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Gottfried cautious as season nears
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Rabid_BAMA_Fan Offline
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TUSCALOOSA | University of Alabama basketball coach Mark Gottfried may have a tougher time deflecting preseason expectations than he did a year ago -- but that doesn’t mean that he won’t try.

Alabama -- which confounded preseason prognosticators last season with a trip to the NCAA Tournament and, ultimately, a spot in the Elite Eight -- is an October darling again. A number of publications have the Crimson Tide ranked in the Top 20 in the country, but Gottfried is quick to dismiss those picks.

“I don’t see it," he said at a preseason press conference on Tuesday. The Tide opens practice for the 2004-05 season at Coleman Coliseum on Saturday.

There are four starters returning from the team that played eventual national champion Connecticut for a berth in the Final Four, but Gottfried was quick to point out areas of concern.

First, he said that the Tide’s NCAA success may have erased memories of the team’s mid-year struggles.

“The way I look at it, we were 17-11 (in the regular season) and we need to get a lot better," Gottfried said. “If you go on a four-game post-season, then the expectations rise, but we were very average for a lot of the year. We did finish well, but it doesn’t guarantee anything now."

Gottfried also said the one starting vacancy caused by graduation may be difficult to fill.

“Antoine Pettway leaves the biggest void that I have had to fill in some time as far as making plays and doing things that win games," Gottfried said. “We’re going from two senior point guards (Pettway and Demetrius Smith) to two freshmen (Ron Steele and Albert Weber). That’s a big change."

Steele is expected to win the point guard position, and would be the first freshman to start at that spot since Mo Williams.

“Mo had a lot more hype than Ron when he came in, and he deserved that," Gottfried said. “But Ron is a winner. You put him on a team and he makes things better. His high school record was phenomenal. I know in his last two seasons, (John Carroll High School) was 66-3 and won back-to-back 6A state championships.

“He looks to pass first. He makes the other players around him better. But he’ll have a big adjustment to make."

A third area of concern is the sore knee of leading scorer Kennedy Winston.

“Kennedy is not 100 percent," Gottfried said. “I’m hoping he can be back to 100 percent in November or December, or for sure by January. But he’s not going to be there at the start of practice (this Saturday.) We’re just hoping that Kennedy can make it from the start of practice to the finish, but we aren’t sure he can do that for two or three practices in a row without having his knee flare up. We are going to have to manage that first month or so carefully."

Gottfried did note that Winston’s knee was “a lot better than it was a month ago." He also said that he expected good seasons from returning starters Chuck Davis and Jermareo Davidson in the post and Earnest Shelton on the wing.

The Tide will also have eight new players, including four signees and four players who redshirted last season.

Alabama will have its first open scrimmage with the Crimson vs. White game on October 30. After exhibitions against Stillman College (Nov. 10) and Athletes In Action (Nov. 13), the Tide opens its season on Wednesday, Nov. 24, against Alaska-Anchorage in the Great Alaska Shootout.
10-13-2004 07:11 PM
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Rmun Offline
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Bama and MSU had two great games last year and split the series. I plan on being at both games again this year and look forward to two great teams facing off.
10-13-2004 07:37 PM
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Rabid_BAMA_Fan Offline
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I just hope Bama meets the expectations. Winston will need to 100%, but it appears he will not be. He has had knee problems since arriving at Bama. I would love to see him healthy for a complete season. I believe he has the potential to be the best that ever played at Alabama, but he just can't get healthy.
10-14-2004 08:31 AM
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