Alabama Ushers in the 2018-19 Season with Fourth Annual Tide Tipoff Presented by Supe Store
10/15/2018 9:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
The Crimson Tide men’s and women’s basketball teams ring in the 2018-19 season with intrasquad scrimmages
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's and women's basketball teams officially welcomed in the 2018-19 campaign with a bang on Monday night when they hosted the fourth annual Tide Tipoff presented by Supe Store. The Crimson Tide took the floor in front of a buzzing crowd in Coleman Coliseum for a night full of competition, entertainment and prizes.
"We had a great crowd tonight for a Monday night," women's basketball head coach Kristy Curry said. "I'm really excited to see so many folks in the stands. There was a lot of excitement. Tonight, was great for our team and for the fact that we got to put our uniforms on and lace our shoes up to play in a real game-like environment. We have a big freshmen class, which is always a positive. I saw a little bit of jitters and nerves, but I absolutely love the energy of this team. I love our veterans and I love our newcomers. We just have a great mix of the old and the new that brings an awful lot of energy. This is the most energetic team I have had at Alabama and I'm excited about their potential."
"First of all, I would like to say thank you to all the fans who came out tonight," men's basketball head coach Avery Johnson said. "Obviously, this is our fourth year with this Tide Tipoff. We appreciate everybody that came out, they were really into it. We had some good moments throughout the scrimmage and it was very strategic for us to play a 30-minute scrimmage. We are not a finished product, but the main thing was trying to get our team some live reps in front of an audience. When we asked the fans to get on their feet they were really fired up, so I would say mission accomplished on that front. I think we have some experience this year and some quality depth and hopefully that will play out positively for us throughout the course of the season."
To kick off the night of activities, both the women's and men's basketball teams signed autographs for an hour.
It was then time to lace up the sneakers and get to basketball. The on-court activities began with the women's team introduction to the crowd, followed by a 12-minute intrasquad scrimmage between the Crimson and White teams.
Following the women's portion of the event, the night continued with a student jump shot contest and Alabama football quarterback Jalen Hurts even made an appearance and a basket. Following the introduction of the men's team, there were two 15-minute periods of an intrasquad scrimmage to give the crowd a flavor of what is ahead in a 2018-19 campaign.
During the scrimmage men's basketball head coach Avery Johnson addressed the nearly 4,000 Crimson Tide fans and discussed how he is working to build his program into a postseason contender. The night concluded with a dunk exhibition by select players from the men's team.
Season tickets are on sale for both the men's and women's basketball programs. For more information and to purchase click here or call 205-348-BAMA, or at the Alabama Ticket Office, located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum. Fans will also be able to purchase season tickets the night of the event.
For all the latest information on the teams, follow AlabamaMBB and AlabamaWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
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