Windham Wrap-up: Bright Spots from a Rough Week in Alabama Athletics
Things haven't exactly been pretty in Tuscaloosa since Alabama football lost the national championship last Monday night. Men's and women's basketball have combined to go 0-4 and gymnastics also lost a close meet to Florida on Sunday afternoon.
There are no such things as moral victories when it comes to Alabama athletic teams, but there are a few positives that can be taken out of on overall rough week for Alabama.
Men's tennis did pick up two wins over Mercer and Samford on Saturday, while the women's swimming and diving team beat Auburn.
Football
In the wee hours of Monday night or possibly by that point Tuesday morning in Indianapolis, Nick Saban held up Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. before they left the press conference in a now viral moment. These two players will be the cornerstones that next year's team is built upon, and Saban used that moment to remind them of that and everyone else who would be watching.
Alabama got more good news with the return of several key players on defense including Henry To'oTo'o and Jordan Battle who likely could have been selected in the first few rounds of the NFL draft.
Basketball
Men's basketball is currently on a three-game losing streak that started the Saturday before the national championship with a road loss to Missouri.
This past week, in the loss to Auburn, JD Davison's dunk over Walker Kessler and defense on the other end of the floor was big in getting Alabama back in the game. The freshman guard showed what he is capable of for this team when he's playing at a high level.
On Saturday night, Alabama lost a close game on the road to Mississippi State, but got some help back on the bench that can be valuable moving forward. James Rojas played for the first time this season after coming back from an offseason ACL injury. Rojas won't light up the stat sheet with points most nice, but he's willing to do the blue collar work that Nate Oats' teams are known for. He had six points, two offensive rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes of play against the Bulldogs.
Gymnastics
Now I know I said there are no moral victories in sports, but in gymnastics wins and losses are viewed differently than most sports. Essentially in collegiate gymnastics, the only thing a win is good for is the conference standings. Wins and losses don't determine rankings, overall team scores do, and Alabama significantly improved in that area from week one to week two. The Crimson Tide improved by more than an entire point going from a 195.875 against Oklahoma to a 196.925.
Freshman Lilly Hudson made her Alabama debut and competed on three events including a strong 9.875 on the balance beam under immense pressure. She will be a big factor for the Crimson Tide this season. Luisa Blanco also showed that she is still Luisa Blanco. Coming off an offseason surgery, she is working her way back up to competing all four events. The reigning SEC gymnast of the year competed in three events at Florida and scored at least a 9.9 in all three.
