More than 2000 fans watched Alabama basketball practice on Wednesday. The 2017-18 Crimson Tide made quite an impression.
The enthusiasm from fans inside Coleman Coliseum Wednesday was matched by the up-tempo Alabama basketball team. Avery Johnson, who wore a microphone throughout practice, urged fans to remember they were seeing an August work-in-progress rather than a finished product.
More from Bama Hammer
- Alabama Football: Moving past Crimson Tide quarterback rumors
- Alabama Football: How improved is the Ole Miss defense?
- Alabama Football: Power Ranking the SEC after week three
- Alabama’s latest win total projection hints that team is in trouble this season
- Alabama Football: What happened with again QB1 Jalen Milroe
What the fans saw pleased them, particularly the new offensive firepower. Collin Sexton and John Petty showcased long range accuracy and ability to take the ball to the basket. New players Galin Smith and Daniel Giddens threw down powerful dunks.
The only small negative was Dazon Ingram being held out of the practice due to a foot problem. It is not known if the injury will limit Ingram’s play in the upcoming three exhibition games in Canada.
Take a look at the videos and photo from Twitter.
WATCH: Check out two of @AlabamaMBB's highly-touted freshmen going shot-for-shot during tonight's open practice. pic.twitter.com/vrYFC2dcXK
— Alex Byington (@_AlexByington) August 2, 2017
@AlabamaMBB today at Coleman Coliseum pic.twitter.com/r3JEUQqqmE
— TideSports.com (@TideSports) August 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/BamaRoundball/status/892913194645299200
Avery says team will push the tempo
Bama Online reported Avery’s response when asked about what makes the 2017-18 team different from last season.
"“Foot speed. We’re pretty fast,” Johnson said. “I always talked about scoring in the first five or seven seconds, that was like a little bit of a dream the first two years. It might become reality this year. It would be nice to see.”"
Alabama basketball fans will enjoy a faster tempo in the coming season. Fan expectations are high and the new roster will have to find cohesion early due to the tough out-of-conference schedule. Avery did not release a starting lineup for the Canada exhibition games. The first game is August 7 in Montreal against McGill University.
Take a look and listen to Avery’s comments about the new team and its relationship with Alabama basketball fans.
@CoachAvery6 tells Tide Sports about the kind of relationship he wants the team to have with fans @AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/lxBWAK6geJ
— TideSports.com (@TideSports) August 3, 2017
Next: 30 Great Tide Players who were 3-Star Recruits
Check in with us often as we update Alabama basketball, football fall camp and recruiting for both sports. It is an exciting time to be an Alabama fan.