Still alive after five

By Chris Stewart

I got the phone calls – on air and off – following Alabama’s loss to Ole Miss in the SEC opener for both teams.

“The season is over.”
“We MIGHT be able to make it to the NIT.”
“I don’t think we’ll win another game.”

I admit, after dropping a game you’d counted on as a sure “W”, and losing Chuck Davis for the season in the process, I too had some doubts as to just where this season might go. During my morning radio show in Tuscaloosa, and on other shows during the week when I appeared as a guest, I gave the same response:

“Give me a week, and I’ll be able to give you a better guess.”

One week and two road wins later, I had my answer. This team can still contend for the SEC West, and perhaps the overall title. The reason? Instead of dwelling on what Alabama didn’t have, (Kennedy Winston and Ray George going into the season, and Davis after 13 games), I thought it was important to dwell on what the Tide DOES have.

Name a team in the SEC that wouldn’t take Jermareo Davidson. How about Ronald Steele? Richard Hendrix? That’s a pretty good place to start. If any two of Alabama’s other five primary players can give you a little bit offensively each night, then this team has a chance to win.

But it won’t be easy.

Even after a thrilling overtime victory over Arkansas put the Tide at 3-1 in league play, it was not as if the Tide was a dominant team. The win at Auburn went down to the final seconds. Ditto at Rupp Arena. And it took last second heroics from Ronald Steele in both regulation and overtime to seal the deal against the Hogs.

The loss at LSU Saturday was disappointing, but not shocking. In my opinion, the Tigers are the most athletic team Alabama has faced all year – with the exception of Memphis.

Those Tigers are currently ranked in the top 5, and have all the tools of a Final Four team. The ones from Baton Rouge are not presently in the Top 25, although they should be - and don’t be surprised if they are at least in the Sweet 16 by seasons’ end.

As for the Crimson Tide, three wins shouldn’t have had fans making Final Four reservations, any more than the two losses should have people thinking the NIT is a long shot.

LSU showed that Alabama has little chance of winning if BOTH Davidson and Steele struggle the same day. If they are both playing at a high level – as they did against Arkansas – the Tide can roll, and look pretty impressive doing it.

Alonzo Gee is a true freshman, and he has certainly looked like one several times this season. He has also had moments where he has shown why he was one of the south’s most sought-after recruits coming out of Palm Beach, Florida.

Jean Felix is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates. “You never know what you’re gonna get.” He may play rock-solid, as he did against Kentucky. Or he may play like me. If he can develop some consistency, his athleticism alone makes Alabama a more dangerous team.

Brandon Hollinger has been a good addition to the lineup in terms of quickness and ball handling ability. He has given Steele some help running the offense and has also made the Tide tougher to score against on the perimeter.

Evan Brock has never been, nor will he ever be, a major threat as a scorer. He can, however, give Davidson and Hendrix help on the post. He’s also capable of locking down the opposing teams’ top backcourt threat.

And just because you haven’t seen much of Justin Jonus lately, don’t think he’s done for the year. There will still be times where he can, and must, help this team.

With only one team (LSU) undefeated in league play, a 3-2 Alabama team is far from out of the picture – especially with the Tigers returning to Tuscaloosa in two weeks
 

 

Chris Stewart is 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. Stewart is also the radio play-by-play announcer for University of Alabama men's basketball.   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.

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Read all of Chris's 2005 Game Recaps