Bama Basketball Practice

[Jamos]

Each year, season ticket holders are invited to attend a team practice and then have dinner with the team. I was a little late getting there for the practice and only saw about 25 minutes of it but was impressed with what I saw.

Nothing has changed with the tempo of what Bama wants to play this year as they were pushing the ball up and down the court. I didn't have a team roster with me to pick out some of the players I was interested in watching but at the pace they were practicing, you kind of wanted to watch all of them. There were some 3 pointers made but it looked like the emphasis was to work the ball underneath for the big men and it was plenty physical underneath the basket. The new ones on the team seem to have adjusted well to the team play and I'm anxious to see them in action.

The players were allowed to sit with us at our tables and guess who sat with us, Trevor Releford and Ricky Tarrant. Ricky is a transfer from Tulane and has a great personality. He just returned to the team today from a back injury so the roster gets a little deeper. Levi Randolph was on the sidecourt with a knee brace and seemed to be walking without much of a limp.

CAG addressed the crowd after the meal introducing his staff and players first. He then spoke for about 30 minutes about the team, new rules, and the upcoming season, especially their schedule. With the addition of Taylor and Hale, Engstrom healthy, and Jacobs coming back in great shape after losing 30 lbs, CAG is feeling good about the play under the basket. He had some good things to say about all four of them. The big question was how long Levi Randolph would be out and he struggled to find a good answer for the question. He said when you have a hyperextended knee that only time can answer that. In most cases it is best to let this kind of injury heal good before trying to play on it. If a player comes back too quick and reinjures it then it might take all season to heal. He emphasized the side motion of the knee is usually the big problem in the healing process.

There are some rules changes this year and othe one he talked most about was the charging and blocking rule. The NCAA tweeked this one some and CAG said that basketball make look a little ugly this year because of this rule change. He said it was changed to help the offensive side of basketball and we will probably see more free throw shooting this year. He was questioned about Bama becoming a better free throw shooting team and he answered that more emphasis would be put on it this year.

CAG then talked in detail about them not making the Big Dance last year and the reasons why. In December last year the team went 1-5 and in the months of November,January and February they were 18-4. He felt December took them out of the tournament. This year they have added better teams to their schedule to improve their RPI, which  is the key to making the tournament. Sometimes a loss to a good team is better than a win over a nobody so they added some teams this year that will give them a chance to really improve their RPI.

It was a great evening and I wish all of you could have been there to enjoy as well. The season starts in two weeks and I am ready for it. Roll Tide!!

[bamaphil]

Thanks for the update!  I'm really hoping the team can come together and have a successful season after last year's disappointment.

[Marshal Dillon]

Each year, season ticket holders are invited to attend a team practice and then have dinner with the team. I was a little late getting there for the practice and only saw about 25 minutes of it but was impressed with what I saw.

Nothing has changed with the tempo of what Bama wants to play this year as they were pushing the ball up and down the court. I didn't have a team roster with me to pick out some of the players I was interested in watching but at the pace they were practicing, you kind of wanted to watch all of them. There were some 3 pointers made but it looked like the emphasis was to work the ball underneath for the big men and it was plenty physical underneath the basket. The new ones on the team seem to have adjusted well to the team play and I'm anxious to see them in action.

The players were allowed to sit with us at our tables and guess who sat with us, Trevor Releford and Ricky Tarrant. Ricky is a transfer from Tulane and has a great personality. He just returned to the team today from a back injury so the roster gets a little deeper. Levi Randolph was on the sidecourt with a knee brace and seemed to be walking without much of a limp.

CAG addressed the crowd after the meal introducing his staff and players first. He then spoke for about 30 minutes about the team, new rules, and the upcoming season, especially their schedule. With the addition of Taylor and Hale, Engstrom healthy, and Jacobs coming back in great shape after losing 30 lbs, CAG is feeling good about the play under the basket. He had some good things to say about all four of them. The big question was how long Levi Randolph would be out and he struggled to find a good answer for the question. He said when you have a hyperextended knee that only time can answer that. In most cases it is best to let this kind of injury heal good before trying to play on it. If a player comes back too quick and reinjures it then it might take all season to heal. He emphasized the side motion of the knee is usually the big problem in the healing process.

There are some rules changes this year and othe one he talked most about was the charging and blocking rule. The NCAA tweeked this one some and CAG said that basketball make look a little ugly this year because of this rule change. He said it was changed to help the offensive side of basketball and we will probably see more free throw shooting this year. He was questioned about Bama becoming a better free throw shooting team and he answered that more emphasis would be put on it this year.

CAG then talked in detail about them not making the Big Dance last year and the reasons why. In December last year the team went 1-5 and in the months of November,January and February they were 18-4. He felt December took them out of the tournament. This year they have added better teams to their schedule to improve their RPI, which  is the key to making the tournament. Sometimes a loss to a good team is better than a win over a nobody so they added some teams this year that will give them a chance to really improve their RPI.

It was a great evening and I wish all of you could have been there to enjoy as well. The season starts in two weeks and I am ready for it. Roll Tide!!

I knew that with the schedule upgrade Coach Grant understood we had to play better teams to get into the NCAA Tourney. I am looking forward to it.


 

[pmull]

What a great event for you to attend. Thanks for sharing it with us. I have a few questions for you:

1. Did CAG or the players mention the trip to Europe? I know they had a good time but from a basketball standpoint do they think the trip helped the team?

2. How did Engstrom look? Does it look like he is fully recovered from his knee injury? Is he wearing a brace?

3. How did Hale and Taylor look? It appears to me they will be forced to play early and often as freshmen.

4. Did CAG mention the strength and conditoning program and the new coach? I am looking forward to seeing Jacobs playing in shape at his natural forward position.

5. How many people were at your table? Were you able to talk Trevor and Ricky? Is Trevor excited about his senior season and this year's team?

[Jamos]

What a great event for you to attend. Thanks for sharing it with us. I have a few questions for you:

1. Did CAG or the players mention the trip to Europe? I know they had a good time but from a basketball standpoint do they think the trip helped the team?

2. How did Engstrom look? Does it look like he is fully recovered from his knee injury? Is he wearing a brace?

3. How did Hale and Taylor look? It appears to me they will be forced to play early and often as freshmen.

4. Did CAG mention the strength and conditoning program and the new coach? I am looking forward to seeing Jacobs playing in shape at his natural forward position.

5. How many people were at your table? Were you able to talk Trevor and Ricky? Is Trevor excited about his senior season and this year's team?

1- Yes, that was the first thing he talked about after all of his introductions. He said the extra time of practice has paid big dividends to the team but the trip itself was a big learning experience for the players.

2-Enstrom practiced with all the energy that he had before and he was wearing a brace but I would think that would be required of him by the team physician. CAG went into detail about Engstrom and explained that this is his fifth year to ever play basketball. The previous years have been a learning process for him in that everything was all mental for him. He explained that in the past years if a ball was in the air, Carl would start thinking to squat, put arms in the air, and jump to catch with both hands versus the natural reaction that we all know because we grew up playing basketball. Cag said that now the reaction thing is taking place for him and not the thinking process of doing everything right. He also said that Carl would never be a player that will average 20 points a game but he does so many other things very well that permits the others to score.

3- If you hadn't known that the incoming players were freshmen you wouldn't have guessed it. I was pleased with the intensity of all on both ends of the court. I think the you are right about their playing time.

4- He did and is very pleased with what he has done so far. They ended practice by doing a session of heavy stretching the legs and he is very vocal, maybe a little spin off of Cochran and that shouldn't be bad.

5- Seven. Ricky sat next to me and Trevor across from me. Ricky was very talkative and Treavor was the quieter of the two but he did share in some of the conversation at the table. T. I told him that we had gotten him two more years of eligibility and he respond, fantastic. Treavor has this great smile which is usually his answer to your question . Ricky explained to me that he had just come off of a fracture of his back and was all excited about getting on the court. I asked him about Levi and he hinted maybe him returning within the next two weeks but CAG was very cautious about the return of Levi, he doesn't want to ruin his career.

By the way, CAG calls Releford "Rele", I guess that's from when he had two Treavors on the team.

[2Stater]

Great report, J. Really looking forward to the season. 

[pmull]

What a great event for you to attend. Thanks for sharing it with us. I have a few questions for you:

1. Did CAG or the players mention the trip to Europe? I know they had a good time but from a basketball standpoint do they think the trip helped the team?

2. How did Engstrom look? Does it look like he is fully recovered from his knee injury? Is he wearing a brace?

3. How did Hale and Taylor look? It appears to me they will be forced to play early and often as freshmen.

4. Did CAG mention the strength and conditoning program and the new coach? I am looking forward to seeing Jacobs playing in shape at his natural forward position.

5. How many people were at your table? Were you able to talk Trevor and Ricky? Is Trevor excited about his senior season and this year's team?

1- Yes, that was the first thing he talked about after all of his introductions. He said the extra time of practice has paid big dividends to the team but the trip itself was a big learning experience for the players.

2-Enstrom practiced with all the energy that he had before and he was wearing a brace but I would think that would be required of him by the team physician. CAG went into detail about Engstrom and explained that this is his fifth year to ever play basketball. The previous years have been a learning process for him in that everything was all mental for him. He explained that in the past years if a ball was in the air, Carl would start thinking to squat, put arms in the air, and jump to catch with both hands versus the natural reaction that we all know because we grew up playing basketball. Cag said that now the reaction thing is taking place for him and not the thinking process of doing everything right. He also said that Carl would never be a player that will average 20 points a game but he does so many other things very well that permits the others to score.

3- If you hadn't known that the incoming players were freshmen you wouldn't have guessed it. I was pleased with the intensity of all on both ends of the court. I think the you are right about their playing time.

4- He did and is very pleased with what he has done so far. They ended practice by doing a session of heavy stretching the legs and he is very vocal, maybe a little spin off of Cochran and that shouldn't be bad.

5- Seven. Ricky sat next to me and Trevor across from me. Ricky was very talkative and Treavor was the quieter of the two but he did share in some of the conversation at the table. T. I told him that we had gotten him two more years of eligibility and he respond, fantastic. Treavor has this great smile which is usually his answer to your question . Ricky explained to me that he had just come off of a fracture of his back and was all excited about getting on the court. I asked him about Levi and he hinted maybe him returning within the next two weeks but CAG was very cautious about the return of Levi, he doesn't want to ruin his career.

By the way, CAG calls Releford Rele, I guess that's from when he had two Treavors on the team.

Thanks for responding to my questions. That is some good information. I have never met the players but they appear to be good kids. I envy you getting to go to this events. If you ever get the opportunity to take a friend I'm your guy. 

[Jamos]

What a great event for you to attend. Thanks for sharing it with us. I have a few questions for you:

1. Did CAG or the players mention the trip to Europe? I know they had a good time but from a basketball standpoint do they think the trip helped the team?

2. How did Engstrom look? Does it look like he is fully recovered from his knee injury? Is he wearing a brace?

3. How did Hale and Taylor look? It appears to me they will be forced to play early and often as freshmen.

4. Did CAG mention the strength and conditoning program and the new coach? I am looking forward to seeing Jacobs playing in shape at his natural forward position.

5. How many people were at your table? Were you able to talk Trevor and Ricky? Is Trevor excited about his senior season and this year's team?

1- Yes, that was the first thing he talked about after all of his introductions. He said the extra time of practice has paid big dividends to the team but the trip itself was a big learning experience for the players.

2-Enstrom practiced with all the energy that he had before and he was wearing a brace but I would think that would be required of him by the team physician. CAG went into detail about Engstrom and explained that this is his fifth year to ever play basketball. The previous years have been a learning process for him in that everything was all mental for him. He explained that in the past years if a ball was in the air, Carl would start thinking to squat, put arms in the air, and jump to catch with both hands versus the natural reaction that we all know because we grew up playing basketball. Cag said that now the reaction thing is taking place for him and not the thinking process of doing everything right. He also said that Carl would never be a player that will average 20 points a game but he does so many other things very well that permits the others to score.

3- If you hadn't known that the incoming players were freshmen you wouldn't have guessed it. I was pleased with the intensity of all on both ends of the court. I think the you are right about their playing time.

4- He did and is very pleased with what he has done so far. They ended practice by doing a session of heavy stretching the legs and he is very vocal, maybe a little spin off of Cochran and that shouldn't be bad.

5- Seven. Ricky sat next to me and Trevor across from me. Ricky was very talkative and Treavor was the quieter of the two but he did share in some of the conversation at the table. T. I told him that we had gotten him two more years of eligibility and he respond, fantastic. Treavor has this great smile which is usually his answer to your question . Ricky explained to me that he had just come off of a fracture of his back and was all excited about getting on the court. I asked him about Levi and he hinted maybe him returning within the next two weeks but CAG was very cautious about the return of Levi, he doesn't want to ruin his career.

By the way, CAG calls Releford Rele, I guess that's from when he had two Treavors on the team.

Thanks for responding to my questions. That is some good information. I have never met the players but they appear to be good kids. I envy you getting to go to this events. If you ever get the opportunity to take a friend I'm your guy. 

You bet.

[pmull]

Alabama Basketball Blog has a post about the practice and dinner Jamos started this thread about. Much of it Jamos has already covered but they mention a few things that is worth a quick read.

I primarily focused on the new guys, as I think we all have a good idea of what the returning players are capable of.  I was impressed with both Jimmie Taylor and Shannon Hale.  Shannon made a 3 pointer from the corner, but was also able to play some defense and effect some shots in the paint.  I can see him being a very effective 6th man type for us and help us stretch some defenses and open things up in the lane.  Jimmie Taylor already seems more ready than Pollard was a year ago.  He's skinny, but more than strong enough to defend in the post, and I think he has better instincts offensively as well.  He's still a bit raw, but he had one dunk where he beat his man with a cut to the basket, and also had another play where he got open on the low block but mishandled the pass.

Algie Key is quick and athletic and will be a good defender.  Hopefully with the new rules he will be able to get to the free throw line some.  He won't be much of a perimeter shooter.  I did not watch Tarrant and Kessons as closely since they can't play this year, but from what I saw they both have some talent and should be able to contribute next year.  A year in our system of practice and watching games will help.

Click here for link

[ricky023]

Hey JAMOS thank you for sharing you are really tops. I look forward to watching them play on TV. To have a thought of getting in the Big Tourney and might be competition to someone is so satisfying. RTR!

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