Bama's woes won't be fixed with X's and O's

By Chris Stewart

(Tuscaloosa, AL) - When I was in St. Thomas in November and thought about where the Alabama men's basketball team might be five games into SEC play, a 2-3 record and three 20-plus point losses was not the destination I envisioned.

This was a team that featured a First Team AP All-American in Ronald Steele, an honorable mention pick in Jermareo Davidson, and two returning SEC All-Freshman team choices in Richard Hendrix and Alonzo Gee.

Add to the mix a wonderful surprise in Juco transfer Mykal Riley, a solid sophomore Brandon Hollinger, and several talented newcomers. The recipe for tremendous success was there.

Then came major stumbling blocks on the projected "Road to the Final Four":
Ron Steele battles tendonitis from the start of preseason practice, sprains his ankle against Notre Dame, and has yet to look like the SEC player of the year candidate.

Jermareo Davidson's world turned upside down with the deaths of his girlfriend and his brother. Emotionally he still struggles, while the physical effects have also taken a toll.

That being some, some of Alabama's biggest issues have nothing to do with Steele's health or Davidson's emotional state.

The biggest concern right now for this basketball team may be toughness and determination. The Crimson Tide plays with energy and emotion when shots are falling, or there is a home crowd to help them rally.

However in road trips to Fayetteville, Nashville, and Auburn, Alabama has shown little fight once the opposition gains momentum - whether "old mo" arrives at tipoff (like it did against Arkansas), midway through the first half (as took place against Vandy), or just after intermission (as was the case on the Plains).

Coaches can draw up as many plays as they want, but if the players are not willing to return a punch on the road - or better yet deliver the first blow - future results will be similar to what we have seen thus far.

There are several rays of hope for Bama fans. There is plenty of talent. There is a lot of basketball to be played. Yet the biggest reason not to cancel those postseason plans is this: Mark Gottfried has historically been his best in these situations.

When the wolves are closing in, Tide fans are standing on the ledges ready to jump, and the bandwagon gets more and more empty seats… Gottfried has always found a way to keep the ship afloat, push the right buttons, and salvage a season that may appear headed for disaster.
 

Chris Stewart writes a weekly column for bamafever.com. Stewart is the radio play-by-play announcer for University of Alabama men's basketball. He is also the pre and post game host for the Crimson Tide Sports Network's coverage of Alabama Football. In addition, he hosts a talk show each weekday morning from 7 until 9 on Tuscaloosa's Sports Radio 1420, The Tusk. Bama Fever is a company devoted to providing University of Alabama Crimson Tide merchandise. We have stores in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa  and Huntsville and have now created an online catalog for Crimson Tide fans all over the world searching for that hard to find merchandise. We carry over 7,000 items in our stores and have posted many of these items right here in our online catalog.

All University of Alabama merchandise is officially licensed and a portion of the proceeds go directly to the University.

Read all of Chris's Game Recaps