Men's Basketball Set to Open Exhibition Slate
11/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
What: Men's Exhibition Basketball Game vs. Faulkner
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, November 6
Where: Coleman Coliseum
Admission: Tickets are $5 for general public; UA students free with UA action card
Radio: No radio
TV: WVUA
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama men's basketball team will open its exhibition slate on Thursday, November 6, against the Faulkner Eagles. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide is coming off the Crimson and White game while Faulkner (an NAIA school located in Montgomery) opened its 2008-09 exhibition campaign with a loss to the Mobile Rams.
Who to Watch
Alabama junior guard Mikhail Torrance gave a glimpse of his potential for the 2008-09 season with an impressive performance in the Crimson and White game. Torrance led all scorers with 27 points and handed out nine assists to lead the Crimson Team to a convincing victory. In addition to his nine assists, Torrance only turned the ball over twice. The Eight Mile, Ala., native played in 30 games last season and averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 assists per game.
Last Time Out
Alabama took to the hardwood for the first time this season by competing in the annual Crimson and White game as the Crimson team earned a 102-77 victory. Mikhail Torrance led all scorers with 27 points and nine assists for the Crimson team. All six members of the Crimson squad tallied double-digits in points. Demetrius Jemison recorded a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Alonzo Gee tallied a double-double for the White team with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ronald Steele made his first appearance in over a year and led the White team with 21 points and four assists.
Scouting Faulkner
The Eagles are coming off a 17-15 season and a third-place finish in the Southern States Athletic Conference. Head coach Jim Sanderson will have 12 new faces on the 2008-09 roster but welcomes back four players with experience - guards Josh Gholston, De Hereford and Reggie Dupree, and forward Aaron Greenwood - all of whom started at times a year ago. Faulkner opened its exhibition slate with a 55-49 loss against NAIA national tournament participant Mobile. Hereford and Gholston paced the Eagles with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Faulkner lost all three of its top scorers from a year ago. The Eagles are coming off a SSAC championship and their eighth national tournament appearance in school history.
Alabama Ties
Faulkner head coach Jim Sanderson is no stranger to the University of Alabama. The son of Alabama's winningest coach Wimp Sanderson, Sanderson graduated from the Capstone in 1982. Jim Sanderson is entering his 19th season at Faulkner and has posted a 370-218 overall record.
Key Game Notes
- Alabama returns 2007-08 starters Alonzo Gee (14.5 ppg/5.8 rpg), Demetrius Jemison (5.6 ppg/5.3 rpg) and Brandon Hollinger (started 10 of 32 games, 6.3 ppg/3.2 assists) and, after a redshirt season in 2008, Ronald Steele who was a starter in 2005, 2006 and 2007 at point guard.
- Alonzo Gee and Ronald Steele were named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team this week, as selected by the conference coaches.
- Mark Gottfried is two wins away from 200 at Alabama (198-123, .617 winning percentage).
- Mark Gottfried has had eight straight winning seasons at Alabama; the record is nine, co-held by Hank Crisp (1929-37) and C.M. Newton (1972-1980).
The Return of Ronald Steele
Alabama senior guard Ronald Steele returns to the floor for the first time since March 8, 2007 (a First Round SEC Tournament game vs. Kentucky in Atlanta). Steele missed all of last season to recover from successful knee surgery. He was a 2007 AP and Playboy Preseason All-America selection. Before being sidelined, Steele started 70 consecutive games for the Crimson Tide, dating back to his freshman campaign.
Veteran Squad Returns
Head Coach Mark Gottfried returns a veteran squad as eight of the 12 members of the Crimson Tide are upperclassmen. The eight upperclassmen have played in a combined 450 games in a Crimson Tide uniform. Senior Alonzo Gee leads all players with 96 games played, starting in 72. Senior Brandon Hollinger follows with 94 games played. Robert Horry (1989-92) holds the career games played record with 131.
Gee Scoring Watch
Alabama senior guard Alonzo Gee eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier last season and is rapidly climbing up the all-time scoring list. A total of 41 former members of the Crimson Tide are in the prestigious scoring club while Gee ranks 36th overall with 1,156 points. Rickey Brown (1,195 from 1974-77) and Jim Farmer (1,197 from 1984-87) are next on the list.
Steele Record Watch
Alabama senior guard Ronald Steele has etched his name prominently in the Crimson Tide record book. Steele has made his mark in the assist categories where he ranks eighth in career assists (397), first in assists in a single game (18) and fifth in assists per game in a career (4.46 average) The Birmingham, Ala., native is first in free throw percentage for a career (.868) and a season (.892), and ranks third in career three-point field goal percentage (.421) with head coach Mark Gottfried (1985-87) holding the all-time mark with a .485 clip.
Gottfried Among Winningest SEC Coaches
Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, entering his 11th season at the Capstone, has had great success while directing the Crimson Tide. Gottfried is one of only two coaches to have taken his SEC squad to the NCAA Tournament five times since the 2001-02 season. At Alabama, Gottfried has averaged 20 wins per season to rank second behind only Wimp Sanderson (22.3 in 12 seasons) in the UA record books. Throughout his 13-year coaching career Gottfried has averaged 21 wins per season. With 267 career victories, Gottfried ranks second among coaches who have been on the bench 13 years or less in Division I, trailing only the 305 wins of Tom Izzo of Michigan State.
Historical Perspective
- 7 SEC regular season championships
- 6 SEC tournament championships
- 19 NCAA Tournament Appearances (2004 NCAA ELITE 8)
- 5 NIT Final Four Trips
- 40 NBA Players (5 current NBA players)
- 19 1st-team All-Americans
- 48 Academic All-SEC players
- Ranks 20th in NCAA in number of NCAA tournament appearances in the last 25 years with 16
- 126 All-SEC players
- Ranks second all-time in SEC wins behind Kentucky
Home Court Advantage
The Alabama basketball team has been very comfortable over the years on the Tuscaloosa campus. The Crimson Tide sports an 869-201-1 (.812) overall record and an impressive 447-98 (.820) mark at Coleman Coliseum. Under the direction of head coach Mark Gottfried the Crimson Tide has posted a 132-24 (.846) home record. The Tide is currently riding a four-game winning streak at Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama Picked to win the West
In a poll by both national and SEC media the Crimson Tide were selected to win the Western Division as selected by a 30-member voting panel. Alabama received 11 first-place votes and earned a total of 151 points. LSU had 147 points and also received 11 first-place votes. Tennessee was selected to win the conference.
Gee and Steele Garner Preseason Honors
University of Alabama senior guards Alonzo Gee and Ronald Steele have been selected to the Second Team of the 2008-09 Preseason Southeastern Conference All-Conference team as voted by the league's coaches. Gee was third on the team with 14.5 points per game and second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. He led the Tide in scoring in 10 games last season. Steele was a Preseason All-American in 2007-08 before an injury forced him to sit out the 2007-08 season. Alabama's all-time leader in free-throw accuracy (.868), Steele has started 88 of 89 games he has been in a Crimson Tide uniform.
Green Brings Lofty Credentials
Alabama freshman JaMychal Green enters his first season for the Crimson Tide. Green joins the squad after compiling a very impressive prep resume. The Montgomery, Ala. native was named a McDonald's All-American and played for the USA National U18 Team in Argentina at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. The St. Jude high school standout was named "Mr. Basketball" for the State of Alabama.
Gottfried Nears 200 Wins
Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried is two wins away from earning his 200th career victory while at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Gottfried enters the season with a 198-124 (.615) record over the course of 10 seasons. Gottfried will join an exclusive club of 200 game winners at Alabama. Wimp Sanderson (267), Hank Crisp (264) and C.M. Newton (211) are the only coaches in school history to reach the 200 win mark.
Next Time Out
Alabama will conclude its exhibition schedule with a matchup against Belhaven. The Crimson Tide will face the Blazers on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The Tide will play its first official game of the season on Sunday, Nov. 16 against Mercer at 6 p.m.
