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Alabama Crimson Tide basketball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Alabama Crimson Tide | |
 |
|
| University | University of Alabama |
|---|---|
| Conference | SEC |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Head Coach | Mark Gottfried (9th year) |
| Arena | Coleman Coliseum (Capacity: 15,043) |
| Nickname | Crimson Tide |
| Colors | Crimson and White
|
| Conference Tournament Champions | |
| 1934, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991 | |
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |
| 1934, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1987, 2002 | |
Alabama's men's basketball program has been overshadowed for most of its history by football even though it trails only Kentucky in SEC basketball wins, SEC tournament titles and regular season titles. In recent years, the men's basketball program has again risen in stature nationally under head coach Mark Gottfried, achieving a No. 1 national ranking briefly in 2003. Further, UA has once again become a regular conference basketball contender, much as it was in the 80s and early 90s under the direction of Wimp Sanderson and the 70s under C. M. Newton. Alabama has 7 NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and in the 2003-04 season, the men's team reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament; they ended up losing to eventual champion, Connecticut.[1]
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Former coaches with at least five years include: C.M. Newton (1969-1980); Wimp Sanderson (1981-1992) - Alabama's winningest coach (69.2%); David Hobbs (1992-1998).[2]
In 1968, legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had been the coach for the University of Kentucky's football team during Newton's playing days, called Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp looking for someone to turn around the University of Alabama's basketball program. Rupp recommended Newton, who after twelve seasons at Transylvania, left Lexington for Tuscaloosa.[3] In twelve seasons at Alabama, Newton led the Crimson Tide to a record of 211-123. The Crimson Tide won three straight Southeastern Conference titles under Newton (1974, 1975, and 1976), the only program besides the University of Kentucky to accomplish this feat.[3] Newton also guided Alabama to four NIT and two NCAA tournament berths, prompting the school to name a recruiting suite in his honor in 2006.[4]
Just as he did at Transylvania, Newton recruited the Alabama's first black player, Wendell Hudson, in 1969, integrating his second team in as many coaching stops.[5]
In 1960, Sanderson became a graduate assistant under C. M. Newton and in 1961 he was made a full time assistant. He served in this capacity for 20 years until 1981 when he was named Alabama's head basketball coach. In ten years as head coach his teams averaged 21.8 wins a year, with a 267-119 record, and they won 4 SEC tournaments. They played in one NIT and eight NCAA tournaments making the "Sweet 16" five times. Sanderson is the only coach in Alabama history to win 200 or more games in his first 10 years. He was the SEC Coach of the Year in 1987, 1989 and 1990, and was the National Coach of the Year in 1987.[6]
Mark Gottfried is the current head coach and came aboard in 1999.[2] Mark played 3 seasons of basketball at Alabama, and the Crimson Tide advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in each of those seasons. He was hired by Alabama in March of 1998 after coaching at Murray State for three seasons.
Coach Gottfried has made steady progress since obtaining the coaching reigns in the spring of 1998. His leadership has propelled Alabama Men’s Basketball back into the national spotlight. Alabama's best years during his tenure have been the 2001-2002 season, when the Tide won the SEC regular season championship, and the 2003-2004 season, when they advanced to the Elite Eight. For his efforts he was named SEC coach of the year by the AP and his fellow coaches.
Gottfried has led the Tide to 5 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, as of the 2005-2006 season.
- 2002 AP & Coaches’ SEC Coach of the Year
- 2002 NABC District 6 Coach of the Year
- 2002 SEC regular season champions
| Season | Overall Record | SEC Record | Postseason | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-2000 | 13-16 | 6-10 | NCAA Tournament | ||
| 2000-01 | 25-11 | 8-8 | NIT | ||
| 2001-02 | 27-8 | 12-4 | NCAA Tournament | ||
| 2002-03 | 17-12 | 7-9 | NCAA Tournament | ||
| 2003-04 | 20-13 | 8-8 | Elite Eight | ||
| 2004-05 | 24-7 | 12-4 | NCAA Tournament | ||
| 2005-06 | 18-13 | 10-6 | NCAA Tournament | ||
| 2006-07 | 22-12 | 7-9 | NIT [7] | ||
| Coach Gottfried Overall record: 166-92 (.554) | |||||
Mark's Madness is a student organization named after Coach Mark Gottfried.[8] It was created by Alabama students David Knight, Daniel Shumate, Dave Garner, and Chris Yarbrough in January of 2000 in an attempt to create a more exciting atmosphere in Coleman Coliseum.[9] The group, consisting entirely of University of Alabama students, makes the atmosphere at home games lively, fun and exciting.[8]
The primary goal of Mark's Madness is to produce a difficult environment in Coleman Coliseum for opposing teams. Alabama’s home record speaks for itself. Since 2000, the Crimson Tide is an astounding 97-15 in Coleman Coliseum going into the 2006-07 season.[8]
Members of the group are among Bama's most loyal hoops fans and follow the Tide all over the country. In 2006, some of the members drove without an overnight stop from Tuscaloosa to San Diego to catch Alabama' play in the NCAA tournament. And each year, a bus full of "Mark's Madness" members hit the road for at least one SEC game.[8]
"Mark's Madness" is the largest student organization on campus and was named the New Student Organization of the Year for the 2000-2001 school year.[8]
Mark's Madness was unofficial during the first year, but became an official student organization the following season, attracting around 500 members. The organization continued to grow, as did the number of wins for the Crimson Tide. By year three, Mark's Madness became the largest student organization on campus with over 700 members. For the 2004-2005 season, Mark's Madness, now in its 5th year, topped its membership totals of previous years with an overwhelming 925 members.[9]
| Name | Team | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Horry | San Antonio Spurs | 1992 |
| Antonio McDyess | Detroit Pistons | 1997 |
| Latrell Sprewell | Free Agent | 1992 |
| Gerald Wallace | Charlotte Bobcats | 2004 |
| Maurice Williams | Milwaukee Bucks | 2005 |
†Tide Alumnus Source[10]
Alabama has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 18 times. They reached the Sweet Sixteen eight times and the Elite Eight once in 2004. Alabama has an overall NCAA Tournament record of 19-18.
Adapted from Alabama in the NCAA Tournament[11]
The Tide practice and play in Coleman Coliseum, 15,043-seat multi-purpose arena in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The arena was built for $4.2 million and opened in 1968 as a replacement for the aging Foster Auditorium.
Coleman Coliseum was named for Jefferson Jackson Coleman, a prominent alumnus. Until his death, in 1995 he was the only person that had attended every Alabama bowl game, starting with the Rose Bowl game on 1926 January 1. Prior to 1990, the building was known as Memorial Coliseum.
- ^ University of Alabama. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Listings by UA Career Won. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Recognizable Class - Published in Kentucky Alumnus
- ^ C.M. Newton Recruiting Suite to be Dedicated Wednesday
- ^ C. M. Newton Bio at the Basketball Hall of Fame
- ^ Wimp Sanderson. Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on February 25, 2007.
- ^ University of Alabama Season Statistics. RollTide.com (2007-03-14). Retrieved on March 14, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Marks Madness. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
- ^ a b Marks Madness - History. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
- ^ Bama in the NBA (2005-02-02). Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
- ^ Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
- [1] - Official Team Site
| Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Teams |
|---|
| Eastern Division: Florida • Georgia • Kentucky • South Carolina • Tennessee • Vanderbilt Western Division: Alabama • Arkansas • Auburn • LSU • Mississippi • Mississippi State |