Reduced Capacity at Arenas Forcing Alabama Basketball's Bench to Bring the Energy
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With capacity reduced to 2,055 from 15,383 inside Coleman Coliseum during the 2020-2021 campaign due to COVID-19, it's a shame that this year's University of Alabama men's basketball team will never experience the electricity of a packed-out home crowd.
It's unfortunate, but it doesn't matter to the No. 6 Crimson Tide (18-5, 13-1 SEC), which has made a fortress out of Colman Coliseum with an 11-1 record.
Alabama senior forward Alex Reese has seen a lot of crazy crowds at home during his four years at the Capstone, but it's been of upmost importance for the players to bring their own energy with so many fans forced to watch from home.
"Not having fans is one of the big reasons why we have had to up our energy on the bench," Reese told the media via Zoom on Tuesday morning. "We gotta bring our own energy and make the sure the guys on the court are playing as hard as they would be if fans were there. That gives everyone else more juice. We want to make it as close to that as possible."
Crimson Tide walk-on guard Britton Johnson uses his role on the bench to provide motivation to the players on the hardwood.
"How can I help this team win," Johnson said last week. "As much as we would have loved to have had a packed-out Coleman, or it's just even more fun to play in packed-out away arenas, but it provides an advantage for us. We can call out the sets and the guys can actually hear us. We also make sure we provide more energy than the other bench does for their team. Anything that will provide an advantage for our team, we will try to do that. We are just taking these circumstances and running with them."
Freshman forward Darius Miles' emphatic dunk to close out a 33-point win over Georgia on Feb. 13 would have caused Coleman Coliseum to hit a fever-pitch had it been a sell-out, but as a consolation the internet got a tremendous photo of the Crimson Tide bench celebrating.
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"That picture is what this team is," Alabama walk-on forward Tyler Barnes said. "We are always pulling for each other no matter what the score is. It's part of the reason this team is so special."
Johnson and Barnes also provide viral celebrations throughout games from the sideline, and, according to coach Nate Oats, are the catalysts for what happens on the court.
"Those guys were great last year but it's even more important this year because there aren't a lot of fans," Oats said. "They bring energy to practices, walk-throughs and games. That's what you want out of our walk-ons. You see it in the photos after [John] Petty hits a three, or the dunks, or whatever. They get fired up and excited. That's what college sports is all about in my opinion, kids like age showing emotion and getting fired up. It's why people love it..."
With only one home game remaining on its schedule — a March 2 meeting with Auburn — Alabama will travel to No. 20 Arkansas on Wednesday evening (8:00 p.m, ESPN2) and Mississippi State on Saturday (7:30 p.m, SEC Network).
In order to earn two more victories and clinch the outright SEC regular-season title, the Crimson Tide will have to make sure that its bench doesn't forget to bring the extra juice needed to help propel the team across the finish line of a historic season.
"The bench has been amazing," Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly said. "They bring the energy when someone makes a big play or a highlight play. It's been crazy. We are trying to keep building on those type of things. We are trying to build a culture around the program.
"Send the seniors off with something nice."
