A scare for all bama fans

As I took a break from my all-night cram session (excuse any bad writing, please) for two finals that start at 8 am and 11 am, I just had to check up with any Alabama related news.  Well, I got it.  Our stud linebacker from this year and hopefully more to come was in a motorcycle wreck back in his home town of Decatur, AL.  

Apparently sophomore LB Rolando McClain slid under a moving SUV sometime last night and lived to tell about it.  He only suffered very minimal injuries and was released from the hosiptal yesterday.  God (and The Bear) must have been watching down on him because not only was he lucky to avoid serious injury, he could have easily been killed. 

I think I stopped breathing when I saw the headline and didn’t even think about it until my face and body turned purple.  As you can imagine, this is probably going to be the end of motorcycles for the UA Football Program.  At least I hope so.

Sorry I don’t have more, but the details are still unclear, and frankly, I’ve got to cram a little more. 

 

Alabama shut out for the first time since 1970

No, I’m not talking about Alabama Baseball since that is the only active sport that could possibly get shutout (No way the softball team does). As a matter of fact, the Alabama Baseball team routed Auburn today 17-7 to take the series 2 games to 1. That wasn’t the issue of the weekend. The issue was, this is the first time since 1970 that no player from the University of Alabama was taken in the NFL Draft. That’s 38 years; that’s a long, long time. I have mixed feelings about all of this but more than anything it shows what Alabama has been missing over the past couple of seasons. Talent. And depth.

Alabama to sign JUCO PG Anthony Brock

TideSports.com has reported in this article (here) that the Alabama Men’s Basketball team has signed a JUCO point-guard out of Mississippi.  Anthony Brock, only 5′9″ still brings a spark to the Tide.  In his two year career at Itawamba Community College, Brock helped his team to a combined 57-10 record and back-to-back league championships.  His numbers are impressive:  18.5 points per game, 4.7 assists per game, and 3.4 steals a game. 

One of the major concerns going into next season (besides the futures of Richard Hendrix and Ronald Steele) is replacing 3-point sharpshooter Mykal Riley.  Riley led the team in 3-pointers last season, and while streaky, he is a major loss for the Tide.  So who does Alabama turn to next season for the 3-pointers?  Not Rico Pickett.  He’s gone.  Not Justin Tubbs, he’s gone too.  Who’s left?

Well if Ronald Steele decides to come back and is fully healthy as everyone says he is, then he will obviously carry some of the load for shots made behind the arc.  His younger brother, Andrew Steele, will also have to make contributions too.  However, after that there really isn’t anyone on the current roster that can consistently make decent efforts on 3-pointers.  Alonzo Gee has the ability, but is a drive-to-the-hole-first kind of player. 

Brock’s addition will only help in the 3-point production for next season.  Last season Brock shot an amazing 47% from behind the arc.  He’s also an excellent free-throw shooter, which is something else Alabama desparatly needs to improve on. 

Brock’s size is a bit of concern, however.  At only 5′9″ and 165 lbs. there are a lot of guards in the SEC that tower over him.  It will be very tough for him adjusting to not only the speed of the game at the SEC level, but also the more physical game play.  With that in mind, there are several guys of his height or less that have been successful in both college and in the NBA.  For instance, Drew Lavender from Xavier has enjoyed some success at the point-guard position and he can’t be anything over 5′9″. 

Time will tell if Anthony will be any good in the SEC.  However, he does seem like an excitement waiting to happen.  Welcome aboard Anthony, and Roll Tide.

 

 

(I couldn’t find a picture of the guy except his team photo.  Brock is in the middle on the front row (#5).

More Alabama Basketball Rumors

To go along with news that the two best players on Alabama’s basketball team are going to test the waters of the NBA Draft this summer, Freshman PG Rico Pickett has been suspended indefinitely by Head Coach Mark Gottfried.  Apparently his father has confirmed that Rico will be transferring. 

“We have standards and levels academically as well as athletically that our student-athletes need to meet, and there are consequences when they fail to do that,” Gottfried said in a statement released by Alabama.  However, this is not a grades issue according to Rico’s father. 

Something fishy is going on here.  While Pickett struggled this year with turnovers and free throws, his development as a point guard had improved toward the end of the season.  This really puts the Alabama basketball team in a hole starting out next year with no real established point guards on the roster unless Ron Steele comes back.  

If you recall, Pickett was suspended earlier in the season for violating team rules, but was welcomed back a week later.  This could be a similar situation to that one, but the details have not been released.

What’s even more interesting about this situation is that apparently there is another team out there trying to recruit him away from UA.  If this is the case, that is a major violation and if that news becomes public, harsh penalties will come for that team.  That, however, is only a rumor. 

We will continue to monitor this situation and give you guys the news as it comes. 

Alabama Baseball Update

While we here at 3SIB primarily concentrate on Alabama/Tennessee football and basketball, we don’t forget about some of the smaller sports at our respective universities.  With that in mind, here’s a look at the Alabama Baseball team.

As of now, Alabama is 15-12 overall and tied for first in the SEC West (4-5) with Auburn and Ole Miss.  Alabama started the season off poorly, dropping their first series to Cal-Poly, losing twice to UT-Arlington, and dropping one of two to Troy.  

After a poor start, Alabama has since rebounded nicely and just in time for SEC play.  Alabama was swept in their first SEC series at No. 17 Kentucky, but since has taken 2 of 3 from No. 8 Vanderbilt and No. 23 Ole Miss this past weekend. 

Alabama has lost several of their top players from the 2005 Super-Regional team, but the youth that has replaced them is very talented.  Alabama is led by senior first-baseman Matt Bentley (.280 7 HR 22 RBI) and junior catcher Alex Avila (.279 8 HR 25 RBI), but there are a few freshmen that are contributing right now as well.  Ross Wilson (brother of Alabama QB John Parker Wilson) has started all 27 games and has performed as advertised.  Another freshman, Josh Rutledge, leads the team in batting average, hits, runs, and stolen bases.  

Taking a look at the remaining schedule, Alabama will play two with UAB this week and finishing the week on the road against LSU.  

Alabama’s remaining SEC schedule is (all sites are 3 game series): @LSU, @ Tennessee, Mississippi St., Auburn, @ Arkansas, Florida, and @ Georgia.  

Alabama senior first-baseman Matt Bentley

Former UA great Victor Ellis dies

Former UA great Victor Ellis passed away earlier this evening after a long battle with a rare form of cancer.  Ellis was a 4 year letterman for the Tide and graduated in 2002 with a B. A. in Communications.  He was a two year starter and also a member of the SEC All-Academic Team during his time at UA. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Victor’s family and friends.  He was a class act both on and off the field and great person to represent The University of Alabama.  This is truly a sad day for UA.  Please keep the Ellis family in your prayers.

    

Breaking down the bracket: South

Continuing our version of Bracketology with our own “bracketologists” here at 3SIB, we observe the South Region.  Some traditional powers find themselves in this bracket and then there are some of the “flashy” teams of this NCAA season in there as well.  So here we go.

The fighting eddie munsters fall to Tide

A 23 point halftime lead for the Tide and I’m still concerned that we will blow it.  For a while in the second half that appeared to be the case.  However, something has happened because this team did not die like they usually do.  Yes, the bad coaching is still there, but it goes back to that confidence thing I said the other day.  Having it at this point in the season can only be a good thing and these players know what they are capable of doing. 

The Tide did rally late to put the game away.  The final score was 80-69 in the first round of the SEC Tourney.  Florida was a bubble team, but with this loss the NIT has already sent it’s invite.

Mykal Riley led the way for the Tide scoring 26 points on 9-15 shooting.  Richard Hendrix was 2 boards shy of his typical double-double but did add 22 points to the mix.  There were also some flashes of talent in Yamene Coleman’s game.  Some of the moves shown tonight by Coleman were ones I never thought he had.  Finally, Alonzo Gee showed why And 1 street ball might be his calling of the future (only kidding) with a nice dunk from the pass of Rico Pickett.  Oh yeah, he also had 13 points.

Hope for a miracle remains in the eyes of Tide fans as Alabama will take on Western Division rival Mississippi St. tomorrow.  Alabama lost the two regular season meetings to State, but not with the confidence they have now.  It should be an interesting game and if Alabama continues to show the emotion and passion they have in the past two games, expect this one to be a tight affair.   I might actually watch the whole thing. 

And you thought you were too cool for high school…

There are many people out there that thought they were too cool for high school or they considered themselves the man in high school.  Which ever way you look at it, I bet you were not or are currently not as cool as this guy.

Apparently the nation’s top recruit in the 2008 class according to Rivals.com, Terrelle Pryor, has his own action figure.  Now I’m not sure about everyone else, but that automatically qualifies him as the coolest high schooler I’ve ever seen or heard of.  How many other high schoolers can you name that has an action figure molded after them???  Not many, if any.  Did LeBron James?  Not that I’m aware of. 

So what does this mean?  Well first off, Pryor probably needs to go ahead and sign somewhere.  Seriously, enough is enough.  You could have and should have a decision by now.  Who do you think you are, Brett Favre (even though he did make his announcement relatively early this season)?  But, you do have your own action figure, I’ll give you that.  Next, you are still in freaking high school no matter which way you look at it.  You don’t exactly play the best of the best, yet.

Lastly, I’m not hatin’ on you bro and if I were in a similar situation I would be eating it up too.  But this is absolutely ridiculous.  Granted, the guy who made it obviously has no life and is borderline insane for taking the amount of time to do this.  These figures are not for sale and actually there are only two that have been made, but still.  I’m shocked. 

 

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.    

Woo Pig, ERR…just kidding

While my ban on the Alabama Basketball program is still running strong, I still check in on them from time to time.  To put it lightly, I was shocked to see the final score of 59-56 in favor of the Tide in tonight’s game against the Pigs, or Hogs, of Ar-kansas (credit Les Miles with that pronunciation).  Maybe what was more shocking was the player of the game.  It wasn’t the obvious choices of Richard Hendrix or Alonzo Gee.  It wasn’t the occasional shooting spree by Mykal Riley.  No, it was Demetrius Jemison.  Jemison showed out (apparently) tonight going for 19 points and 11 boards.  If I had to guess those are probably career highs, not sure though. 

So what does this mean?  I’m going to go with absolutely nothing.  Well, in terms of this season it means nothing.  However, every win that Alabama gets is a win for Gottfried as well.  That’s a loss in my book.   I want this guy gone, but Alabama won’t get rid of him as long as he keeps pulling games out of his rear. 

What’s even more shocking about tonight’s game was the fact that Arky is head and shoulders above Alabama this year, especially as of late.  The two teams have basically been polar opposites of each other, but as Chris Berman says, “That’s why they play the game.” 

It is hard to root against your favorite team.  Actually, it’s a terrible thing.  I feel horrible about it.  Coach Gottfried is a good guy, but a horrific hoops coach.  Somebody in our athletic department…cough, Mal Moore…needs to do something about this guy.  That’s the last I’m going to say about that.  

Up next for the Tide (15-13, 4-9) is a road trip to Ole Miss on Saturday.  We all know what a road game means; a big L.  Oh well.