Throwback Thursday: The 2001-02 Alabama Men's Basketball Team
The 2001-02 Alabama men's basketball team was prominently mentioned by media this past week when the Crimson Tide clinched the Southeastern Conference regular-season title.
Why? Because that was the last time it had done so.
Under the direction of Mark Gottfried, Alabama was extra motivated that season. The Crimson Tide had been left out of the 2001 NCAA Tournament field despite winning 25 games, and instead reached the NIT final.
After beefing up its non-conference schedule, the Crimson Tide made sure it wasn't anywhere near bubble status.
Alabama finished the 2001-02 season with a 27-8 overall record, the second-most wins in program history. It was 12-4 in the SEC, and 17-0 at home, reached the championship game of the SEC Tournament (losing to Mississippi State, 61-58), and swept the league's three major awards.
Gottfried was named SEC Coach of the Year, Erwin Dudley the SEC Player of the Year, and Mo Williams the SEC Freshman of the Year.
"I'm so proud of our team and the things we accomplished," said Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried whose team ended the season ranked No. 8 in the final AP Top 25 poll and rocketed to as high as No. 5 during the season. "Winning championships and being ranked as high as we did I think are phenomenal for this group considering that we are still a relatively young team."
Dudley, who averaged 15.2 points per game and notched 14 double-doubles, was named a top 20 Wooden Award finalist. Williams won national Freshman of the Year honors from The Sporting News. They, along with Rod Grizzard, were tabbed All-SEC.
Having proved its point, Alabama was the No. 2 seed in the NCAA South Regional. The only other time it was a No. 2 seed was 1987 when Gottfried was a senior on a team that won a school-record 28 games.
However, it didn't lead to a run in the NCAA Tournament, where the Crimson Tide didn't play well in Greenville, S.C.
Williams saved the day in the first round, when the 6-foot-1 guard scored a career-high 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had six assists, as Alabama survived a scare and beat Florida Atlantic 86-78.
"Anybody watching the game could see the way we were playing. In the first half, we tried to pick ourselves up in the huddle, but it just wasn't there," said Williams, adding that the Crimson Tide never panicked.
"Once you play 19 games in the SEC, I don't think anything gets you nervous. It's the best conference in the country."
But it ran into a hot Kent State team in the second round, and the 10th-seeded Golden Flashes dispatched the Crimson Tide en route to the region finals.
Alabama shot just 38 percent in the loss. The Crimson Tide missed nine of its first 12 shots, fell behind 18-8, and finished the half 8-for-26 (30.6 percent.)
Although Alabama had led the SEC in rebounding, Kent State topped it on the boards.
"I don't think energy was a problem for us," Williams told reporter after the game. "We were sky high for this one, up to the roof. It was a case of hitting shots, plain and simple. They made more shots than we did."
At the team banquet, Gottfried and his coaching staff presented Alabama's players with the following awards:
- Highest Free Throw Percentage: Mo Williams and Travis Stinnett (85 percent)
- Highest Assist Average: Mo Williams (4.5 assists per game)
- Highest Field Goal Percentage: Erwin Dudley (55.6 percent)
- Highest 3-Point Field Goal Percentage: (40.8 percent)
- Most Steals: Mo Williams
- Most Blocked Shots: Kenny Walker
- Most Improved: Earnest Shelton
- Senior Award: Solomon Davis
- Academic All-SEC: Terrance Meade, Travis Stinnett, Jim Bakken
- Hayden Riley Scholarship Award (highest GPA): Terrance Meade (3.6 in business)
- Jerry Harper Rebounding Award: Erwin Dudley (8.9 this season, 908 career)
- Guy Lee Turner Defensive Award: Demetrius Smith
- Hustle Award: Reggie Rambo
- 1,000 Career Points Scorers: Erwin Dudley, Rod Grizzard, Terrance Meade
- 900th Career Rebounds: Erwin Dudley (908 career rebounds, career average of 9.1)
NCAA
