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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ā Times are good for the Alabama basketball team. The Crimson Tide has reeled off four straight wins, the last two coming without start point guard Collin Sexton who has been out with an abdominal injury.
Keep in mind Alabama didnāt win three consecutive SEC games all of last season. Adding to the feat, Alabamaās last two games have come against No. 17 Auburn and Mississippi State ā two teams in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Just donāt get too confident. And whatever you do, donāt tell Alabama head coach Avery Johnson his team is āon a roll.ā
During Johnsonās Monday news conference, one reporter made the mistake of bringing up the phrase when asking about Alabamaās recent run. The head coach wasted no time shooting down the notion.
āHere we go again,ā Johnson said bursting into laughter. āHere we go again, on a roll. How are we on a roll?ā
Johnson admits this yearās team offers more quality depth than last yearās and says that's a big reason for much of the Crimson Tideās success this season. However, he isnāt completely satisfied, pointing out that talent can only take a team so far.
āWe are little deeper in terms of talent, but talent shows up when talent does their job,ā Johnson said. āIf you are a 3-point shooter, itās not just about taking 3s, itās making them. If youāre a good rebounder, rebound. If you are supposed to set a screen and youāre talented enough to set a screen as a big guy and run the floor, set screens.ā
Despite Alabamaās success, Johnson has called for more consistency and discipline from his team. That was never as clear as in the Crimson Tideās most recent victory, a 68-62 win over Mississippi State. In that game, Alabama jumped out to a 41-22 lead at the break before squandering that lead late in the second half.
Mississippi State tied the game on three separate occasions, the latest coming with 1:37 remaining. However, the Bulldogs were unable to finish the comeback as Alabama pulled away late. While Alabamaās resiliency to keep its poise under adversity was commended by its head coach the performance as a whole left a lot to desired.
āWe had 18 minutes of really good basketball. Good teams on the NCAA level in terms of tournament-type teams, they play 32 minutes of good basketball,ā Johnson said. āWe just need that next level of maturity of shot selection and discipline and technique and all those things that make you successful.ā
For Alabama, that will take time. With junior forward Donta Hall (wrist) playing in a limited role the past two games, the only other active upperclassmen on the Crimson Tideās roster is junior point guard Avery Johnson Jr.
Alabama has also had to deal with several injuries as it lost senior Riley Norris for the season with a hip injury. Sophomore forward Braxton Key missed the first 10 games with a meniscus injury, and Sexton is currently sidelined with an abdominal injury.
Johnson said Hall was able to return to full-contact practice on Monday and should be ready for Tuesdayās game at Ole Miss. Sexton is still being evaluated by the team and will be a game-time decision. Alabama (13-6, 5-2 in the SEC) will play Ole Miss (10-9, 3-4) at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
While Johnson said his team is still āanother level or twoā from reaching its peak potential, he continues to take a game-by-game approach. That means not overreacting to inexperienced success but also avoiding complacency during recent success.
āI think it takes more patience on my part so that the message is crystal clear,ā Johnson said. āLike I told them, Iām not trying to be right, I just need them to respond to what weāre teaching. If they do that with their talent weāll have a really good basketball team.
āMaybe sometime in the future we can be on a roll.ā
BamaInsider.com - Despite recent success, Avery Johnson says Alabama is not 'on a roll'
Keep in mind Alabama didnāt win three consecutive SEC games all of last season. Adding to the feat, Alabamaās last two games have come against No. 17 Auburn and Mississippi State ā two teams in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Just donāt get too confident. And whatever you do, donāt tell Alabama head coach Avery Johnson his team is āon a roll.ā
During Johnsonās Monday news conference, one reporter made the mistake of bringing up the phrase when asking about Alabamaās recent run. The head coach wasted no time shooting down the notion.
āHere we go again,ā Johnson said bursting into laughter. āHere we go again, on a roll. How are we on a roll?ā
Johnson admits this yearās team offers more quality depth than last yearās and says that's a big reason for much of the Crimson Tideās success this season. However, he isnāt completely satisfied, pointing out that talent can only take a team so far.
āWe are little deeper in terms of talent, but talent shows up when talent does their job,ā Johnson said. āIf you are a 3-point shooter, itās not just about taking 3s, itās making them. If youāre a good rebounder, rebound. If you are supposed to set a screen and youāre talented enough to set a screen as a big guy and run the floor, set screens.ā
Despite Alabamaās success, Johnson has called for more consistency and discipline from his team. That was never as clear as in the Crimson Tideās most recent victory, a 68-62 win over Mississippi State. In that game, Alabama jumped out to a 41-22 lead at the break before squandering that lead late in the second half.
Mississippi State tied the game on three separate occasions, the latest coming with 1:37 remaining. However, the Bulldogs were unable to finish the comeback as Alabama pulled away late. While Alabamaās resiliency to keep its poise under adversity was commended by its head coach the performance as a whole left a lot to desired.
āWe had 18 minutes of really good basketball. Good teams on the NCAA level in terms of tournament-type teams, they play 32 minutes of good basketball,ā Johnson said. āWe just need that next level of maturity of shot selection and discipline and technique and all those things that make you successful.ā
For Alabama, that will take time. With junior forward Donta Hall (wrist) playing in a limited role the past two games, the only other active upperclassmen on the Crimson Tideās roster is junior point guard Avery Johnson Jr.
Alabama has also had to deal with several injuries as it lost senior Riley Norris for the season with a hip injury. Sophomore forward Braxton Key missed the first 10 games with a meniscus injury, and Sexton is currently sidelined with an abdominal injury.
Johnson said Hall was able to return to full-contact practice on Monday and should be ready for Tuesdayās game at Ole Miss. Sexton is still being evaluated by the team and will be a game-time decision. Alabama (13-6, 5-2 in the SEC) will play Ole Miss (10-9, 3-4) at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
While Johnson said his team is still āanother level or twoā from reaching its peak potential, he continues to take a game-by-game approach. That means not overreacting to inexperienced success but also avoiding complacency during recent success.
āI think it takes more patience on my part so that the message is crystal clear,ā Johnson said. āLike I told them, Iām not trying to be right, I just need them to respond to what weāre teaching. If they do that with their talent weāll have a really good basketball team.
āMaybe sometime in the future we can be on a roll.ā
BamaInsider.com - Despite recent success, Avery Johnson says Alabama is not 'on a roll'
