You'll like this, I suspect. From the Tuscaloosa News.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – “Rebound or lose.”
That was Avery Johnson’s motivational speech to his Alabama basketball team on Friday as it prepared to face South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament. There was none of what Johnson called “fire and brimstone,” just that simple message.
It worked. Alabama won on the backboards — and that led to a 64-53 victory that put Alabama into a high-profile Saturday semifinal against No. 8 Kentucky.
“I told them that we needed all five guys on the boards,” Johnson said. “I told them that if we were minus-five on the boards, that’s a loss.”
The final rebounding margin was 42-27, and both Johnson and South Carolina coach Frank Martin conceded that it was the difference in the paint that mattered.
“We had some 3-pointers that were big, but not as big as those rebounds,” Johnson said.
Martin was more explicit.
“They beat us to every loose ball, destroyed us on the glass,” Martin said. “We were very non-competitive in the effort plays, guarding the basketball, rebounding. And you can’t win the game if you don’t rebound.
“You go play Alabama, you’ve got to have some dogs. We had little puppies out there today.”
@TUSKstuff ...and you were saying what about the simple things?That was Avery Johnson’s motivational speech to his Alabama basketball team on Friday as it prepared to face South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament. There was none of what Johnson called “fire and brimstone,” just that simple message.
It worked. Alabama won on the backboards — and that led to a 64-53 victory that put Alabama into a high-profile Saturday semifinal against No. 8 Kentucky.
“I told them that we needed all five guys on the boards,” Johnson said. “I told them that if we were minus-five on the boards, that’s a loss.”
The final rebounding margin was 42-27, and both Johnson and South Carolina coach Frank Martin conceded that it was the difference in the paint that mattered.
“We had some 3-pointers that were big, but not as big as those rebounds,” Johnson said.
Martin was more explicit.
“They beat us to every loose ball, destroyed us on the glass,” Martin said. “We were very non-competitive in the effort plays, guarding the basketball, rebounding. And you can’t win the game if you don’t rebound.
“You go play Alabama, you’ve got to have some dogs. We had little puppies out there today.”
