Alabama Men’s Basketball Holds First Official Team Practice
9/25/2018 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide’s 2018-19 season officially began on Tuesday afternoon
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 2018-19 Alabama men's basketball season officially began on Tuesday afternoon with the first practice of the season at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide practiced for approximately two hours on the practice gym court as it begins preparations for the home opener in exactly 40 days (Nov. 6 vs. Southern).
The Crimson Tide will look to capitalize on last season's success as it enters the upcoming season, returning four starters and 10 letterwinners from last season's 20-win team.
Head coach Avery Johnson enters his fourth season in command of the Alabama program this year. Johnson led the Crimson Tide to a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 while advancing to the round of 32 after a defeat of Virginia Tech.
Johnson said he was as excited as his players to get things officially started on Tuesday.
"We are excited about this year," Johnson said. "We think that with our talent and depth within all of our positions, we will be more of a balanced team."
Alabama will open the season with an exhibition game vs. Montevallo on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. CT. The regular season will begin with a home contest on Nov. 6 against Southern University, Johnson's alma mater. Both games will be shown on SEC Network+.
The fourth annual UA SupeStore Tide Tipoff event will be held Oct. 15. Doors open at 6 p.m. CT for autographs, and the on-court event begins at 7 p.m CT.
Season tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased online at RollTide.com/Tickets or by calling 1-877-TIDETIX (843-3849). Fans can also purchase tickets in advance at the Alabama Ticket Office, located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum.
Below are some preseason notes for this year's squad.
A GLANCE OF WHAT'S RETURNING
• Alabama returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from last season's 20-16 team that reached the round of 32 in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
• The Crimson Tide will return approximately 69 percent of its total scoring output, 80 percent of the total rebounds and 93 percent of its block totals from a year ago.
• Below is a breakdown in terms of percentage of the returning numbers from last season's team:
Category Amount Returning Percentage
Games Started 131 of 180 72.8
Minutes Played 5,534 of 7,177 77.1
Points 1,790 of 2,604 68.7
Rebounds 1,031 of 1,293 79.7
Steals 173 of 228 75.9
Blocks 178 of 192 92.7
Field Goals Made 694 of 910 71.3
3-Point FG Made 169 of 229 73.8
Free Throws Made 323 of 555 58.2
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
• The University of Alabama men's basketball program followed up a successful signing class last year with another strong showing this year.
• The three newest members of the Alabama men's basketball program include guards Kira Lewis Jr. and Diante Wood and forward Javian Davis-Fleming.
• Junior Tevin Mack will also make his Crimson Tide debut this year. The 6-7 guard/forward sat out the 2017-18 season per NCAA rules after transferring to the Capstone from Texas. Mack played two seasons with the Longhorns and was the team's leading scorer prior to his departure.
RECAPPING ALABAMA'S 2017-18 SEASON
• Alabama ended the year with a 20-16 overall record and finished ninth in the SEC with an 8-10 league mark.
• In the postseason, Alabama reached the SEC Tournament semifinals for the second straight year with a dramatic buzzer beater finish vs Texas A&M. Alabama earned the ninth seed in the NCAA Tournament going back to the big dance for the first time since 2012. They defeated Virginia Tech in the opening round before falling to eventual champion Villanova in the round of 32. This marked the program's first NCAA Tournament win since 2006.
• As a team, Alabama was the top defensive squad in league play and the only team in the SEC to rank in the top four in each of the five major categories. Against the conference, the Tide led the SEC in blocks per game (5.4) and ranked second in field goal percentage defense (.403), while ranking third in steals (6.4) and fourth in scoring defense (68.1)
• Nationally, the Crimson Tide won six games over Associated Press Top-25 opponents last season, holding a 6-3 record against ranked foes. It was the first time that Alabama won six games over such opponents in its history, besting the previous total of four in a single season. The six ranked wins also tied for the most wins over nationally-ranked opponents by any team in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament.
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