between class and ass". Pick the one you think you should be. 

WHAT IS A PRIVATE MEDICAL SITUATION?

HALE CONTINUES TO BE "DAY TO DAY"

...TIDE HOSTS JAX STATE TONIGHT...

     Tip-off tonight at 7:00 PM at Coleman-Coliseum. Plenty of tickets are available. TV available on ESPN live streaming. The team opens as an 18 point favorite. 

      Football on television, playoff magic in the air, students home for Christmas, and a second level opponent doesn't exactly scream "big time crowd" for tonight's game. What really should be nothing more than a glorified scrimmage may take on some interest with the season loss of Dazon Ingram and the status of Shannon Hale's medical condition. His problem has taken on great mystery of what is wrong? Maybe one day soon he will reveal what the problem is and all the conspiracy theorists will be proven wrong. I think his absence cost us the Oregon game. We needed his scoring with Obasahan having an off night, but more important we needed his long arm to cut down some Duck long range shooting.

     The most important event to unveil in the last couple of games was the explosion of Justin Coleman. Coleman, who is generally the smallest player on the floor, has been playing a giant type game. Bama cannot survive the loss of points from Coleman, Hale, and Obasahan. Even a lower division team could beat the Tide. The Crimson has a great chance to finish the pre-conference of their season with only three losses. All three of their losses will be considered "good" losses against quality opponents, but the Tide needs to avoid a meltdown against a poorly respected team or program. The first six games in the Tide's SEC season are brutal. I'm reading some fans think we can win five or six of those games. I don't eee i that way personally. Let's assume that 'Bama win it's next two games, I believe they'll need to win 12 or 13 SEC games to make the NCAA. 

     I like the Tide by 12. 

TIDE GIVES OREGON A SCARE

JOHNSON'S TEAM BATTLES OREGON TO THE WIRE MINUS TWO STARTERS

 

 

JUSTIN COLEMAN STEPS IN AND PLAYS HIS TOP GAME...

 

 

 

     You  have to love Avery Johnson and his band of underdog marauders. After taking a lead into the second half, the lack of depth caught up with the Tide. A sub-par outing by Retin Obasahan didn't help, neither did the lack of two starters.  The Tide gave it all they had, but in the long run heart wasn't enough.

       But this blog post isn't about the Oregon game. It's about the magic that I'm starting to feel about Tide hoops again. There are going to be some tough nights this season. We all know that. But there are going to be some good ones as well. I suspect that in the long run the good ones will far outweigh the bad ones. Avery Johnson has no idea of the Christmas present he has give the Tide fans.

       So, I'd like to say to Avery - thanks coach. Thanks for the hope you are giving us in the future of Tide basketball. I want to tell our fans this as well. When this man gets the players he is going to give us all a lot of Merry Christmas mornings. From my wife, Sharon, my daughters, Rachel and Tasha, and from the grandkids, Ryder and Caroline, Merry Christmas to all of you.

TIDE WINS NUMBER SEVEN

COLEMAN BROKE OUT OF HIS SLUMP

      The Tide's seventh win started out slowly, gained momentum, and then buried Winthrop in the second half. Let's not be confused about the quality of our opponent. They are not a top shelf team, but they were well coached and played hard. The absence of Shannon Hale was big, and the Tide missed their 6-8 big man. On the positive side, the Tide devised a way to win without him. The defense was solid, and the offense was good enough to win. Whether Alabama can beat a team like Oregon without Hale remains to be seen, but I doubt it. 


        One great thing was the breakout of Justin Coleman in this game. He made some threes and took the ball to the basket. Tide fans cheered win he hit his first three, and then the bench celebrated on three next two. A hot shooting guard would mean so much to this team. Add a sterling performance by Jimmie Taylor. Dare we say, he looked like an offensive in the paint?  He sure looked better, and I understand he wasn't playing against a quality defender, but his moves were solid and effective. He even snuck in a little right-hand hook. It didn't fall on fridday, but in days to come it will. Retin Obasahan was a one man wrecking crew. The TV announcers, straight out of cookie cutterland, raved about his skill and agreesive play.

        Michael Kessens got the start in lieu of Hale. His numbers were not very good, but he made few mistakes and altered a lot of shots inside. Montgomery's Brandon Austin showed some of his potential. He played well, as did the always steady Authur Edwards who continues to impress.

TIDE HANGS ON TO UPSET CLEMSON

ALWAYS NICE TO BEAT THE ACC...

 

Retin has another career high...

     Alabama played a great basketball game for 30 minutes on the road against ACC Clemson. In the final ten minutes they sucked it up and refused to lose. The Crimson Tide refused to roll over and die. In that last ten minutes the good guys dominated the offensive rebounds, got the big defensive boards, and played in your face defense.

 

          All in all, it was a good win for Alabama and moves their overall record to 6-2. I doubt many of us would have believed that record was possible when the season started. Special shout out to Retin Obasahan, Shannon Hale, and Jimmy Taylor. All three had excellent games. Retin scored a career high 23 points, and steadied the Tide down the final four minutes to keep the Tide in the game. Jimmie Taylor had 9 rebounds, some of them were key offensive rebounds. Shannon Hale had a good offensive game but his defense against Clemson star, Jaron Blossomgame, was a big key to the Tide win. Blossomgame was held to 7 points due to Hales' defense, and a nasty double team anytime he touched the ball. Justin Coleman had a nice floor game but his shooting remains cold as ice. Michael Kessens had four big rebounds, and a couple of nice shots as well.

             The anticipated high scoring offense has not arrived yet, but you can see the seeds planted by Johnson. When Bama shoots the ball well they can be a tough team. Tide offensive players are moving the ball well. The team looks for the extra pass, and that often leads to wide open looks at the basket. Bama takes on Winthrope tomorrow night in Coleman Coliseum.
 



Tide takes on ACC Clemson

   

Coach just lost his starting point guard

 Alabama takes on the Clemson Tigers in an SEC/ACC showdown today. The Tigers were picked at the bottom of the conference in pre-season votings. The Tide was picked next to last. I guess might have a little something to say about the old top to bottom argument. Alabama has won three consecutive games. Two of those wins were against prominent national powers. The Tide seemed to have a let down against Southern Mississippi but still won the road game. As we all know that winning on the road is never easy. The Crimson will be well served to remember that today. And then...

          The Tide lost Dazon Ingram for the year who injured his ankle in freak non-contact injury. It resulted in a broken ankle.  Coach Johnson reports that Dazon will be okay in the future. I'm not sure whether he can qualify for injury caused red-shirt season. I hope that's the case because Dazon Ingram is key to the long-term success of Avery Johnson's plan to rebuild Alabama basketball. Keys for a Bama win today are simple:

1. Rebound the ball better:

2. Hope that Justin Coleman can play up to his hype

3. Shoot close to 50% and make 75% of their free throws.

       The highly anticipated high scoring Bama offense has yet to make an appearance against any decent opponent. While Clemson might not be a great team, they are an ACC team that tells us they are not going to be bad. More after the game. 

Henry brings home the hardward

HENRY SWEEPS CAMP, MAXWELL, AND WALKER AWARDS

 

        Mr. Derrick Henry just won the Walter Camp Award for the best football player in the NCAA. The word deserved is not enough to describe his qualifications. How about head and shoulders above anyone else in this year’s award ceremony. He was also named the Maxwell Award winner for the outstanding player of the year. He pulled the hat trick by also winning the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top college running back. 

         Alabama’s Ryan Kelly won the highly prestigious Remington Award for the best center in the country. Kelly has been acknowledged as the best center in the nation for the last three seasons. He has the ability to assign correct blocking assignments to help spring Tide backs. 

          Not to be outdone, Reggie Ragland, was named the SEC Most Valuable Player. Henry won the Offensive Player of the Years. There is no better linebacker in the nation. He is a cinch first-round draft pick and is a holy terror on the defensive line.  If the massive lineman doesn't make a tackle, you can be assured that Ragland will be around to mop up what’s left. He and Rueben Foster have been the best linebacking duo in the best tandem ever to play together. Next season all the awards will come to Foster, in my opinion, and in the coutry per speculation for many experts.

        One last thing, the winning of these awards hopefullu persucpter for the Heisman for Henry