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Buckle Up!
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Bama Bounces Texas A&M 63-62
Riley Norris
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley
Alabama head basketball coach AVERY JOHNSON told the Crimson Tide faithful from day one to "Buckle Up!" He knew it was going to be a ride. Now the Bama fans knows what it means.
The University of Alabama men's basketball team upset the No. 15/13 Texas A&M Aggies last night 63-62 in Coleman Coliseum. This now makes four AP Top 25 teams Alabama has beaten in the regular season, the first time since 2001-02. Alabama improves to 14-9, 5-6 SEC while the Aggies slip to 18-6, 7-4 SEC.
Johnson said, "Tonight's game...we're just excited on a lot of different levels. We had some key contributions across the board. The two guys
(Obasohan and Hall) here, Retin just again, he's been kind of our
superman all year. We can depend on him. He does a lot of different
things for us, solves a lot of problems. He plays both ends of the
floor, plays on the ball, off the ball. He gets assists, he gets steals
and he rebounds. Donta had some big blocks and a couple of key plays for
us and some steals and then our other guys. SHANNON HALE's 10 points was great. RILEY NORRIS, his defense on House was critical, so I can go on and on. ARTHUR EDWARDS making a big shot for us, a big three. We did a good job of defending
the three-point line better in the second half than we did in the first
half. So just good overall team win. I'm proud of our coaching staff. We
install our game plans a day or two before and as hard as our staff
works at my assignment and making sure the guys know what we're doing
has gone a long way for us. We have another big one on Friday, but we're
going to enjoy this one tonight."
Leading the team was RETIN OBASOHAN with 16 points, five assists and three steals. He has
11 double-digit scoring games in the last 12 contests. Freshman DONTA HALL led the team with a game-high and season-high 10 rebounds, pumped in six points and grabbed a pair of steals in the contest.
Concerning Coach Johnson and his impact on the team, Obasohan said, "The impact that this great man next to me has had, it's hard to put into words. You guys have seen it. Just his charisma, his leadership, his vision and his passion for the game, you literally cannot put into words. It has been contagious since the day he stepped onto this campus, or as you said, stepped off a private jet. But he has been a tremendous help. He just instills that confidence in us and, more than anything, he instills that conviction just to want to come out here and compete as hard as we possibly can for each other and for him."
This contest was the sixth one-possession victory of the season for the Crimson Tide, improving Bama's record to 5-1.
Bama led in rebounds 36-29 last night, the 10th time this season the Tide has done so. Alabama improved to 9-1 when winning the battle of the boards. The Crimson Tide also recorded a season-high 12 steals in last night's victory.
Next up for the Tide is a trip to Gainsville, Florida where the boys from Bama will take on the Florida Gators. The game will be this Saturday, February 13th with a 4:30 p.m. CT tip off. The game will air on the SEC Network.
Retin Obasohan
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley
Alabama Head Basketball Coach Avery Johnson
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley
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Saban Welcomes Coach Derrick Ansley To UA
Alabama Defensive Backs Coach Derrick Ansley
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach NICK SABAN has officially announced the hiring of DERRICK ANSLEY yesterday to coach the defensive backs.
Ansley was recently promoted to the position of co-defensive coordinator of the Kentucky Wildcats football team after having been at UK for the past three seasons as the cornerbacks coach (2013-14) and secondary coach (2015).
Saban said, "We are very happy to have Derrick and his family back at Alabama. Derrick did an outstanding job when he was with us as a
graduate assistant, and he has a very good understanding of how we run
our program and what is expected. He is a bright young coach, and he
will be a great addition working with the defensive backs. We also
believe he will be a tremendous asset to our staff in the recruiting
process."
Ansley was the defensive backs coach at Central Florida in 2011, defensive backs coach at Tennessee in 2012 and on to Kentucky the following year.
I have incredible admiration for The University of Alabama and the
organization Coach Saban has built, especially after spending a couple
of seasons here as a graduate assistant, which was instrumental in my
development as a coach," Ansley commented. "I am so appreciative of the opportunity Coach
Saban is giving me because as a defensive coach it doesn't get any
better. Having grown up in the state of Alabama, I also have a
tremendous understanding of the tradition and history of Crimson Tide
football and what a special place it is to work. I look forward to doing
my part to help continue the success this program has enjoyed."
Ansley spent five seasons coaching at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, an NCAA Division III school, before taking the graduate assistant position at the University of Alabama.
As a player at Troy University in the early 2000s, Ansley started in 40 consecutive game for the Trojans. He finished third in the nation in interceptions as a junior defensive back in 2003 with nine picks. He was named first team All-Sun Belt Conference as a senior in 2004, which was Troy's first season in the league.
Ansley is a native of Tallassee, Alabama. He is married to wife, Alaea, and have one daughter, Selena.
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Tide Softball To Begin 20th Season
University of Alabama softball begins its 20th season this weekend in Orlando, Florida. The Crimson Tide will begin the season with a No. 5 preseason ranking.
Alabama head coach PATRICK MURPHEY, now in his 18th season as head coach, said, "Now anybody that plays us early, we're the game they’re circling
on their schedule. We know that whoever we play, they’re
going to bring their best game. That’s the good and bad thing about
being at Alabama: you’re the bullseye. We have three teams in week one
that all made the postseason last year and are very capable, so we’ll be
tested early. It’s a great way for our team to realize that you can’t
take a day off. With the parity in college softball, you’ll get beat if
you take a day off. You have to bring you’re A-game every day."
This season the Crimson Tide will play 34 games agains 16 teams that made the postseason last year, including 10 out-of-conference games this season.
Murphy continued, "This is our 20th year and I’ve seen a lot. I’ve learned
the hard way what happens when I’ve scheduled easy. We had a great
record, we hosted regionals but then we got our butts kicked. We weren’t
tested enough and I knew it. If we got behind in a game, it was like
the season was over. I could see it in everybody’s faces. I learned that
I had to schedule harder at the beginning of the year. I also learned
that you have to lose the small one in order to win the big one. No one
likes to lose, but I definitely believe that you learn more when you
lose than when you just steamroll everybody, because then no one has to
face adversity. You have to learn to deal with the negative part of it.
If you win every game by 10 runs, you don’t really know a lot about who
you have."
Get your tickets today for the new season.
