Herb Jones on Alabama Fans at Hinkle Fieldhouse: "I Seen a Whole Lot of Red"

INDIANAPOLIS — Despite being over 500 miles from Coleman Coliseum, No. 5 Alabama basketball had quite a supporting cast at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA tournament.

In the Crimson Tide’s 68-55 first-round victory over the Iona Gaels, the Alabama faithful outnumbered Iona fans around three to one. In a stadium that had a limited capacity of roughly 1,200 fans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that difference made quite a bit on Saturday regarding the energy of the environment.

Alabama senior wing Herb Jones reflected on the impact that the fans had on the outcome after the game.

“I mean, our fans, I looked up in the stands, I seen a whole lot of red,” Jones said. “I mean, our fans, they showed up, they showed out. The intensity was great. That's any player's dream to be playing in the tournament in that type of game.”

The difference in fan base size was evident even when approaching Hinkle Fieldhouse. Arriving about an hour before the game began, the fans standing outside the arena were predominantly sporting the colors of crimson and white.

Throughout the game, chants of Ala-Bama rang throughout the historic court. After Alex Reese sank two clutch threes in the second half, the fans in Hinkle were so loud that it vibrated the tables in the media section.

One wonders how loud if would have been if the arena had been at full capacity.

Alabama might have struggled in the game, but the fan base’s support remained unyielding. With every bucket from the Crimson Tide, the fans cheered. After the halfway point of the second half, the effects of the constant cheering for the opposition was getting into the heads of the Gaels.

In addition to the fans’ cheers, Jones credited the senior leadership with Alabama’s win.

“That's what I was preaching to the guys that were messing up, made a couple mistakes,” Jones said. “I told them ‘There's a million kids that want to be here right now, go out and have fun, embrace the moment.’ I feel after they listened to what I said, I think that's when we went on that run.”