Tide football makes slight adjustment to spring practice schedule

February 25, 2009

By Ken Rogers

Alabama moved up its start of spring football practice on Wednesday.
Instead of beginning on March 23, as originally planned, the Crimson Tide has scheduled one of its 15 sessions for Friday, March 13.
That one practice will be just before Alabama’s spring break and take the place of the previously scheduled April 11 workout. The team will resume spring drills on Monday, March 23. Alabama will practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays—with the exception of Saturday, April 11, which is on Easter weekend, and Friday, April 17. The A-Day Game, which ends spring practice, is Saturday, April 18.

No. 1 Alabama softball team stays undefeated

February 14, 2009

By Ken Rogers

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama’s loss to South Carolina in basketball wasn’t the only action involving Crimson Tide teams this weekend.
The top-ranked women’s softball team earned easy shutout victories over Notre Dame and Wisconsin in the Bama Bash tournament.
The Tide (7-0), who led the nation in attendance last season, battered the Irish 10-0. Alabama then beat the Badgers 8-0, also in five innings.
Amanda Locke hit home runs in both games and went 4-for-5 for the day.
First-game starter Charlotte Morgan gave up five hits to Notre Dame. She struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. In the nightcap, Locke also pitched a five-hitter, struck out four and didn’t allow a walk.
The Tide plays East Carolina at 12:30 today, after Wisconsin plays Notre Dame at 10 a.m.

Track
Sara Vaughn recorded a sub-five minute mile to pace the Crimson Tide at the Tyson Invitational at Fayetteville, Ark. Vaughn’s time of 4:58.33 was a personal best. She finished in fifth place.
Former Alabama track star Calvin Smith was named one of the top 10 Drake Relays Athletes of the Century last week. Smith captured five individual Drake Relay titles. He won the university/college 100m dash in 1982, while anchoring Alabama to victories in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. He was named the Outstanding Performer of the 1983 Drake Relays after setting a university/college record in the 100m dash while running on Alabama’s 4x100m and sprint medley relays, which set meet records. He ran the 200m leg on the sprint medley relay which set a national collegiate and American record of 3:12.19. He captured the invitational 100m and 200m dashes in 1985. Smith was inducted into the 1988 Drake Relays Hall of Fame. He set a world record in the 100m dash (9.93) in 1983 and was a two-time world champion in the 200m dash (1983, 1987). Smith won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics running on the 4x100m relay team and captured a bronze medal in the 100m dash at the 1988 Olympics.
The Drake Relays will be celebrating its 100th running this April 23-25, Des Moines, Iowa.

Women’s Tennis
The Crimson Tide defeated No. 58 Iowa 6-1 Saturday at home. The Crimson Tide’s lone senior, Shelley Godwin, clinched the match with her singles win.

Gymnastics
Fifth-ranked Alabama lost to No. 11 LSU 196.625-195.750 at Coleman Coliseum.
The difference proved to be on the beam. Alabama scored a 48.75 on the beam, its lowest total of the season. LSU scored a 49.225 on the event. The Tide closed out the night with a 48.700 on the floor exercise, also a season low, paced by freshman Ashley Priess’ 9.875. After back-to-back home meets, Alabama heads back out on the road next week, taking on the Florida Gators in Gainesville on Friday.

Saban says recruiting class was a team effort

February 04, 2009

By Ken Rogers

Alabama football coach Nick Saban credited everyone from the top (his wife, Terry) on down after Alabama surged to a recruiting class ranked best in the nation by some analysts.

“I’m not sure that everybody knows how much everybody puts into this when it comes to recruiting,“ Saban said after Trent Richarson’s paperwork shortly after 4 p.m. “And it’s not just one recruiting visit, it’s multiple visits, unofficial visits, that all contribute to developing the relationships that you need to be able to attract quality guys.“

Saban then got specific about the Tide’s total team effort.

“Our coaching staff did a fantastic job of putting this class together and I don’t think that it just comes down (to today). Today is sort of the culmination of more than a year of work all the way back to the evaluation stages, early on, developing relationships, spending their time and energy to build the relationships that you need to have to be able to attract a quality player to be able to come to your school. And we have a lot of people here that contribute to this in a positive way.

“This is one of the places I enjoy most to recruit to because of the attitude toward recruiting here, the positive energy we have. Our administration does an outstanding job. (University president) Dr. (Robert) Witt talks to every recruit every recruiting weekend—one of the finest administrators ever in terms of helping us recruit football players. Mal Moore is there every Saturday, every weekend, to help us recruit. Our administrative staff does a phenomenal job, organizationally, in helping us recruit each and every weekend. We just feel blessed to have so many people who do such a good job.

“My wife, Terry, does an awfully good job in making our house available to the prospects when they come in and all of the coaches’ wives contribute to it.

“We do as fine a job academically as any place in the country when it comes to graduating our players. Our graduation rate is very high. But we also do a great job academically here in visiting with prospects relative to their (prospective) majors with the deans of the schools. Fantastic job with the people. Jon Dever and his staff does a great job of selling our academic support for our athletes.

“Our fans and the atmosphere and environment that they create each Saturday that we play in Bryant-Denny Stadium is a real positive to be able to attract outstanding student-athletes. 92,000 people at the (2007) spring game, 78,000 people at this (2008) spring game, that kind of enthusiasm and passion is what our fans contribute to players wanting to be a part of such an outstanding program that is so important to so many people.“