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Roughly 2,000 fans came out to Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday night to watch the Alabama basketball team participate in an open practice before the Crimson Tide travels to Canada for its foreign tour.
Here are some notes from what we saw:
— Dazon Ingram was wearing a hoodie under his practice jersey and did not participate in the practice. Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said the sophomore guard injured his foot and is “going through a rehab situation, nothing serious.” Ingram will still make the trip to Canada, but he is questionable to play.
— Alabama showed great tempo all practice, excelling in the fast break while also showing an ability to quickly distribute the ball. Johnson said he wants the team to score every 5-7 seconds. Five-star point guard Collin Sexton did just that on one possession, taking the ball down the court himself before pulling up for a quick 3.
“I love it, love the quick pace. You saw a little bit of a difference in our speed.” Johnson said. “I’m really pleased with the way we are trying to get the ball up the floor.”
— Johnson said the biggest thing he learned about his team was its footspeed. He believes that will be a difference maker this season.
"I always talk about scoring in the first five or seven seconds, that was like a little bit of a dream the first two years," Johnson said. "It might become a reality this year. It would be nice to see."
— Speaking of 3-point shooting, Alabama lit it up on the night. Sexton and fellow five-star freshman John Petty hit back-to-back 3s on opposite sides of the court in the span of 20 seconds. Ar’Mond Davis and Avery Johnson Jr. also showed some range on the night.
“I won’t call them shooters, hopefully, we’ll have makers,” Johnson said. “My coaches, when they evaluate kids, they’ll say ‘This kid is a shooter,’ but I never see the ball go in. I want guys that are makers, and hopefully, with them making shots our spacing will become better and our guards can get inside the defense and wreak havoc.”
— It wasn’t just the outside game, Donta Hall showed some impressive inside moves, and Daniel Giddens looks like a player who can add some muscle down low. Johnson said he has seen a lot of maturity from Hall and said he will need to “play like a starter” this season now that Jimmie Taylor is gone.
— Alabama lined up with two bigs on multiple occasions. Sometimes it was Donta Hall and Daniel Giddens. Other times Giddens lined up with freshman Galin Smith. Johnson said playing with two bigs is something he will experiment with and stated he really likes the versatility he has on the team.
“I just think it gives us a lot of size and muscle up front,” Johnson said of pairing Hall and Giddens. “Obviously Bola (Olaniyan) did a great job for us (last year) but struggled to score inside because he’s only 6-5. Hall and Daniel are 6-9, 6-10. We hope to get that same rebounding with more shot blocking with Daniel (Giddens) being able to finish inside when we move him over to the No. 4 position.”
— Four-star freshman Alex Reese is another person Johnson said he can play at either 4 or 5. Reese, 6-9, 250 pounds, has a thick build but is still very athletic. One reporter said he resembled a safety in football.
— Johnson called four-star freshman Herb Jones a versatile player who can shoot it and pass it. He also complimented fellow freshman Smith on his growth since entering the program. Smith, 6-foot-9 entered Alabama weighing 219 pounds and now weighs 232 pounds.
— One more thing on the freshmen. Five-star forward John Petty can absolutely throw it down. He provided a tomahawk slam on the fast break and should be fun to watch next season.
— All Alabama players took some time to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. Sexton was a popular attraction, but it was Johnson Jr. that stole the show. While signing autographs, a young fan asked the junior guard for his shoes. At first, Johnson was a bit taken back by the request. However, he later obliged, making the young man's night.
— The head coach Johnson said he will experiment with his starting lineup during the trip to Canada. Although, he admits if he finds a lineup he likes toward the end he might stick with it.
— Alabama will depart Tuscaloosa on Friday and will play three games in eight days against Canadian universities throughout its time in Montreal and Ottawa. The first game will be played on Aug. 7 against McGill University at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) in Montreal. The Tide will then play a pair of games in Ottawa, beginning with a contest on Aug. 9 at Carleton University at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) followed by facing the University of Ottawa on Aug. 10 at 6:30 p.m. ET(5:30 p.m. CT).
