Tag Archives: Anthony Grant

Video: Anthony Grant’s season wrap-up press conference

Posted on April 26, 2013 by | Comments Off

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Notebook: Trevor Lacey’s parents initiated transfer conversations

Posted on April 26, 2013 by | Comments Off

Former Alabama guard Trevor Lacey was released from his scholarship and has elected to transfer elsewhere. (AP photo)

Former Alabama guard Trevor Lacey was released from his scholarship and has elected to transfer elsewhere. (AP photo)

Countless times after the season is over, players declare their intentions to leave their schools: for the NBA Draft, for higher competition in a better conference, for more playing time at a lower level, a multitude of reasons.

For former Alabama guard Trevor Lacey, it was none of the above.

“Probably about a week ago, two weeks ago, his mom and dad came in and met with me and expressed a desire for him to have that option to transfer,” Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. “So, I talked to them and they expressed, for them, where he was in terms of the opportunities that he had here, where he was in terms of his overall development.

“After I met with them, Trevor came in and we all met together and I think his thing was he understood where his parents were coming from….this past weekend, they met as a family and he came back on Tuesday and said that, as a family, that’s what they thought was in their best interest.”

Grant wished Lacey the best as he goes for an undetermined location.

“I think, for some of them, the opportunity to see it all from a different perspective helps, so I hope that’s what happens for him and I certainly wish him the best of luck,” Grant said.

Filling in

The search for the replacements, however, is one Grant foresees going well.

“I think any time you have change, there’s a chance for a guy to step up,” Grant said.

In the frontcourt, all signs point to center Carl Engstrom, who’s recovery from a torn ACL in early December got high remarks from Grant on his recovery.

“The doctors said that Carl’s ability to get himself back to get ready to play is probably top five that they’ve seen coming off of the injury that he had: not top five percent, top five period,” Grant said. “That’s a testament to his work ethic. By our last team workout, he was able to go through contact drills with our guys. That’s remarkable.

“When you look at him and Nick Jacobs in the frontcourt, plus the new guys we’re bringing in, Jimmie Taylor and Shannon Hale, I think it gives us a nice nucleus in the frontcourt.”

The clear candidate to fill the empty minutes in the backcourt was the Most Improved Player as voted by the coaches, Retin Obasohan, but as the leader of a committee.

“I thought by the end of the year, Retin Obasohan had really stepped up to the opportunity given to him,” Grant said. “We’ve got a guy like Rodney Cooper, who had to play a lot of four last year, and now he can swing back to more of his natural position on the wing.”

Now hiring

It has been more than just players leaving the Crimson Tide program in the five weeks that have passed since the end of the season, Alabama lost an assistant coach as well.

“We lost a staff member, and a dear friend of mine, a guy that is very, very dear to me in Dan Hipsher,” Grant said. “He got an opportunity to be the head coach at Texas-Pan American and on one hand you’re very happy for him and excited for the opportunity he has, but on the other hand, it’s almost like losing a family member.”

Hipsher’s four years on Grant’s staff was a reunion for the two, after Hipsher recruited Grant to the Dayton Flyers out of high school.

“For me, personally, he’s a guy that gave me an opportunity when I was a 16-year-old kid down in Miami when he was an assistant coach at Dayton when he came down and recruited me,” Grant said. “He gave me an opportunity to play college basketball and get an education and that was something I was always thankful for.”

The search for Hipsher’s replacement has not been a priority of Grant’s, as one of the heaviest recruiting seasons has taken priority.

“We’ve been pretty hectic since the season ended,” Grant said. “What I’ve done right now is kind of put that on hold. I think we’ve got enough in the office that we can manage what we’re doing right now.

“We’re very fortunate with the staff we have in right now, so I feel like I can kind of take my time to make the right decision so we get the right piece in.”

Filling out the 2013-2014 slate

Looking away from the future roster and towards the rosters to be faced, Grant laid out a pretty impressive lineup of teams Alabama will be battling in next season’s Preseason NIT: Duke, Arizona and Rutgers.

Grant said the rest of the schedule is rather fluid, with some exceptions like a return trip from Texas Tech, but some other games have yet to be filled.

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C Moussa Gueye transferring away from Alabama

Posted on April 10, 2013 by | Comments Off

The University of Alabama released a statement confirming numerous media reports that center Moussa Gueye, a senior in 2013-2014, will transfer away from the Crimson Tide for his final season of college basketball.

Gueye, the seven-footer from Dakar, Senegal, averaged 15.4 minutes per game last season, scoring 1.4 points per game and tallying 52 blocks on

Moussa Gueye

Moussa Gueye

the year (1.5 per game).

“I really enjoyed my time at Alabama,” Gueye said in the statement. “People have been very supportive during my two years here. Since I have my degree, I just decided I wanted to leave and try and continue to get better. I love my coaches and teammates – they helped me get better. I have nothing but great memories here and I am grateful for my decision to come to the University of Alabama.”

Gueye played in 48 games as a two-year member of the Crimson Tide, one of those years cut short by a knee injury, and finished with 163 rebounds.

“We’re proud of Moussa for completing his degree in two years and for his efforts and contributions to our basketball program,” Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. “Moussa has decided to pursue other options for his final year of eligibility and will seek to transfer to another institution. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Gueye will be eligible to play next season without sitting out if he goes to a school that has a graduate program that the University of Alabama does not offer. Speculation has come that Gueye may go to Texas-Pan American, following former Alabama assisstant head coach Dan Hipsher, who left the Capstone to take the head coach job there.

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Coaches, peers speak out for Moore

Posted on March 21, 2013 by | Comments Off

Former Alabama athletic director Mal Moore congratulating head football coach Nick Saban on winning the 2012 SEC Championship Game. (AP photo)

Former Alabama athletic director Mal Moore congratulating head football coach Nick Saban on winning the 2012 SEC Championship Game. (AP photo)

This morning, accompanying a statement regarding the nomination of Bill Battle, Alabama sent numerous coaches and peers expressing their thoughts on former Alabama athletic director Mal Moore. Here are the highlights.

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban: “Coach Moore is somebody that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. First, for giving us the opportunity to come to the University of Alabama and the great job he did on selling us on this University and what could be done here. Then, all of the support he has given to our program. He certainly deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the success we have had because of the way he sets the table and serves us so well. Most things that you would see, he has had some hand in making all of the athletic facilities what they are, first class in so many ways. More than that, he is a class gentleman, probably as fine as you are ever going to meet. He has been a great friend and his support has certainly been appreciated . . . He has been a part of a lot of championships and a lot of championship teams in this department as a coach was well as an athletic director.”

Alabama head gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson (won four of six national championships with Moore as AD): “Mal’s biggest strength throughout his career as both a coach and an administrator has always been his love of Alabama. There is no one that loves this University more than Mal Moore. Just like his coaching career, his time as Athletics Director has been marked by championships. He has taken us when times were hard and built us back up into the powerhouse program of today. He has attracted great coaches to the Capstone and given them the tools to bring championships back to our campus. While I am sad that his time as athletics director has come to an end, I am thrilled that he is taking this time to focus on his health and getting better and I am very much looking forward to the time when he returns to work with Dr. Bonner to make our great institution even better.”

Alabama head men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant: “I am saddened to learn of coach (Mal) Moore’s decision to step aside as our leader and A.D. I appreciate the opportunity that he has provided for myself and my family and will be ever grateful to him for his confidence and faith in our ability to lead this program to a championship level. No one has a greater passion for this University and athletics department than Coach Moore and we are thankful for the example of class and integrity he exemplifies. We certainly wish him the best and look forward to his tenure as Athletics Director Emeritus.”

Alabama baseball coach Mitch Gaspard.

Alabama baseball coach Mitch Gaspard.

Alabama baseball coach Mitch Gaspard: “Coach Moore has always been a man of great character and class. He is someone that that we all look up to and he’s been a great leader of our athletic department. His character, leadership and class are things we try to instill in our program. He’s a guy you can trust and he’s been very supportive of our program. He’s been able to put his fingerprints all over this athletic department and the University of Alabama, not only through its success, but in how that success has been created. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Moore and his family as he battles through his current health situation.”

Alabama head men’s golf coach Jay Seawell (hired by Moore in 2002, national runner-up last season): “It is a sad day for me personally. I’m at the University of Alabama because of Coach Moore. I think Coach Moore is the heartbeat of Crimson Tide athletics. You can look at our athletics department as a whole, not just football, it has probably never been in better shape, from facilities to what has been accomplished on the field of play. Coach Moore is a true leader and one that has inspired me. We are praying for a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on campus.”

Alabama head women’s golf coach Mic Potter (won the national championship last year): “On a personal level, I am eternally indebted to Coach Moore because he gave me the opportunity to come here and accomplish the things that we have. He hired me and then gave us the resources to be successful. It is hard for me to imagine working for anyone else right now. When championships are won, you think about the players and the coaches, you don’t tend to think of Coach Moore, Dr. Bonner, Dr. Witt and Kevin Almond and what the administration means to the process we go through to be as competitive as we are. He was also directly responsible for us having the facilities – the Jerry Pate Golf Center – and being willing to make an investment in our program through facilities and his foresight in what a golf program needs. Coach Moore has certainly had a lot to with us being successful. It also doesn’t hurt that he is a golf enthusiast, and my only wish is that he will return to good health and get to play a little more golf now that he is in a different capacity.”

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long: “Mal Moore has left an indelible mark on the University of Alabama, much like Frank Broyles has done here at Arkansas, and the Crimson Tide Athletic Program has achieved tremendous success under Mal’s leadership. I have enjoyed getting to know him and working with him over the past five years and appreciate the manner in which he welcomed me to the circle of SEC Athletic Directors. I will miss Mal on a professional and personal level and wish him the very best as he focuses on his recovery.”

Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman.

Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman.

Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman: “I looked at Mal as the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’. He was always even keel and very rarely did he get flustered. Mal always did what was right for University of Alabama, but he never lost sight that Alabama was in the SEC, therefore he constantly championed the importance of a strong conference. We will miss a true professional and wonderful colleague.”

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Alabama’s hot stretches outweigh cold enough to move on in NIT

Posted on March 19, 2013 by | Comments Off

Alabama guard Trevor Lacey battling to keep possession in the Crimson Tide's 62-43 win over Northeastern. Alabama moves on to the second round of the NIT with the victory. (AP photo)

Alabama guard Trevor Lacey battling to keep possession in the Crimson Tide’s 62-43 win over Northeastern. Alabama moves on to the second round of the NIT with the victory. (AP photo)

The final straw for Alabama’s NCAA Tournament hopes, the loss in the SEC Tournament semifinals to Florida, hinged on a clutch second half run that not only sealed Alabama’s fate for the National Invitational Tournament, but also for several other losses along the way.

The Crimson Tide attacked – with reckless abandon – the Northeastern defense to make a second half run of its own for once, a 22-0 spurt that consumed eight of the final 20 minutes in Alabama’s 62-43 win.

“We were concerned, when you look at their numbers and what they’ve done in their league, that we had to do a really good job defensively,” Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. “The thing that’s really scary about this team is you look at their last three games they played, and they were in double-digits holes in all three games and they had opportunities to win them.”

“I thought because guys stayed aggressive on the offensive end, we were able to win comfortably.”

Alabama’s aggressiveness even bested its own gameplan. Two of the biggest plays of the game, baseline dribble-drive slam dunks from sophomore guard Levi Randolph on back-to-back possessions, were not by design.

“They were just making plays,” Grant said.

Randolph added, “I was in the corner, and Trevor (Releford) found me on the drive. I was just able to rip through, I had a nice seal by Moussa (Gueye) on the baseline and I was just able to go up and finish it.”

But the excitement, as it has all season long, came with an equal number of scares. After starting the game on a 24-9 run, Alabama let the Huskies piece together a 9-2 run to bring the game within reach at halftime.

“All-of-a-sudden for them to go on that run like they did, I thought a lot of it was what we weren’t doing,” Grant said. “Not taking anything away from Northeastern, but from that standpoint, I don’t think we did a good job learning the lessons that we needed to learn.”

At the end of the night, Alabama’s win was enough to satisfy its leaders.

“Coming out of the half, we challenged them to step it back up and get back to what allowed us to get the lead in the first place,” Grant said.

Satisfy, not please. Grant is adamant about his team’s demeanor in those slumps that turned a early blowout into a hotly-contested battle at the break.

“As a team, we have to get beyond that,” Grant said. “That’s the maturity I’m looking for from our guys, to stop letting that happen, to stop allowing that to happen. Obviously you can’t always control what the other team does, but let’s not do it to ourselves.”

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Alabama (21-12) left out of NCAA Tournament

Posted on March 17, 2013 by | Comments Off

As expected after the loss to Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on Saturday, the Crimson Tide was not selected as one of the 38 at-large teams to play in the NCAA Tournament.

The SEC had three teams in the tournament: Florida, Missouri and Ole Miss. Alabama was 0-4 against those teams, 0-3 on the road and 0-1 in neutral sites.

Other Alabama opponents in the NCAA tournament include Cincinnati, Villanova and South Dakota State, teams which Alabama went 2-1 against.

Alabama was eliminated in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament in a loss to Creighton, who moved on to lose to No. 1 seed North Carolina in the next round.

Alabama was left out of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and went on to advance to the finals of the NIT that season, beating Coastal Carolina, New Mexico and Miami (FL) in Coleman Coliseum before moving to Madison Square Garden.

The Tide beat Colorado in the semifinals 62-61 before losing in the finals to Wichita State 66-57 in the finals.

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Full Story: Florida catches fire in second half, ends Alabama’s SEC championship bid one game early

Posted on March 16, 2013 by | Comments Off

Alabama forward Nick Jacobs was leading the team with nine points at halftime and finished with 11. (Photo courtesy of UA Athletics)

Alabama forward Nick Jacobs was leading the team with nine points at halftime and finished with 11. (Photo courtesy of UA Athletics)

Here is the full Associated Press story from Nashville from Alabama’s 61-51 loss to Florida in the semifinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. You can also click here to view the boxscore.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Florida finally showed it can win a close game. All it takes is for senior guard Kenny Boynton to answer his coach’s challenge.

Held scoreless for the first 25 minutes, Boynton had 11 straight points during a critical 15-0 run Saturday as No. 13 Florida erased a 10-point, second-half deficit to beat Alabama 61-51 in a Southeastern Conference semifinal.

Boynton said he benefited from Gators coach Billy Donovan’s halftime message to him. The senior guard’s second-half surge helped Florida end its season-long frustration in close games.

“He challenged me to come out and play with confidence,” Boynton said. “Honestly he did challenge me, and I think I tried to step up to it.”

The top-seeded Gators (26-6) advanced to the championship game Sunday against Mississippi or Vanderbilt. Alabama (21-12), the tournament’s No. 4 seed, will spend Sunday waiting to learn its fate from the NCAA tournament selection committee.

Most mock brackets had Alabama on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble at the start of the week. Alabama went 12-6 in conference play during the regular season but hurt its cause by going 1-5 in December, including home nonconference losses to Mercer and Tulane.

“I’ll just go to sleep, wake up tomorrow and see what they choose,” Alabama guard Trevor Releford said. “Whatever they choose, we go from there.”

Boynton scored all 16 of his points during a 7-minute span. Patric Young had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Gators. Mike Rosario added 10 points. Releford scored 12 points, and Nick Jacobs and Trevor Lacey each added 11 for Alabama.

Alabama led 37-27 with 16:05 remaining before Florida reeled off 15 straight points over the next 5 minutes. In the lone regular-season meeting between the two teams, Florida rallied from eight points down in the final 12½ minutes to win 64-52 on March 2 in Gainesville.

That 64-52 result represented Florida’s narrowest margin of victory all season before Saturday. The Gators entered Saturday leading the nation in scoring margin (plus-18.9), but they’re 0-5 in games decided by six points or fewer.

“We know that to win out games in the NCAA tournament, games are going to be close, so we have to consistently close out games,” Boynton said.

This game featured the SEC’s two best scoring defenses, with Florida (53.4) and Alabama (58.9) allowing fewer than 60 points per game. And it started out as a defensive struggle. Seven minutes into the game, Florida led 6-2.

But after missing four of its first five shots and committing four turnovers in the first 5½ minutes, Alabama’s offense found a rhythm.

The Crimson Tide shot 55 percent (11 of 20) in the first half against a Florida team that hadn’t allowed anyone to shoot 50 percent or better this season.

The Tide stayed hot early in the second half and extended its lead to 37-27 when Releford sank two free throws with 16:05 remaining.

“We were playing good defense,” Young said. “They were knocking down some tough twos, some tough threes. But we knew they can’t hold that up the whole (game) because they haven’t been doing that the whole year. It’s been tough for them to score in the halfcourt the whole season.”

That’s when Boynton took over the game.

Boynton entered the day shooting just 38.9 percent, making him a subject of criticism for much of his senior season. Boynton shot 1 of 7 and scored two points Friday in an SEC quarterfinal victory over LSU, but he didn’t get down on himself and maintained the support of his teammates.

“Our team loves Kenny Boynton,” Donovan said. “When people watch and the ball doesn’t go in the basket, it’s very, very easy to point fingers and be critical. But I would say that maybe of anybody on our team, Kenny Boynton is truly loved inside of our team. He’s a great teammate. He does want to win. He wants to make every shot he takes. He doesn’t intentionally try to miss. But he’s gone through a little bit of a tough shooting period.”

That tough period might have ended Saturday.

First, the senior guard made a pair of free throws to cut Alabama’s lead to 37-31. Next, he made a driving basket. Then, Boynton sank a 3-pointer. He followed that up with a fast-break layup that gave Florida the lead. Boynton closed this stunning flurry by going into the paint and making a shot off the glass that extended Florida’s advantage to 40-37 with 12:02 remaining.

“My teammates found me in transition,” Boynton said. “Basically, I didn’t get more aggressive or anything. The floor just opened up more.”

Boynton added a basket that put Florida ahead 47-40 with 9:40 left and a 3-pointer that made 50-42 with 8:11 remaining. Alabama wouldn’t cut the margin below four points the rest of the way.

“This was a grind-it-out game,” Rosario said. “This was a 40-minute game. Guys knew Kenny needed to step up for us in the second half. I felt he took on that challenge. When that run happened, it just fed off positive energy to all (his) teammates. I felt everyone on the team embraced that.”

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Full Story: Releford, Randolph push Alabama to SEC Tournament semifinals

Posted on March 15, 2013 by | Comments Off
Trevor Releford had 14 points in Alabama's win in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals over Tennessee. (AP photo)

Trevor Releford had 14 points in Alabama’s win in the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals over Tennessee. (AP photo)

Here’s the AP report from Alabama’s 58-48 win over Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Friday. The win gave the Crimson Tide the right to face Florida at noon CST on Saturday with a berth in the SEC Championship Game on the line. There are also a couple of quotes from postgame at the bottom of the post.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Levi Randolph scored 15 points Friday as No. 4 seed Alabama defeated No. 5 seed Tennessee 58-48 in a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal between two teams seeking to improve their postseason credentials.

Alabama (21-11) advanced to a Saturday semifinal against No. 13 Florida, the tournament’s top seed. Florida (25-6) trounced LSU 80-58 in its quarterfinal.

This game was considered one of the most intriguing of the day because both teams are considered to be on the NCAA tournament bubble.

Tennessee and Alabama had split two close regular-season meetings, with Alabama winning 68-65 at Tuscaloosa on Jan. 12 and the Vols surviving 54-53 in the Jan. 26 rematch at Knoxville. This game followed a similar pattern, as neither team pulled ahead by more than five points in a first half that featured three ties and four lead changes.

Alabama pulled away in the second half by wearing Tennessee down with its pressure defense.

Tennessee (20-12) shot 32.1 percent (18 of 56) overall, 50 percent (7 of 14) on free throws and 21.7 percent (5 of 23) on 3-pointers. After making six of its first seven shots Friday, Tennessee went 12 of 49 the rest of the way.

Trevor Releford scored 14 points for Alabama, which shot 41.3 percent (19 of 46), 78.9 percent (15 of 19) on free throws and 50 percent (5 of 10) from 3-point range. Nick Jacobs had six points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

Josh Richardson scored 16 points for Tennessee, which lost for just the second time in its last 11 games. Jarnell Stokes added 12 points and 13 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season, the most by a
Tennessee player since Bernard King had 19 in 1976-77.

Tennessee star Jordan McRae had been averaging 24.6 points over his last seven games, but he scored just nine points and shot 3 of 13 Friday while struggling with foul trouble.

The Vols made six of their first seven shots and went on an early 9-0 run to grab a 13-8 lead, but they cooled off from there as Alabama quickly caught up.

Alabama had plenty of success driving to the basket early on with Releford and redshirt freshman Retin Obasohan, a reserve guard who hadn’t even played in the Tide’s two regular-season games with Tennessee.

Tennessee lost the lead by getting too dependent on its perimeter attack. The Vols attempted nearly as many 3-point shots (13) as two-pointers (14) in the first half.

The Vols trailed 44-41 midway through the second half when Trae Golden and Armani Moore missed potential game-tying 3-pointers. Alabama followed with a 6-0 run to seize the momentum and grab a 50-41 advantage. Jacobs made consecutive baskets and McRae picked up his fourth foul during that critical spurt.

Tennessee responded with five straight points to cut Alabama’s lead to 50-46, but that’s as close as the Vols would get.

Also, a couple of quotes from postgame.

Alabama coach Anthony Grant: “You have to take your hat off to Tennessee. I thought they came in to this game playing great basketball right now as a team, and we knew we would have to come out and compete at a high level today. I’m really proud of our guys for answering that bell. It was a highly contested game, physical game, a game of inches, and it’s a good win.”

Junior point guard Trevor Releford: “I think we are really successful when we get out in transition, just play up-tempo, push the ball and try to get easy layups. We tried to do that today. For the most part it worked.”

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Andrew Steele era coming to a close Saturday

Posted on March 9, 2013 by | Comments Off

Alabama's lone scholarship senior, Andrew Steele, will be honored for his contributions to Alabama basketball before the final home game of the season against Georgia. (AP photo)

Alabama’s lone scholarship senior, Andrew Steele, will be honored for his contributions to Alabama basketball before the final home game of the season against Georgia. (AP photo)

Here is a print story contributed to the Saturday edition of the Anniston Star (Anniston, Ala.) featuring Andrew Steele’s upcoming Senior Day, Saturday at 3 p.m. against Georgia.

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Few players embody the “mind over matter” mentality more than Alabama fifth-year senior guard Andrew Steele.

Steele’s list of injuries throughout his career with the Crimson Tide is long enough to take over nearly his entire body, going from the ankle injury that hobbles him now, to the sports hernia that sidelined him for six weeks earlier this season, to the concussions that nearly kept him from playing basketball after his sophomore season.

Now his Alabama basketball career is coming to a close as he limps his way into Tide history with his final regular-season home game today. Alabama (19-11, 11-6 SEC) will host Georgia (15-15, 9-8) at 3 p.m., and the school will honor Steele before the game as the team’s lone senior.

“My mom graduated from here, so ever since I can remember I’ve always been an Alabama fan,” Steele said. “When my brother (Ronald Steele, a 2006 first-team All-SEC selection) came here, some of the success he was having was exciting as a fan alone, but the fact that he was in my family made all the more exciting.

“And not just basketball. I get really excited when I see other sports doing well. Me being a graduate of the university, it’s really exciting.”

In June 2011, it appeared Steele’s career would end before his eligibility did. He announced that lingering symptoms from multiple concussions had forced him to give up basketball.

Doctors eventually cleared him to return to the team, but during those months when he wasn’t playing, Alabama head coach Anthony Grant allowed him to work as a student assistant coach. That has led to Steele’s decision on his career after his finishes at Alabama.

“Coach Grant let me work with the team still, and those few months really reinstalled that (coaching) is what I want to do,” Steele said. “It made me appreciate it more when I came back because I had to go through having it taken away from me. You almost kind of take it for granted until it’s gone.”

Steele said he hopes to coach in the collegiate ranks but understands “there’s a process involved, whether it’s being a grad assistant or coaching in high school. It’s something I’m really passionate about.”

He also is passionate about playing. In fact, he has played his senior season with pain from an ankle issue, which required surgery last summer.

“When I had the surgery in August, the doctor probably could have done more, but it would have set me back longer,” Steele said. “My whole thing was to do as much as he can to fix the problem but miss the least amount of time. That’s what he did, and there was always a risk that it could come back up, but we didn’t think it would come back up so quick and it would be so painful.”

The pain is so intense Steele walks in a protective boot whenever he is not on the court. Even with the pain, he still is eager to play.

“It’s one of those things where I understand there’s going to be pain whether I’m playing or not, so I might as well give my all and to do everything I can to help if there’s going to be pain regardless,” Steele said.

Recklessness may be the word to describe Steele’s demeanor toward his body on the court. But it hasn’t come without resistance from Grant, who tried to save him once.

“He and I have talked many times, and I sat down and told him, ‘Listen, Andrew, you don’t have to play. Don’t feel an obligation to myself or your teammates or anything like that. You’ve paid your dues,’” Grant said.

Nevermind that, Steele suggested. He is not only an active member of the 2012-2013 team, but potentially a beloved member of the program’s history, which has reached 100 years.

“Hopefully, I’ll be remembered as somebody who left it all out there whenever I played and affected a lot of winning. I tried to be my best to lead my teammates and tried to represent the University well,” Steele said.

“These last five years have probably been the best five years of my life.”

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Recapping Alabama basketball’s loss to Florida

Posted on March 3, 2013 by | Comments Off

Here is the Associated Press story on Alabama’s 64-52 loss to the No. 8 Florida Gators Saturday afternoon. You can view the boxscore by clicking here.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — No. 8 Florida showed the kind of resiliency that could come in handy in the postseason.
Casey Prather had 10 points and nine rebounds, most of them in the second half, and the Gators rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat Alabama 64-52 on Saturday.
The Gators used a 15-0 run late in the second half — fueled by Prather — to pull away from the Crimson Tide and remain unbeaten (14-0) at home.
Even though Florida won its 13 Southeastern Conference games by double digits, this one easily could have gone the other way.
“Casey, thank God, gave us good minutes,” coach Billy Donovan said. “If he didn’t play well, we probably would have had a hard time winning the game.”
Erik Murphy led Florida (23-5, 13-3 SEC) with 15 points. Kenny Boynton added 13, and Scottie Wilbekin chipped in 11.
But there’s no doubt Prather was the key. He played relentless defense and was equally impressive on the other end. With Prather leading the way, Florida outscored Alabama 23-5 over the final 10 minutes of the game.
“I was definitely trying to bring energy because we looked a little dead offensively and defensively,” Prather said.
Trevor Releford led the Tide (19-10, 11-5) with 12 points. Trevor Lacey and Nick Jacobs added 11 points apiece.
Florida made just 2 of 13 shots from 3-point range, but made up for it by making 22 of 26 from the free-throw line.
Alabama was 4 of 10 from the charity stripe.
The Tide really went cold from the field, making just two baskets after taking a 45-37 lead with 12:23 remaining.
“You’ve got to be able to manufacture some offense,” coach Anthony Grant said. “We had opportunities that we let slip away.”
Missed shots, bad passes, charges, Alabama did a little bit of everything to give up the lead on the road. It was the complete opposite of what Alabama did right during a 14-4 run that put the Tide ahead.
“Defensively, we weren’t as locked in as we during that stretch,” Lacey said.
The Gators gladly took advantage en route to clinching a first-round bye in the SEC tournament. Florida can secure the No. 1 seed by winning one of its remaining two games or having Kentucky lose later Saturday.
Donovan cared little about those accomplishments after the game. He was more concerned about his team’s problems.
Florida used a 12-0 run to open up a double-digit lead early in the game, making this look like it would be another lopsided affair.
But the Gators stopped making shots and starting giving up baskets at every turn. It was concerning for Donovan because it’s the kind of emotional letdown he has tried to rid his team of the last two years.
Instead of moving the ball and getting everyone involved, the Gators started taking ill-advised shots and trying to do too much.
“We’ve deviated from who we are and we’ve got to get back to that,” Donovan said.
Getting healthy could help.
Bench players Will Yeguete and Michael Frazier II returned from injuries but clearly weren’t at full strength. Yeguete missed six games following arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right knee, and Frazier sat out Tuesday night’s loss at Tennessee because of a concussion. Frazier also missed two days of practice this week with back spasms.
Neither did much against the Tide.
Yeguete missed both shots, had one rebound and one turnover in 11 lackluster minutes. Frazier missed his only shot and had a turnover in 6 minutes.
“I couldn’t get anything out of Frazier at all,” Donovan said. “And Yeguete tells me after the game that he was absolutely petrified going out there.”
Prather picked up the slack, a welcome sight for Florida since he’s been banged up all season. He missed several games because of a concussion and a few more with a high-ankle sprain.
He banged his head against the Volunteers, needed stiches above his left eye and created concern about another concussion. He passed all his baseline tests, though, and turned in one of his best performances in three years.
“I thought we were a little drained,” Donovan said. “I thought Casey, for whatever really, was really focused and locked in. … Scottie wasn’t himself. I didn’t think Kenny Boynton was himself. Patric (Young) wasn’t himself. Murphy looked a step slow. It was just one of those games where you sometimes can’t maybe put your finger on it.
“I was really, really, really disappointed in my team. Disappointed in my team that I didn’t do a better job getting them ready to play and I couldn’t have been any prouder the last 9 minutes.”

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Full Story: Alabama improves as it whips Auburn

Posted on February 27, 2013 by | Comments Off

Anthony Grant coaching the Crimson Tide to its revenge win over Auburn Tuesday night. (AP photo)

Anthony Grant coaching the Crimson Tide to its revenge win over Auburn Tuesday night. (AP photo)

Here is the full story from Tuesday night’s Iron Bowl of Basketball, as the Crimson Tide beat Auburn. At the bottom, you’ll see video of Alabama coach Anthony Grant’s press conference afterwards.

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TUSCALOOSA — Never has a basketball team felt better about itself on the offensive end of the floor after scoring 61 points and shooting 39.3 percent from the floor in a winning effort.

Drawing the regular-season series with rival Auburn to an even draw at one after losing on the road Feb. 6 was enough, but it was more satisfying to know that a groove is in place after the 61-43 win over Auburn.

“I thought the improvement we made over the last 20 days showed because we didn’t let (early offensive struggles) rattle us,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “We had some success and built a lead.”

A large part of the offensive renaissance is junior point guard Trevor Releford, who followed his 36-point explosion Saturday against LSU with a 21-point game on 7-for-13 shooting against the Tigers.

“I think I’ve been preparing better recently,” Releford said. “I’ve been more focused and when I’m focused, I have a lot of confidence in my shot.”

Grant added, “I thought Trevor did a great job. He was locked-in. He was energetic, and I thought that was contagious to our team.”

Fellow point guard, redshirt freshman Retin Obasohan, created opportunities for himself via the dribble-drive to the tune of 10 points. Obasohan also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Trevor Lacey had a dozen points for the Tide.

“That’s something I’ve been working on,” Obasohan said of his dribble penetration abilities. “Coach always gets after me to use my athleticism. I guess today was one of those days I was able to make some plays for my teammates.”

When they were not scoring, the guards found 11 of Alabama’s 13 assists setting up big men for offensive opportunities, paving the way for sophomore forward Nick Jacobs to put up 10 points on 5-7 shooting.

“I thought Nick Jacobs came in in the first half and gave us a big boost,” Grant said. “Alabama attributed the upgrade in offensive output to halftime adjustments. Alabama’s shooting percentage in the 20 minutes after the intermission was 14 percent better than the 20 minutes preceding it.

“I guess the message at halftime was we have to come out and hit first,” Releford said. “We just can’t let up, because we know we were going to come out and get their best shot. We just had to hit first.”

Grant added, “When we get good looks, trust your preparation, go play. Don’t be hesitant. I thought the guys did a great job of responding to that.”

The Tigers have done the exact opposite, losing rhythm going down the stretch. From Christmas Day to Jan. 16, the Tigers scored 75.8 points per game. Since then, Auburn has averaged 57.75 points per contest. Auburn’s 43 points was the fewest it has scored against Alabama since 1949.

“If you can put a finger on it, it would be easily fixed,” Auburn forward Rob Chubb said. “People aren’t creating how they should be. Aggressiveness on the offensive end is one of the reasons.”

Chubb led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points. Frankie Sullivan continued to slump for Auburn. He finished 1-of-9 shooting for six points.

Auburn coach Tony Barbee added, “Did you watch the game? Missing layups, missing open shots. We probably missed 20 layups tonight. How are you going to win a game when you miss 20 layups?”

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Full Story: Two key runs pace Alabama in win over South Carolina

Posted on February 17, 2013 by | Comments Off
Trevor Releford led the Crimson Tide with five assists and also contributed nine points, three rebounds and two steals in the win. (AP photo)

Trevor Releford led the Crimson Tide with five assists and also contributed nine points, three rebounds and two steals in the win. (AP photo)

Here’s the story Daily Bama Blog contributor Brett Hudson sent for print publication in Sunday editions across the state, with press conference video at the bottom.

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One day before a pivotal home game against South Carolina, Alabama coach Anthony Grant said he did not care that his team was averaging only 54.25 in its last four games, but that his team had won four out of its last five.

Grant got both a win and improved offense in Alabama’s 68-58 win over South Carolina.

“Today’s game, to me, was a game of spurts,” Grant said. “I didn’t like the way we finished the first half, but I thought we came out with better energy in the second half.”

Alabama had two big scoring runs in the first half that built an insurmountable lead: one 12-0 run to give Alabama a 17-4 lead with 12:37 in the first half and another 14-1 run to make for a 23-point lead with 5:55 left to go in the first half. Alabama knocked down five of nine three-point attempts in the two runs.

“We were able to, in the first half, penetrate and create help and they did a great job of moving the ball around,” Grant said. “I thought we had great looks. Even the ones that didn’t go in, I thought we had great looks and it was good to see our guys be aggressive.

“We had a spurt there where we were able to get the crowd back in the game and flip the momentum.”

Trevor Lacey led the Tide with 17 points, six of which coming from behind the three-point line. Redshirt freshman guard Retin Obasohan also added two three-point baskets and ended with eight points, nearly a career-high.

Lacey also contributed four assists, one below junior guard Trevor Releford for the team lead.

“My teammates are always on me about shooting more,” Lacey said. “I just like getting my teammates involved in some looks. I just try to let the shots come to me that I feel comfortable with.”

Alabama’s defense was an instigating force, also, forcing 18 turnovers. Sophomore guard Levi Randolph led the way with four steals, while Lacey, Releford and forward Nick Jacobs all had two each.

“We expected them from a defensive standpoint to really get after it and we knew we had to bring that energy, too,” Grant said. “We felt like we could have success with the press and certain halfcourt situations if we locked in and did it right.”

The win puts the Crimson Tide alone in second place in the SEC and making believers out of the competition.

“They’re in it, they aren’t going anywhere,” South Carolina coach Frank Martin said, a longtime friend of Grant’s. “A team that plays the kind of defense they play, with the unity and passion they play, they’re in it.”

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Anthony Grant downplays offensive struggles

Posted on February 16, 2013 by | Comments Off
Levi Randolph drives the ball away from an Auburn defender. Alabama scored only 37 points in a loss to the Tigers. (AP photo)

Levi Randolph drives the ball away from an Auburn defender. Alabama scored only 37 points in a loss to the Tigers. (AP photo)

Averaging 58.1 points per game in conference play, offense has been an issue for the Alabama basketball team all season long. Concerns were heightened after scoring only 37 points in a loss to Auburn and 52 in a win over Georgia.

While fans and experts around the nation are not won over by the style, the team does not care. It only wants the numbers in the win column.

“You can’t control what other people say, you just have to go out there and get a win,” sophomore guard Levi Randolph said. “I guess a win is a win.”

Alabama coach Anthony Grant added, “An ugly win beats a pretty loss any day of the week to me. Bottom line is to get a win.”

Despite the less-than-attractive scores, Alabama has found a way to do just that: win.

“A lot has been made of our offensive struggles. I think at one point we were leading the league in three-point shooting, just over 40 percent. In the last five games, we haven’t done that, but we;ve won four out of the last five.

“The thing we always talk about is, if we defend the way we’re capable of, we’ll have a chance to win every game.”

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Frank Martin: old friend turned to common enemy for Tide, Grant

Posted on February 16, 2013 by | Comments Off
Alabama coach Anthony Grant has a relationship with South Carolina coach Kevin Martin that goes back to grade school. (Copyright photo by Brett Hudson)

Alabama coach Anthony Grant has a relationship with South Carolina coach Kevin Martin that goes back to grade school. (Copyright photo by Brett Hudson)

Alabama head coach Anthony Grant did not balk at the opportunity to talk about his relationship with South Carolina head coach Frank Martin, who Grant says he has a relationship with, “that goes deeper than basketball.”

“We went to high school together, coached together and we’re obviously aware of the challenges they’ve had of late,” Grant said. “But really impressed with their team and the way they play, with the intensity they play and they way they defend.”

In recent history, it has been Martin that has come away from head-to-head battles with bragging rights. Last season, when Martin was at the helm for the Kansas State Wildcats, Alabama traveled to Kansas City and was handed a 71-58 loss. The Wildcats were 22-for-33 from the free throw line against Alabama and outrebounded the Tide 38-30.

Grant sees a similar monster to tame in Martin’s Gamecocks.

“He’s got a different team, but I think the identity is the same,” he said. “They’re hard-nosed, tough team. They have the same identity in terms of the way they come at you. I think his teams at Kansas State were great offensive rebounding teams. His team now, in his first year, is a good offensive rebounding team.

“Defensively, they make it tough to run your action. That was the identity at Kansas State and that’s the identity he’s brought there. I think our guys have to understand they fight they’re going to bring to the game and I think we have to match and surpass that.”

Alabama also has to defend guard Bruce Ellington, who is averaging almost 10 points per game in South Carolina’s last six contests.

“The biggest thing is his competitiveness,” Grant said. “He’s a junior, he’s been through this league before. He’s a guy that ignites them from an offensive standpoint with his speed, ability to shoot the basketball.”

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Jacobs helps lift Alabama over LSU

Posted on February 9, 2013 by | Comments Off
Alabama forward Nick Jacobs (15) tries to shoot between LSU guard Malik Morgan (24) and forward Johnny O'Bryant III (2). (AP photo by Michelle Lepianka Carter of The Tuscaloosa News)

Alabama forward Nick Jacobs (15) tries to shoot between LSU guard Malik Morgan (24) and forward Johnny O’Bryant III (2). (AP photo by Michelle Lepianka Carter of The Tuscaloosa News)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Still in search of a consistent offense, Alabama rebounded from its worst scoring performance of the year by beating LSU at home 60-57 on Saturday night.

After falling Wednesday at Auburn while scoring a season-low 37 points, the Crimson Tide returned to Coleman Coliseum and managed the most points it had scored in nearly four weeks.

“You can’t compare one situation to another,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said when asked about the difference between the loss to Auburn and beating LSU. “The focus was on getting the win tonight.”

One difference for the Crimson Tide was Nick Jacobs, a 6-foot-8 sophomore. He came off the bench and gave a lift offensively for Alabama (15-8, 7-3 SEC), which is tied with Ole Miss for third place in the league.

Jacobs had 15 points in 19 minutes, made 7 of 8 foul shots and blocked three shots. He also produced six points and a big rebound in the final five minutes.

“Nick Jacobs was huge tonight,” Alabama guard Trevor Releford said. “He had a huge rebound and made his free throws at the line. When Nick Jacobs plays like that, we’re tough to beat.”

Jacobs played a role in a critical series with about 1:22 to play.
LSU (13-8, 4-6) had a chance late, as it sliced an Alabama lead down to 54-53. The Tide’s Trevor Lacey missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity, but Jacobs rebounded, and Alabama got the ball back to Lacey, who drew another foul. This time, Lacey made both free throws, and Alabama never led by fewer than three after that.

Later, after an LSU miss, Jacobs drew a foul and made both foul shots.

“Nick was huge, especially in the second half. … When Nick plays like that, we’re a much better team,” Grant said.

Saturday marked 43 years and two days since LSU’s Pete Maravich set the coliseum record by scoring 69 points. Neither team threatened that mark in this one, but Alabama mustered enough to win for the eighth time in 11 games.

“After the game at Auburn, we knew they would come out with a great deal of energy,” LSU coach Johnny Jones said.

LSU had the ball in the closing seconds and trailed 60-57, but an Andre Stringer 3-pointer with four seconds left missed. After an Alabama turnover, LSU’s Anthony Hickey missed a 50-footer.

Johnny O’Bryant III had 22 points and 11 rebounds for LSU, but in the final five minutes, he managed only a dunk and two free throws.

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