Coach Saban Talks Discipline
Prior to a round of golf at the Regions Tradition at Greystone Country Club, University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban took just a few moments to field questions from the press. Of course, foremost on their minds was the question of what was going to happen with the two football players arrested recently. Those players, of course, are left tackle Cam Robinson and safety Hootie Jones.
Saban did say that he had spoken with both of the players after their arrest on the drug and weapon possession charges but had no new information. He said, "Yeah, I talked to them and there's nothing really different on it."
Robinson and Jones were arrested at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning in Monroe Louisiana. Both were charged with possession of a controlled substance, while Robinson faces a more serious charge of possession of a stolen firearm.
As before, Saban said the investigation done by the football program, athletic department and university will be done in private.
He stated, "Look, I'm not going to talk about that now. You've
been around here for nine years, have you not? How do we do it? We do it
internally. It's not something we do publicly and we're not going to do
it today."
Most suspensions or disciplinary action from past problems during the off season carried over into the following fall after an internal investigation had taken place. Saban hasn't had but a few of his players arrested since his tenure as Alabama's head football coach began.
Once again Saban explained how he liked to deal with the "off-field issues" every coach faces at every university. He said, "If we can change their behavior based on what we do, that would be
the purpose of discipline. Discipline is not necessarily
just punishment, which a lot of people view it that way. It's how do you
change somebody's behavior so they have a better chance to be
successful.
"That's the way we've always done it. That's the way we always try to do it. That's the way I like to do it with my own children. I think that's the way most parents like to do it with their own children."
He said that when they are through with their own investigation then more information will be forthcoming.
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Crimson Tide Football Offers 8th-Grader Machado
8th-Grade Tide LB Prospect Jesus Machado
Photo Credit: BleacherReport.com
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Crimson Tide Football Offers 8th-Grader Machado
Photo Credit: BleacherReport.com
University of Alabama football has extended a verbal offer for a full ride to eighth-grader Jesus Machado, according to his high school head coach Dennis Marroquin via ESPN.com
The Crimson Tide is interested in the young 6-foot, 195-pounder as a linebacker prospect. The defense-minded young man currently plays for Champagnat Catholic School in Hialeah, Florida.
Alabama isn't the only college extending offers to Machado. He also has received verbal offers from Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina State, West Virginia and others.
Verbal offers are of course non-binding on either party. Prospects are not allowed to receive written offers until their senior season according to NCAA rules.
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Bama Baseball Closes Out 2016 Regular Season
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Tide Hosts 10th-Ranked Gamecocks
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The University of Alabama men's baseball team will close out the regular season portion of its schedule with a three-game series against the 10th-ranked
South Carolina Gamecocks beginning tonight and continuing through Saturday. Bama and South Carolina face off tonight at 7 p.m. CT and tomorrow night,
with the Saturday finale scheduled for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch. All three games
will air live on SECN+ with Mick Gillispie calling all three games.
Gillispie will be joined by Scott McClanahan on Thursday and Friday, and then Lance Cormier will slide into the co-pilot's seat for Saturday's series finale.
The Crimson Tide and Gamecocks meet tonight for the 57th time in series history. South Carolina holds the all-time advantage, 31-25, but Alabama holds an ever-so-slight lead at Sewell-Thomas Stadium with a record of 13-10. The Gamecocks won eight of the last 10, including
claiming the 2-1 series victory over the Crimson Tide in Columbia from
April 25-27, 2014, when the two teams last met.
Alabama will call on a pair of right-handed starters to begin the series. Junior Geoffrey Bramblett will start things off for the Tide tonight, with sophomore Jake Walters hand the pitching duties in Friday's second contest. The Alabama starter for Saturday is still to be announced.
The Crimson Tide's final three-game regular season series with the Gamecocks will be feature numerous
promotions, including a celebration of the Alabama's seven seniors. Tonight's game will be sponsored by Crimson Student Living and is
College of Commerce Night. The second game of the series, sponsored by
Holiday Inn Express, is scheduled to be Senior Day, with a ceremony
honoring UA's seniors scheduled to take place before the game. Inaugural
season lapel pins celebrating season one in the new Joe will also be given away to the first 250 fans through
the gates on Friday night. Saturday's regular-season finale is
sponsored by Southern Ale House and will be Scout Day, with all boy and
girl scouts receiving a group ticket rate when they arrive wearing their
uniforms. Saturday is also the final game for Baseball Bingo.
In the area? Come on out and support the Crimson Tide in their final regular season series. Those of you who can't make it, tune in to SECN+.
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Tide Pitcher Zac Rogers Receives Honor
Sohomore Zac Rogers
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Alabama Crimson Tide sophomore pitcher Zac Rogers was named to the 2016 Community Service Team yesterday by the Southeastern Conference office.
Rogers has been an outstanding volunteer, putting in over 20 hours of service this past season as part of the baseball team's continued efforts in the Tuscaloosa community. Rogers and his teammates once again led all male sport teams at the University this season for community service hours worked, a distinction the Tide has held numerous times during the leadership of head coach Mitch Gaspard.
Rogers, a native of Goodwater, Alabama, spent the majority of his service hours visiting University Place Elementary in Tuscaloosa. He also volunteered his time at Tuscaloosa Emergency Services this fall. He also devoted time at the Miracle League, a baseball league created for children with disabilities. Rogers and his teammates played games, signed autographs and took pictures with the league's players.
The entire team also took part in the Athletics Department's annual Halloween Extravaganza, an event created for Tuscaloosa youth to spend the Halloween holiday with Alabama's student-athletes from all sports.
Rogers closed out the fall semester helping with High Socks for Hope, the charity of former Alabama reliever and current Chicago White Sox closer David Robertson. The baseball team partnered with Robertson's charity to pack and deliver boxes of food to veterans across Tuscaloosa. The boxes provided the former military members with a ready-to-make Thanksgiving meal.
The conference names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each member school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.
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Tide Men's Golf Takes 3rd In Regional Play
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Makes 18th Trip To NCAA National Championships
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The Alabama men's golf team came in with a third-place finish at the NCAA Men's Golf Tuscaloosa Regional with a 54-hole
score of 7-under par 857 (292-284-281). With their top five finish, the
Crimson Tide advances to the 2016 Men's Golf National Championships
in Eugene, Oregon. The championships will be held May 27-June 1 at Eugene Country
Club.
This will be the 18th time in University of Alabama golf history that the men's golf team will
advance to the national championships, and the ninth time it has happened
under the leadership of Crimson Tide head coach Jay Seawell.
"The course was great and Ol' Colony has done a phenomenal job getting it ready for this event, but it made it different than any other time we've played it. It made us very tentative the first few holes in the first round, but after that, I thought we played great. I am very proud of our university, the Ol' Colony staff, all the volunteers and the city of Tuscaloosa. You dream this and it is exactly what I believed it to be. It means a great deal."
Freshman Davis Riley led the Tide in regional play. Riley tied for fourth overall with a three-day total of 6-under par 210. After recording an opening round of 2-over 74, the Hattiesburg, Mississippi native responded with a career-low tying 5-under par 67 on Tuesday. He followed that up with a 3-under par 69 on Wednesday which resulted in his second-lowest 54-hole total of the season. He finished the tournament in second place with 16 total birdies and was fifth in par 4 scoring average (3.83, -5).
Concerning his tournament play, Riley said, "I played really well the first day but stumbled in a bit to end the round. I thought I played very well (Tuesday) and today (Wednesday) I didn't finish so hot, but it was a good week overall. It was nice to play well here at home and in front of our fans."
Junior golfer Robby Shelton carded a three-day total of 1-under par 215 (71-74-70) and tied for 10th in the event.
Senior Tom Lovelady closed the event with 3-under 69 to finish tied for 14th overall at even par 216 (75-72-69).
Junior Dru Love tied for 21st with a 3-over par 219 (74-72-73), with sophomore Jonathan Hardee in 24th place with a 220 (73-73-74).
All five teams advancing from the Tuscaloosa Regional were from the Southeastern Conference. The league champion Georgia Bulldogs claimed the victory with a team total of 16-under par 848. South Carolina, ranked No. 17 in the nation, finished second at 12-under par 852. Following the Crimson Tide, No. 32 Kentucky placed fourth with a team score of 6-under 858. Auburn rounded out the top five with an 867. Nine SEC teams advanced to the NCAA National Championships in all.
The Crimson Tide has now reached national championship play in eight of the last 10 years, and will be looking for its third NCAA team title after winning back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. Alabama also finished national runners-up in 2012.
Alabama freshman golfer Davis Riley
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Robert Sutton
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