Men's Basketball Team Honored At Annual Banquet
Annual Basketball Awards Banquet
2015-16 UA Men's Basketball Team & Avery Johnson
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley
There was a well-deserved celebration last night. It was a celebration for a group of young men who achieved this year above expectations, men who showed heart and determination. It was a celebration to honor young men who showed grit in the face of adversity.
The annual awards banquet for the University of Alabama men's basketball team was held last night at Coleman Coliseum. There were more than 500 Bama basketball fans on hand to help honor the Crimson Tide student-athletes, basketball staff and managers who were all recognized for their accomplishments and efforts, both on and off the court, during head coach Avery Johnson's inaugural basketball season.
Johnson and the Crimson Tide completed the 2015-16 season with an 18-15 overall record and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). In fact, the Tide made its fifth postseason appearance this year in the last seven years. It should be noted that the 18 wins by this Crimson Tide team tied the record for the most wins by an Alabama first-year head coach, that being current head Avery Johnson with Alabama legend Wimp Sanderson (1980-81).
No one expected the Tide to do as well as they did this season, despite the fact that the new head coach came in filled with enthusiasm and determination telling everyone to, "Buckle up." And the first season for Avery Johnson was indeed a ride that was buckle-up-worthy. Alabama defeated four AP Top 25 teams over the year which led the SEC. It was the first time since 2001-02 that an Alabama team recorded four AP Top 25 victories during the regular season. The Crimson Tide also was able to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Florida Gators by downing the Gators on the road. It was the first time Alabama won in Gainesville since February 25, 1995.
Besides the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team, members of the Tuscaloosa Tip-Off Club and Tide Pride were also inside Coleman Coliseum for the banquet festivities. Following dinner, Crimson Tide Sports Network color commentator Bryan Passink, who served as master of ceremonies on the evening, introduced University of Alabama Director of Athletics Bill Battle who addressed the crowd to thank them for their support.
Both student and general fan support was huge during the first year of the Avery Johnson coached Crimson Tide for 2015-16. In fact, a school record was set this season as Alabama averaged 13,110 fans per game, ranking 22nd-best in the nation. Also, Bama sold out five games on the season, the most sellouts in a single year since the 2006-07 season.
Alabama head coach Avery Johnson presenting the following individual awards to the 2015-16 individual student-athletes:
Outstanding Offensive Player: Senior guard Retin Obashohan
Most Improved Player: Senior guard Arthur Edwards
Outstanding Freshman: Forward Donta Hall
Outstanding Defensive Player: Sophomore forward Riley Norris
Coach Avery Award: Walk-on freshman Lawson Schaffer
Commitment To Service Award: Obasohan & Edwards
Student Academic Achievement Award: Christian Clark, Jimmie Taylor & Obaohan
Departing Seniors: Michael Kessens, Obasohan & Edwards
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Alabama Softball To Celebrate Alumni Weekend
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Hosts Kentucky Wildcats For 3-Day Series
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide softball team (39-8, 10-5 SEC) will host the 11th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (38-9, 13-5 SEC) at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa in a three-game weekend series that will also celebrate the team's Alumni Weekend.
The first game is scheduled for tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT. The second game is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. CT (SEC Network), and the finale of the weekend is set for Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. CT.
This weekend is the 20th anniversary celebration for Alabama softball, with the team, staff, and school welcoming a large contingent of alumni from throughout the program’s illustrious 20-year history back to the Capstone. Since its
inception in 1997, Alabama has quickly risen to one of the premiere
programs in the nation.
Come on out and enjoy the three-game series, as well as the fun and festivities and say hello to your favorites from the past 20 years.
Here is a look at 20 years of Alabama Crimson Tide Softball:
- 1,007-296 (.773) record
- 10 Women’s College World Series appearances
- 2012 national champions
- 17-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1999-2015)
- 11-straight NCAA Super Regional appearances (2005-15)
- 5 SEC regular season titles
- 5 SEC tournament titles
- 49 NFCA All-America awards
- 19 CoSIDA Academic All-America awards
- 89 All-SEC honors
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Tide Baseball To Face 3rd-Ranked Texas A&M
Graphics Credit: RollTide.com
The University of Alabama baseball team will face another nationally-ranked team this weekend. This time it's a trip to College Station, Texas to do battle with the third-ranked Texas A&M Aggies in a three-game weekend series. The series opener is tonight at 6:30 p.m. CT, Saturday's contest will be at 2 p.m. CT and the Sunday finale is scheduled 1 p.m. CT. All three games will air live on SECN+. Will
Johnsonwill be handling the play-by-play and Mark Johnson will be providing color for all
the action.
Starting pitchers for the Crimson Tide this weekend will be a trio of right-handers. First up is junior Geoffrey Bramblett to open the series tonight, followed by sophomore Jake Walters on Saturday, and then on Sunday junior Nick Eicholtz closes out the series.
A&M will counter with three righties of their own. First up will be sophomore Brigham Hill in Friday's series opener. On Saturday. A&M
will pitch sophomore Jace Vines, and then close out the weekend with
senior Kyle Simonds on Sunday afternoon.
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Alabama Volleyball Offers 7 Summer Camps
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Seven different summer camps have been announced by the Alabama volleyball program at the University of Alabama. All interested are invited to go to www.alabamavolleyballcamps.com for complete information and the opportunity to register.
According to RollTide.com, head coaches can reserve a spot for the Team Camp by emailing Assistant Coach Ryan Freeburg at rfreeburg@ia.ua.edu. UA Faculty and Staff can receive a 30 percent discount on camp tuition for the Setter/Attacker Camp (July 8), All Skills Camp (July 9-10), Positional Camp (July 9-10) and Libero Camp (July 11). Also be aware that the Team Camp (July 30-Aug. 1) has a registration deadline of July 15, 2016.
Those attending the camps will have the opportunity to work with a large number of current and former players, head coaches and assistant coaches from both the Division I and Division II level. Last season’s camps set new records for attendance, a trend that has been growing since Ed Allen took over the Crimson Tide program in 2011.
The team will be setting up additional sport courts in the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Football Facility in anticipation of more growth in attendance this year. This will allow for bigger and better camps that will allow each player to find a level that maximizes their pace of learning. Team camp capacity will nearly double, increasing from 12 teams to 22!
The full list of camps are below:
- July 5-6: Middle School Day Camp (5th – 8th Grade)
- July 8: Setter/Attacker Day Camp (5th Grade and Up)
- July 9-10: All Skills Camp (5th Grade and Up)
- July 9-10: Positional Camp (5th Grade and Up)
- July 11: Libero Camp (5th Grade and Up)
- July 11: Elementary Camp (Kindergarten – 6th Grade)
- July 30-August 1: Team Camp
