The Alabama mens basketball team lost its season opener to Mercer 69-72 at Coleman Coliseum Sunday night. Ronald Steele got the Tide back into the game scoring 16 of the Tides final 21 points, but a basket by Calvin Henry with 0:13 left gave the Bears a 70-69 lead that they would not relinquish.
The Alabama mens basketball team concluded exhibition play with a 97-43 victory over Belhaven at Coleman Coliseum Thursday night. The Tide defense set the tone, holding the Blazers to 29 percent shooting and forcing 31 turnovers that led to 40 points. Eleven Tide players broke into the scoring column led by sophomore guard Senario Hillman who scored a game-high 21 points. Hillman scored 15 of his 21 in the second half when he was a perfect 6-6 from the field including 3-3 from behind the arc.
University of Alabama mens basketball head coach Mark Gottfried announces the signing of five players to National Letters of Intent to attend and play basketball for the Crimson Tide beginning in the fall of 2009. As listed by position, the Crimson Tide will add to the roster two guards and three forwards. The recruiting class consists of two Alabama natives, two players from the state of Georgia and one prep standout from Illinois. The class is currently ranked 24th nationally by Rivals.com.
"I am excited about this class because we addressed needs at every position and all five have a chance to make an impact at Alabama," said Gottfried. "This is a very good class, in part because of the versatility of this group. We signed a terrific point guard, a great shooter, one of the best small forwards in the nation, and two excellent interior players."
The University of Alabama mens and womens basketball teams will play a doubleheader in Coleman Coliseum Sunday, December 7, beginning at 12 Noon due to a change of date for the mens game originally scheduled December 6 game with Louisiana-Lafayette. The mens game will now be played on Sunday at noon in Coleman Coliseum. The Alabama womens game against Sam Houston State, originally slated to begin at noon, will now begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the mens game.
The Alabama mens basketball team opened its exhibition slate with a convincing 99-53 victory over Faulkner at Coleman Coliseum Thursday night. All 12 Tide players scored in the contest with Alonzo Gee leading the way with a game-high 21 points. Alabamas defense was a large part of the story, forcing 27 Eagle turnovers, including 18 steals, that led to 41 fast break points. Faulkner shot 28 percent from the field for the game compared to 45 percent for Alabama.
"I thought in the first half we played with great ball pressure," head coach Mark Gottfried said. "We had active hands and feet. That was good. Our defense created a lot of offense for us which is something we need to do."