2005 Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball Preview

2005 Alabama Crimson Tide Team Preview

Alabama may have the stuff to make a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Although the Crimson Tide lost guard Earnest Shelton (16.3 PPG) and forward Kennedy Winston (17.9 PPG), they are still formidable.

The SEC’s best point guard, Ronald Steele, is back for his sophomore year. Last season the sure-handed Steele led the conference in assists (5.0 per game) and shot 47.3% from the floor and 81.3% from the foul stripe. It’s hard to believe he did all that in his freshman year!

They also have two experienced frontcourt men in forward Chick Davis and forward/center Jermareo Davidson. Davis, a senior, is ready to step up to where Winston left off. Hitting for 13.9 PPG and taking in 6.8 RPG, Davis was on the mark 56.6% of the time and is expected to simply continue to improve. He also knows how to draw fouls, hit from the free throw line, and block shoots (he led the SEC in that category last season).

At 6’ 10” Davidson, who decided to hold off on the pros one more year, is the most accurate shooter on the court, connecting on 57.7% of his field goals. A good inside man, he grabbed 7.9 RPG last season.

This is a team of sure-handed passers and dribblers with a turn over rate of 12.8 per game (second in the conference and 35th on the nation). The team can also rebound; their plus 5.4 was good enough for third in the SEC and 27th in the country.
Senior forward Jean Felix will be starting this year. Off the bench last season he knocked in 5.6 points per game; his 3-point accuracy was at 45.3%, just a bit better than his 45% overall field goal mark.

Finally the team has to figure out exactly who will replace Shelton at guard and play off of Steele. Justin Jones, a sophomore, has good hustle, while freshman Brandon Hollinger combines speed and excellent ball handling to energize the court. Swingman first-year player Alonzo Gee can hit from the perimeter and brings a solid game. The fact is there may be inexperience at shooting guard but there’s solid depth and this should put the Tide in good stead.

Will this team take another trip to the NCAA? It doesn’t take a fortuneteller to answer that question--Alabama’s future looks solid.

For more info on the 2005 Crimson Tide check out the official Alabama athletic site.