The Battle Plan
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
Time to Step Up and Support Alabama Basketball
In my more than two years serving as your Director of Athletics, I have been impressed with the support of our fan base in virtually every aspect of our program. You are devoted, faithful, engaged and enthusiastic in your support. Your generosity with your time, money and emotional capital is a crucial component of our effort and success. You are truly part of the game here at Alabama. The nature of your support makes a huge difference in our competitive success. It cannot be overstated.
With that in mind, I feel it is vitally important for me to ask you to bring a renewed commitment and enthusiasm to the hardwood this year for our men's and women's basketball programs. We have a level of commitment in all sports at Alabama that transcends money and facilities. Our basketball programs are at a crucial moment in their histories. I firmly believe we have the leadership and support in place to be successful at the level to which we are accustomed across all of our programs.
But your vocal, positive and unwavering support will be a key factor as we build. I urge you to become a part of something special at the "ground floor" for both of these programs. Later today, at 4:30, our women's team will open its regular season in Coleman Coliseum against Alabama A&M in a doubleheader with the men's team that serves as the start to our season for both teams. Later this evening, at 7:30, Coach Avery Johnson and our men's team will officially begin a new era for our men's basketball program with the season opener against Kennesaw State.
We need the same electrifying, inspiring, intimidating and faithful support we see at Bryant-Denny Stadium for home football games from all of you -- whether you are a student, an alum, or a fan who is a proud Alabaman. All of it matters. If we can duplicate the kind of energy we create at our home football games, our softball games and our gymnastics meets, we will build the kind of teams we all want even faster.
We expect to see a fast-paced, entertaining, fun brand of basketball from both of our teams this season. There are also several significant rules changes in both the men's and women's games this season. If you are interested, you can check out a 15-minute video by the NCAA explaining rules changes for the 2015-16 season.
Win over LSU Creates Chance for Division Title
The Crimson Tide football team is definitely peaking at the right time as evidenced by a dominant performance on both sides of the ball last Saturday night against LSU. The coaching staff laid out an outstanding game plan and the team executed it to perfection. A smothering defense held LSU to 54 yards rushing and 182 yards of total offense. The offense controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock, dominating time of possession with 39:27, to 20:33 for LSU. The kicking game was the best of the season with Adam Griffith hitting all three field goal tries, including a personal-best 55-yarder, all three extra points, and three kickoffs into the end zone. Coverage on punts and kickoffs was exceptional.
Even though the weather was dreary and rainy all day, the Alabama fan base was electric throughout the game. The shakers looked great to the national television audience and the fans stayed fully engaged from start to finish. I was thrilled when our entire crowd gave our flag recipient for the week a standing ovation. Command Sergeant Major Bennie Adkins is a true American hero who distinguished himself in Vietnam by risking his life to save others under his command. He is one of only 73 living Medal of Honor winners and, due to age, most of them will not be with us much longer. So thank you for your recognition of all our flag recipients, but special thanks for this one.
There is no doubt that Alabama fan support is the best in college football. Thank you for your support. You definitely make a difference -- in encouraging our team, in discouraging our opponents, and in impressing our recruits with your vocal support and classy demeanor before, during, and after games.
The Final Stretch Run
The good news is that I think this team's best games still lie ahead. We need for that to be true as our upcoming games with Mississippi State, Charleston Southern and Auburn all loom large to our SEC and College Football Playoff hopes. Mississippi State always plays tough against Alabama. Their 31-13 Thursday night victory over Missouri last week produced the most points Mizzou has allowed this year, and the first half was played in a driving rainstorm. The Thursday night game also gave State three extra days to prepare for our team.
Our game will be televised by CBS again this Saturday starting at 2:30 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). It is my hope that a large delegation of Crimson Tide fans will make the trip to Starkville to support the Crimson Tide. I believe this team is destined for greatness and we all need to do whatever we can to encourage and support this effort. We will have our work cut out for us on the field and in the stands, as the Bulldogs' crowd will be excited and clanging those cowbells. I'm confident our team will be well-prepared and play physical Alabama football. I'm equally confident that our crowd, even though outnumbered, will hold our own against the Bulldogs' faithful.
Mississippi State Game Brings Back Bruising Memories
I have many memories of games with Mississippi State over the years. They always play hard against Alabama, regardless of the records of the teams going into the game. My favorite game was my senior year, 1962. We played in Starkville and I caught two touchdown passes -- which in and of itself was miraculous. All photos in those days were black and white. A nice lady from the Tuscaloosa News would take meaningful photos from the newspaper throughout the year, color them by hand, and give them to the players. Most of the photos were taken in either Denny Stadium, as it was known then, or Legion Field, where most of our big home games were played. The photos typically showed each player in the foreground with the crowd in the packed stadium as background. To us as players, that looked so cool and professional.
My photo was taken in the end zone after catching a TD pass. There were no end zone bleachers at the time, and the background was a big field, maybe even a pasture. There wasn't even a defensive player in the picture. It looked like I was out to practice early, or not even in a football stadium, but I was definitely proud to have it!
The best game, in my memory, from the standpoint of big, hard-fought games, was in 1981 when Coach Bryant was pushing to break Amos "Alonzo" Stagg's record of 315 collegiate victories. Emory Bellard was coaching at Mississippi State. Emory was a very successful Texas high school coach that Darrell Royal hired on his staff at Texas. Emory was the architect of the wishbone offense that evolved in the 1960s and 70s. Early in the 1968 season, Texas was struggling. They went to the wishbone in preseason that year, changed things around and finished strong. I know because I was an assistant coach at Tennessee that year and we played them in the Cotton Bowl. We had never seen the wishbone before and it showed as they beat Tennessee, 36-13. Texas eventually won 30 games in a row and two consecutive national titles running Emory's offense.
After a six-year stint as head coach at Texas A&M, in which he led the Aggies to their first sustained success since Coach Bryant was in College Station, Emory took over as head coach at Mississippi State in 1979. In 1981 he had MSU playing Alabama late in the year with a chance to win the SEC. It was the most physical game I had ever seen at the time. Both teams were knocking each other around something fierce. Players would go down, get carried off the field, shake it off on the sidelines and run back into the game. Turnovers galore occurred on both sides as the ball got knocked loose early and often.
The game came down to the final series with State driving for the go-ahead score. Tommy Wilcox, a great defensive back for Alabama, made a game-saving interception that won the game -- and paved the way for Coach Bryant to tie Stagg's long-standing record the next game against Penn State in State College. As you probably recall, Coach Bryant broke the record the following game against Auburn in Birmingham.
This Year's College Football Playoff Schedule
The College Football Playoff semifinals in 2015-16 will be held on December 31 in the Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.) and the Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) with the championship game to be played on January 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. It was announced earlier this week that subsequent CFP games will be played as follows:
| Year | Semifinals | Date | Title Game Site | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | Peach/Fiesta | Dec. 31, 2016 | Tampa, Fla. | Jan. 9, 2017 |
| 2017-18 | Rose/Sugar | Jan. 1, 2018 | Atlanta, Ga. | Jan. 7, 2018 |
| 2018-19 | Cotton/Orange | Dec. 31, 2018 | Santa Clara, Calif. | Jan. 7, 2019 |
| 2019-20 | Peach/Fiesta | Dec. 31, 2019 | New Orleans, La. | Jan. 13, 2020 |
LSU-Alabama Was Most-Watched College Football Game So Far This Season
How powerful is our football brand? As well as that of LSU and the SEC? Last Saturday night's game with the Tigers drew a 3.4 rating and 12 share in adults 18-49, which beat the combined total of the other three networks for the night. A rating/share of an audience is the percent of households (or people) using a television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. For perspective, ABC's telecast of the Ohio State-Minnesota game pulled the second-highest ratings during the time slot with a 1.2 rating with a 4 share of the audience. Our game with LSU was the most-watched college football game so far this season with an estimated 11.063 million viewers.
Fulfilling the Mission: SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
When senior Abby Lutzenkirchen of our soccer team was named the 2015 Southeastern Conference Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she became part of a rich Crimson Tide tradition. Her honor marked the 24th time in the past six years that a Crimson Tide student-athlete has earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sport. Alabama students have earned the honor more than any other school in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Last season, Laura Lee Smith (soccer), Levi Randolph (men's basketball), Haylie McCleney (softball) and Emily Zabor (women's tennis) all earned the accolade. Emily's honor marked the fifth year in a row that the Tide has earned the accolade for women's tennis, which is awarded by a vote of the league coaches. Abby also was named first team CoSIDA Academic All-District IV recently, which puts her on the national ballot for Academic All-America honors. The Crimson Tide's career leader in minutes played, Abby is another sterling example of striving to balance demanding rigors to achieve academic and athletic excellence.
Crimson Tide Foundation's Building and Facilities Fund
Maintaining and improving our 16 Athletics buildings and facilities is a never-ending task. The stadiums, practice facilities, complexes and arenas are constantly in use and always in need of improvements as well as general maintenance and cleaning. The Buildings and Facilities Fund serves the training and competition needs of more than 500 student-athletes each day. Additionally, the quality of our infrastructure enhances our Coaches' ability to recruit the top student-athletes to the University of Alabama. Give now, or get more information via our Crimson Tide Foundation website.
Sports Updates
Volleyball
Coach Ed Allen's team has been on a late-season run recently. The Tide earned a pair of four-set victories last weekend over Tennessee and South Carolina, stretching the Tide's current winning streak to three matches. The Tide played a very efficient pair of matches offensively, hitting above .300 as a team in both contests, including a season-high .355 against the Volunteers. Our pair of "pin hitters", Krystal Rivers and Kat Hutson, accounted for 93 of the team's 142 kills in the matches while setter Sierra Wilson helped guide the offense with 116 assists. Kat and Sierra were recognized by the SEC for their impressive contributions to those wins, as Kat was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week and Sierra shared Co-Setter of the Week honors. Sierra, who entered the season ranked third in career assists at Alabama, is now only 54 shy of surpassing Brigitte Slack's record total of 5,578. This season, Sierra is averaging 11.82 assists per set, which leads the SEC and ranks in the top ten nationally. Sierra and Brigitte are the only two players in program history to total over 1,000 assists in four separate seasons.
Cross Country
Coach Dan Waters' men's and women's cross country teams hosted the NCAA South Region Championships this morning at the Harry Pritchett Running Course in Tuscaloosa. Led by senior Katelyn Greenleaf, who finished a career-best third individually, our women's team posted a third-place finish while the men's team, led by men's individual champion Antibahs Kosgei, placed sixth overall. Those combined finishes are the best by the program in five years (since 2010). Antibahs, the 2015 SEC Men's Runner of the Year, followed up his SEC title run by leading from start to finish again this morning on the way to another victory and an individual berth in the NCAA Championships to be held next Saturday in Louisville, Ky. He will be joined by Greenleaf, who will be making her first appearance in the national meet of her career. Those two, along with men's junior Robbie Farnham-Rose and women's junior Hannah Waggoner, earned NCAA All-South Region honors by virtue of finishing in the top 25 at the South Region Championships.
Men's Basketball
As previously mentioned, Coach Avery Johnson and his team open the 2015-16 regular season tonight against Kennesaw State in Coleman Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. It will mark the first meeting on the basketball court between the two programs. Avery coached for seven-plus seasons in the NBA, compiling a career record of 254-186 (.577). He was the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year and led the Dallas Mavericks to the franchise's first appearance in the NBA Finals. Avery's first signing day was a memorable one as he has signed a recruiting class regarded as among the finest in the nation by several sources. Avery and his staff signed forward Braxton Key (Nashville, Tenn./Oak Hill Academy) and guard Ar'Mond Davis (Tacoma, Wash./College of Southern Idaho), and they could be joined by more talent in coming days. Avery's first signing class as a collegiate head coach is a consensus top-15 class. Last Friday, the Tide captured an 87-65 victory over Trevecca Nazarene in the team's lone exhibition game of the year. The Tide was led by Shannon Hale's 18 points, while Arthur Edwards (12 points) and Riley Norris (10 points) also scored in double figures.
Women's Basketball
Coach Kristy Curry and her staff added three of the top prospects in the 2016 class on Wednesday, signing Cierra Johnson (Mobile, Ala./Blount High School), Ashley Knight (Austin, Texas/Johnson HS) and Jordan Lewis (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep). Cierra, a 5-8 guard, is regarded as the top player in the state of Alabama. Ashley, a 6-5 post player, is a first team all-district and varsity team most valuable player who led the Jaguars to the bi-district and area championships. Jordan, a 5-7 guard, led her team to the 2015 Class 4A state championship and was named first team all-state. The Tide had quite an exciting exhibition game on Monday, scoring nearly 100 points to beat Faulkner, 93-34. All 11 that played in the game scored and contributed in other ways, a testament to the team's depth. Freshman Shaquera Wade was a spark off the bench, recording a double-double in her first game for the Tide with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Meoshonti Knight had 17 points, while fellow sophomores Hannah Cook and Quanetria Bolton combined for 23. In addition to all the new faces on the sideline and in the game, another noticeable difference this year is the change to four 10-minute quarters in the women's game. We hope to see a lot of you out at today's regular season opener at Coleman Coliseum for the doubleheader with the men's team. The women will get things started at 4:30 p.m. against Alabama A&M.
Rowing
Coach Larry Davis and our rowing team concluded their fall season last weekend at the Head of the Hooch Regatta in Chattanooga, Tenn. There, Alabama earned a win in the Novice 8+ and placed second in the Championship 2x, medaling in two races at the event for the first time in the program's history. In total, all but one crew finished in the top 20 while eight finished in the top 10. Between the Tide's three events this fall, Alabama won five races and medaled in 13.
Gymnastics
Coach Dana Duckworth added a trio of standouts to the UA gymnastics family on Wednesday as Wynter Childers, Maddie Desch and Shea Mahoney are slated to join the Tide for the 2016-17 season. All three gymnasts have competed on the national stage and bring a strong academic background to the program. This kind of recruiting has been the foundation of our success for years. As Dana said, "Each year we not only look for the best talent but, most importantly, the character and quality of the person. Our incoming class exemplifies the 'best of the best', not only on the competition floor, but in the classroom as well. Their personalities and experience fit the passion and family environment that lies at core of Alabama gymnastics' championships legacy."
Upcoming Action
Here's a summary of athletic events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event: CT is Central Time, ET is Eastern Time, MT is Mountain Time, PT is Pacific Time):
Saturday, November 14
| Sport | Opponent/Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Football | at Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | 2:39 p.m. CT |
| Men's Tennis | CCB Collegiate Invitational | Birmingham | All Day |
Sunday, November 15
| Sport | Opponent/Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volleyball | vs. Auburn | Foster Auditorium | 3 p.m. CT |
| Men's Tennis | CCB Collegiate Invitational | Birmingham | All Day |
Monday, November 16
| Sport | Opponent/Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Basketball | vs. Appalachian State | Foster Auditorium | 6 p.m. CT |
Tuesday, November 17
| Sport | Opponent/Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | at Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | 12 p.m. CT |
Thursday, November 19
| Sport | Opponent/Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming & Diving | at Georgia Tech Invite | Atlanta, Ga. | All Day |
Friday, November 20
| Sport | Opponent/Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | Coleman Coliseum | 7 p.m. CT |
| Volleyball | at Georgia | Athens, Ga. | 7 p.m. ET |
| Swimming & Diving | at Georgia Tech Invite | Atlanta, Ga. | All Day |
Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports
Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams in action this week via TV, radio, rolltide.com and social media (access a complete listing of Alabama Athletics social media platforms):
Men's Basketball
TV (Online Streaming): SEC Network +
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (check local listings)
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaMBB
Women's Basketball
TV (Online Streaming): SEC Network +
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaWBB
Football
TV: CBS Sports
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (check local listings)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 84; XM 84
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaFTBL
Swimming & Diving
Twitter: @AlabamaSwim
Men's Tennis
Twitter: @AlabamaMTN
Volleyball
Live Stats: Sunday -- www.rolltide.com; Friday -- www.georgiadogs.com
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
Catch Alabama Athletics on the SEC Network
Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised over the next week on The SEC Network and its platforms. Read this schedule closely as some events can be seen via SEC Network +, which is available online via ESPN3. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV. (All times listed are Central Time)
Saturday, November 14
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. | SEC Inside: LSU at Alabama Presented by Chick-fil-A | SEC Network |
Sunday, November 15
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 3 p.m. | Volleyball vs. Auburn | SEC Network |
Monday, November 16
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 a.m. | REPLAY: Football at Mississippi State | SEC Network |
| 12 p.m. | Alabama Football Weekly Press Conference | SEC Network + |
| 6 p.m. | Women's Basketball vs. Appalachian State | SEC Network + |
Wednesday, November 18
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 2 a.m. | REPLAY: Football at Mississippi State | SEC Network |
Friday, November 20
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 6 p.m. | Volleyball at Georgia | SEC Network + |
| 7 p.m. | Men's Basketball vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | SEC Network + |
Our teams need your support, so please plan to attend to do your part! A rising tide lifts all boats and it takes all of us to Keep the Tide Rising!
Roll Tide!
