Yes, I know that we play LSU in 12 days. Yes, I know there are still 4 regular season games to go. But guys, I am pumped about this year's team.
This time we'll look at one reason for the excitement:
Who's Back
It all starts with Jamychal Green. The only senior on the roster, he has been all SEC the last two years. This year he is definitely an All American candidate. He has been nominated for the Wooden Award, the hoops equivalent of the Heisman. In summer play in China with the US team he was the leading scorer in half of the games.At 6'8" and a chiseled 230 pounds he is also very athletic. It is his senior year and his time to give us something to remember us by. He has come a long way in a year, from Grant's dog house to being a star and a leader. There are always some ways a college player can improve his game. Mike needs to keep his emotions under control and play hard without fouling. If he has matured to that extent he will have a memorable senior year.
Tony Mitchell is a 6'6" 220 pound bundle of energy and athleticism. he bought into Coach Grant's defensive philosphy early on, and has contributed at both ends of the court. Open court and slash to the basket has been most of his offense so far in his career, but he has been working on an outside game to go with it. He is a terrific defender who is even capable of playing a big man in the low post if the situation calls for it. With our young phenoms coming in to play the wings, hopefully Tony won't play the heavy number of minutes that he did last season.
Trevor Releford is a drive and dish point guard who gave us the best play we've had from the position since Antoine Pettway ran out of eligibility. Quickness and speed with the ball are highlights of his game, and he needs only a small opening to blow right by a defender. Releford hopefully added some upper body strength in the off season to add durability and the ability to finish to his game. He has worked extensively to upgrade his streaky perimeter game. We anxiously await the results.
The Green, Mitchell and Releford threesome is a big source of the excitement for the new season, as they represent our leading assist man, our three top scorers and our two leading rebounders from a year ago.
Charles Hankerson Junior saw his minutes really go up when Andrew Steele went down with a career ending concussion in the SEC tournament. Hankerson took advantage of the opportunity and played well during the Tide's run to the NIT finals. At 6'5" and 220 pounds he reminds one more of a linebacker than a basketball player. He uses his physical strength well on defense, and is strong with the basketball going to the basket. He had a reputation as a good perimeter shooter in high school, but never got untracked from the outside a year ago. With normal freshman to sophomore improvement he should be a bigger contributor this year.
Junior point guard Ben Eblen played mostly when Trevor Releford was in foul trouble or needed a blow. He showed himself to be a dogged defender and respectable ball handler, but not much of a scoring threat. The highlight of his season was a late steal in the win over Kentucky at Tuscaloosa. It will help if he has added a little offense to go with his other skills.
The giant Swede, Carl Engstrm, grew to be a fan favorite last year. At 7'1" and 250 pounds he has intimidating size. He has not been playing basketball but a couple of years, so his game is raw. Hopefully his summer play in a European league have helped him in learning the game. By the end of the season he was able to play in certain situations to give Green and/or Hines a blow. With the graduation of Hines, and the off season injury to signee Moussa Gouye, getting more useful minutes from big Carl would be a big help to us in the upcoming season.
This time we'll look at one reason for the excitement:
Who's Back
It all starts with Jamychal Green. The only senior on the roster, he has been all SEC the last two years. This year he is definitely an All American candidate. He has been nominated for the Wooden Award, the hoops equivalent of the Heisman. In summer play in China with the US team he was the leading scorer in half of the games.At 6'8" and a chiseled 230 pounds he is also very athletic. It is his senior year and his time to give us something to remember us by. He has come a long way in a year, from Grant's dog house to being a star and a leader. There are always some ways a college player can improve his game. Mike needs to keep his emotions under control and play hard without fouling. If he has matured to that extent he will have a memorable senior year.
Tony Mitchell is a 6'6" 220 pound bundle of energy and athleticism. he bought into Coach Grant's defensive philosphy early on, and has contributed at both ends of the court. Open court and slash to the basket has been most of his offense so far in his career, but he has been working on an outside game to go with it. He is a terrific defender who is even capable of playing a big man in the low post if the situation calls for it. With our young phenoms coming in to play the wings, hopefully Tony won't play the heavy number of minutes that he did last season.
Trevor Releford is a drive and dish point guard who gave us the best play we've had from the position since Antoine Pettway ran out of eligibility. Quickness and speed with the ball are highlights of his game, and he needs only a small opening to blow right by a defender. Releford hopefully added some upper body strength in the off season to add durability and the ability to finish to his game. He has worked extensively to upgrade his streaky perimeter game. We anxiously await the results.
The Green, Mitchell and Releford threesome is a big source of the excitement for the new season, as they represent our leading assist man, our three top scorers and our two leading rebounders from a year ago.
Charles Hankerson Junior saw his minutes really go up when Andrew Steele went down with a career ending concussion in the SEC tournament. Hankerson took advantage of the opportunity and played well during the Tide's run to the NIT finals. At 6'5" and 220 pounds he reminds one more of a linebacker than a basketball player. He uses his physical strength well on defense, and is strong with the basketball going to the basket. He had a reputation as a good perimeter shooter in high school, but never got untracked from the outside a year ago. With normal freshman to sophomore improvement he should be a bigger contributor this year.
Junior point guard Ben Eblen played mostly when Trevor Releford was in foul trouble or needed a blow. He showed himself to be a dogged defender and respectable ball handler, but not much of a scoring threat. The highlight of his season was a late steal in the win over Kentucky at Tuscaloosa. It will help if he has added a little offense to go with his other skills.
The giant Swede, Carl Engstrm, grew to be a fan favorite last year. At 7'1" and 250 pounds he has intimidating size. He has not been playing basketball but a couple of years, so his game is raw. Hopefully his summer play in a European league have helped him in learning the game. By the end of the season he was able to play in certain situations to give Green and/or Hines a blow. With the graduation of Hines, and the off season injury to signee Moussa Gouye, getting more useful minutes from big Carl would be a big help to us in the upcoming season.
