Alabama Seniors Shown Appreciation For Historic Season
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team concluded its season with an 88-78 overtime loss to No. 11 UCLA in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last night. For the Alabama Crimson Tide the Sweet 16 was the furthest the program had been since 2004.
Twitter was created in 2006, therefore it is the deepest Alabama run since the advent of the platform. Player, former players, Tuscaloosa's mayor and more took to the social media platform and expressed their thanks for the historic season.
Alabama won the SEC regular season championship for the first time since 2002, breaking a 19 year drought. Additionally the Crimson Tide conquered the conference tournament title for the first time since 1991.
Arguably this Alabama team that went 26-7 is arguably the most successful team in program history. The team was led by three seniors from Alabama, Herb Jones, John Petty and Alex Reese.
Jones was a testament to growth as he won the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He is currently a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. He averages 11 points, 6.6 rebounds, three assists, almost two steals and one block per game this season.
Petty blossomed in Nate Oats' system and became the winner he wanted to be remembered as. He leaves as the Tide's all-time leader in 3-pointers made. He shot 37% from beyond the arc and averaged 12.6 points per game.
Reese will go down as a selfless player who came up big in the season's biggest moments. Without the forward from Pelham, Alabama likely loses to LSU in the SEC Tournament Championship, additionally he drained a deep 3-pointer to send the Tide into overtime in the Sweet 16.
While it is sad for the year to come to an end, it should be a celebrated season as the Crimson Tide, on the shoulders of three players from Alabama, set the foundation for the future of the program under Oats.