TSIB gets seal of approval

A few days ago we did a tongue-in-cheek post awarding ourselves with some feaux blog awards. And about the time we had managed to get our whole foot, up to the ankle, into our mouth, respected TSIB commenter Hoop brought it to our attention that we had actually won a bona fide award. If you will notice the shiny new badge at the top of the sidebar, you will see said award. The pic links to the list of all the CFBA winners. Click here for the presentation post at Rocky Top Talk.

Since it was a jury award, we would like to thank the college football blogging powers-that-be for the award. It means a lot to all of us that the guys that we’ve been reading for so long like what we do, or at the very least, given that the award is for concept, like us in the abstract.

And for those of you that come to our site that aren’t fans of One Tree Hill, e-knuckles all around.

Alabama hoops end regular season on high note

Earlier today Alabama hoops knocked off number 16 Vanderbilt in overtime.  Yes, the same Vanderbilt team that beat then number 1 Tennessee just a few days ago.  It was senior day in Coleman Coliseum and the only senior that plays made his presence felt.  Mykal Riley left a stamp on his last game in Coleman by dropping 26 points on 8-16 shooting and 10 rebounds.  Alonzo Gee added 16 of his own, and Richard Hendrix had another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.  Alabama guaranteed themselves at least a .500 season by improving to 16-15 overall and 5-11 in the conference.  (Wow, it’s March already, sheesh.) 

After looking over the highlights I saw a motivated team.  It’s beyond me why Alabama played harder and wanted it more than Vandy.  Vanderbilt had a first round bye in the SEC Tourney on the line and were out played by a struggling Tide team.  Could this be the momentum used to maybe make a run at the SEC Tourney Championship?  I highly, highly doubt it, but it does give hope for the future because the talent is obviously there.  With this win, head coach Mark Gottfried pretty much kept his job, but he has got to learn how to coach.  More importantly, he has got to learn how to coach in a game under difficult situations.  Some of his decisions are not good ones and the bad ones outweigh the good quite often.  

Looking ahead, Alabama will obviously play in the first round of the SEC Tourney.  I’m not sure who that opponent will be, but it will likely be a rematch of today’s game against Vanderbilt.  Holding Shan Foster to only 21 points is impressive considering he’s a freak, but doing it in back to back games is almost impossible.  If Alabama wants to make any kind of run, they will need an effort similar to today’s, if not better.  That may just be too tall of a task. 

**In no way am I implying that Alabama will win the SEC Tourney.  Frankly, I was shocked at the result of today’s game, but confidence is a huge part in all sports, and having it this late in the season is a very good thing.  A strong performance in the SEC Tourney can only lead to high expectations in the future and team that is willing to fight because they know they can, not because they have to.   

Huge Weekend in T-town and a thank you to the fellas

Finally I have a moment to sit down, relax, and actually do something I enjoy.  These past two weeks have been extremely stressful for me, almost to the point of a breakdown or even simply giving up.  So I decided to get away from it all and come back home for the weekend and recharge the batteries. 

This may not have been the best weekend to leave under normal circumstances.  Alabama hoops host Vanderbilt this weekend and I would usually be there, but why waste my time.  Secondly, Alabama will host a Junior Day this weekend where several of the top 2009 prospects will be here showcasing their skills.  Some already have offers and others are still seeking them from the head man Nick Saban. 

Junior Days are huge events.  Sometimes even bigger than team camps.  This one should be no different.  I know that the 08 recruiting season just ended, but recruiting never ends.  Ever.  Also, recruiting is probably my favorite part of college football. 

So, here’s a short list of the 09 prospects that are scheduled to be in town this weekend:

In-State

• Kendal Kelly (WR) Gadsden City High School - Alabama offer
• Nico Johnson (LB) Andalusia High School - Alabama offer - Rivals #28 overall
• Anthony Orr (DE) Sparkman High School - Alabama offer
• Mardrecas Hood (WR) Pickens County High School
• Orwin Smith (RB) Central High School (Phenix City) - Alabama offer

Out-of-state

• Rueben Randle (WR) Bastrop, LA - Alabama offer - Rivals #8 overall
• Montrell Conner (ATH) Monroe, LA - Alabama offer - Rivals #42 overall
• Chad Bumphis (ATH) Tupelo, MS - Alabama offer - Rivals #95 overall
• Chris Bonds (DT) Columbia, SC - Alabama offer - Rivals #72 overall
• Alshon Jeffrey - (WR) St. Matthews, SC - Alabama offer

Some notables that will not be attending or still unsure about this weekend are:

• Dre Kirkpatrick (CB) Gadsden City High School - Alabama offer - Rivals #6 overall
• DJ Fluker (DT) Foley High School - Alabama commit - Rivals #36 overall
• William Ming (DE) Athens High School - Alabama offer
• AJ McCarron (QB) St. Paul’s High School - Alabama offer - Rivals #99 overall
• Tana Patrick (LB) North Jackson High School - Alabama offer - Rivals #67 

As this recruiting season is still very young, many of these names are relatively unknown.  Give it time and these names will become more common.  

Also, from a personal standpoint I want to thank some of the guys for the support they have given me these past couple of weeks.  Ghost and TideFanInTN have given me some words of wisdom and I greatly appreciate that.  Hopefully I’ll be able to contribute more to the blog world shortly because I’ve missed out on a lot of the action lately.