Crimson Tide Men's Tennis Signs Three For 2016
The University of Alabama men's tennis team has added three new players for the 2016-17 season, according to Crimson Tide head coach George Husack. Joining the Tide for this coming season are Thibault Cancel, Alexey Nesterov and Ritchie Druunenberg.
From Toulouse, France, Cancel held a top 5 French junior ranking in U19s. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of No. 1438 with wins over fellow ATP ranked opponents in ITF Futures events including Gregoire Barrere (#192), Jeremy Jahn (#307), Jaume Plamalfeito (#546) and Julien Demois (#660). Besides tennis, Cancel enjoys competing in the sport of kickboxing. He selected the Crimson Tide over Oklahoma.
Concerning Cancel, Husack said, "Thibault is a tremendous talent and competitor. He has trained and competed at a very high level while also studying full time in high school. He has a contagious personality and spirit that will impact those around him. We learned a lot about his goals and character during the recruiting process and his campus visit. It's a special fit for all of us and we are very excited to have him at Alabama."
Incoming freshman Alexy Nesterov from Moscow, Russia was ranked No. 1 in Boys 16s in Russia and represented his country on the Junior Davis Cup team. He reached a high of No. 150 in the ITF junior rankings before leaving Russia for the United States to train at the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, California. Recently Nesterov won the doubles title at the recent Ozerov Cup in Russia, the singles title at the Messika Open – Bat Yam in Israel and the ITF East African 18 & Under Junior Circuit in Kenya. Nesterov was also the singles winner of the La Habra Men's Open and a finalist at the Conejo Cup. He scored a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT on his first attempt and chose Alabama over UCLA, Wake Forest, Fresno State and Boise State.
"Alexey is a work horse and what I would call a gym rat," explained Husack. "He always gives 110 percent on the court and seeks to improve on a daily basis. He reminds me a lot of Daniil Proskura as he has made many sacrifices to seize opportunities to improve as a player and person. Leaving his family in Moscow to train and study in California was a big move. He was coached and mentored by outstanding people there, and now he's headed to another new territory. He fell in love with Alabama during his visit (over Auburn dual match weekend) and his intangibles spoke volumes. We are pumped to have him return to the Capstone as a member of our tennis program."
A senior transfer from Morehead State, Kruunenberg, comes to the University of Alabama by way of Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands and is a two-time first team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection. He played No. 1 singles and doubles in both his seasons with the Eagles, winning a combined 47 matches. He began his collegiate career at Ohio Dominican, where he also played No. 1, racking up a team-best 22-6 overall record while ending the 2014 season on an eight match win streak.
Husack said, "Ritchie is your quintessential student-athlete with exceptional athletic and academic talents. It was unfortunate to learn that Morehead State dropped their tennis program, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have him close out his college career at The University of Alabama. He made an impression on us two years ago when we competed against him, and now he's on campus. Strange how things work out, but it's all for good reason."
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Six Alabama Football Players On Awards Watch Lists
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Six Alabama Football Players On Awards Watch Lists
Six University of Alabama Crimson Tide football players have been placed on watch lists for 2016.
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley as well as tight end O.J. Howard were both named
to the Maxwell Award watch list, while defensive lineman Jonathan
Allen, safety Eddie Jackson and linebackers Reuben Foster and Tim
Williams were named in the Bednarik Award list. The four Crimson Tide
players selected to the Bednarik Award watch list were the most by any
school.
The Maxwell Award is given to the best college player in
the nation each year, although the honor is typically handed to the best
offensive player. The Bednarik is presented to the country’s top
defensive player.
The Tide's Ridley set an Alabama freshman record last season
with 89 receptions for 1,045 yards as well as having a team-high seven touchdown
receptions. He was a member of the Sporting News and SEC all-freshman teams and was chosen to the All-SEC second team by the Associated Press.
Howard was big for Bama last season as he brought down 38 receptions for 602 yards and two touchdowns, while racking
up a team-high 15.8 yards per catch. In Alabama’s national championship win over Clemson 45-40, he caught five passes
for 208 yards and two touchdowns en route to earning the game’s
offensive MVP honors.
Big Jonathan Allen had 36 tackles this past season with a
team-leading 14.5 tackles for a loss. He added 12 sacks, four pass
breakups as well as six quarterback hurries. Allen was named to the All-SEC
first-team defense by the conference coaches and the Associated Press.
He ranked 17th nationally and second in the SEC in sacks with .80 per
game.
Eddie Jackson was the Crimson Tide's interceptions leader this past season, hauling in six, as well as returning two
of them for touchdowns. He also totaled 46 tackles, a forced fumble and
a fumble recovery. Jackson was named to the All-SEC first team by the
conference coaches and Associated Press, as well as earning second-team All-America
honors from Walter Camp and the FWAA. He was named a third-team
All-American by the Associated Press.
Alabama's Reuben Foster had a big 2015 season with 73 tackles,
eight for loss, with two sacks. He also had three
quarterback hurries as well as nine pass breakups.
Tim Williams stepped up big for the Tide last season, and even bigger things are expected from him this year. He finished
second on the team last season with 10 1/2 sacks to go with his 12 1/2 tackles for a loss. He also had four quarterback hurries and one
pass breakup.
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Diving Coach Pat Greenwell Announces Retirement
Pat Greenwell
Alabama Diving Coach
Photot Credit: RollTide.com
After 29 seasons, University of Alabama diving coach Pat Greenwell has announced his retirement from the university and coaching.
"When you come to a decision like this it's never any one thing," Greenwell explained. "But both my parents are still alive and my father is in the process of recovering from a stroke, so the opportunity to spend more time with both of them was certainly a key factor for me.
"Being at Alabama all these years gave me the opportunity to work with so many student-athletes and coaches, and I have to thank them all for giving me the chance to learn what I learned from each one of them, which made me the person I am today."
Greenwell began his career with the Crimson Tide in the fall of 1987, was named Southeastern Conference Diving Coach of the Year six times and coached Alabama divers to eight SEC Diver of the Year honors.
Crimson Tide head swimming and diving coach Dennis Pursley said, "Words cannot express the amount of respect, appreciation and gratitude I have for the incredible contributions Pat has made to our program over so many years. His accomplishments will be forever remembered in our swimming and diving family. Even more important to me, Pat is a person of the highest integrity so we truly have some enormous shoes to fill."
Greenwell is married the former Debbie Purifoy.
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4-Star Safety Montaric Brown To Commit Today
Montaric Brown
4-Star Safety Prospect
Photo Credit: 247Sports
Montaric Brown, a four-star safety and number one prospect from the state of Arkansas, is set to make his choice of the university for whom he wishes to play. He is scheduled to make his announcement at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
Brown recently list Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU and Oklahoma State as his top five, and that is the group from whom the youngster is expected to choose.
The 6' 1", 175-pounder is ranked as the No. 209 prospect overall, and the No. 17 safety in the 247Sports composite. Their individual rankings place Brown as the No. 11 safety and No. 117 recruit in the country.
This past season Brown turned in 123 tackles and five interceptions as a junior.
Twelve of the nation's top quarterback recruits will be on hand, including Alabama commit Tua Tagovailoa. He is the four-star commit from Hawaii, and pledged to the Crimson Tide in May.
Another pair of Alabama prospects/commitments are there. 6' 5" Nico Collins as well as 6' 6" Tyrell Shavers will be looking to shine for the Tide.
Several Tide targets are there. Devonta Smith out of Amite, Louisiana, Jerry Jeudy from Deerfield Beach, Florida and Tyjon Lindsey from Corona, California are looking to strut their stuff.
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Elite 11 At The Opening Gets Underway
Elite 11 competition at The Opening officially begins today at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon after quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends participated in a light workout yesterday.
More than 150 top recruits will be on hand by Friday from all positions as the each one pits themselves against others in their position and overall.
Another pair of Alabama prospects/commitments are there. 6' 5" Nico Collins as well as 6' 6" Tyrell Shavers will be looking to shine for the Tide.
Several Tide targets are there. Devonta Smith out of Amite, Louisiana, Jerry Jeudy from Deerfield Beach, Florida and Tyjon Lindsey from Corona, California are looking to strut their stuff.
