Plan B boon for Alabama
Like most basketball coaches who lose their starting point guard, Alabama’s Mark Gottfried found himself in scramble mode.
Fortunately for Gottfried, he got his bad news in August when Ron Steele’s knees didn’t hold up from two previous surgeries, and he was forced to undergo a follow-up procedure on his left knee. That meant the senior would redshirt in 2007-08, and it gave Gottfried enough time to come up with a backup plan.
After experimenting with six starting lineups in Alabama’s first seven games, Gottfried appears to have found one that works. He’s going with freshman Rico Pickett at the point in a three-guard offense that complements All-Southeastern Conference forward Richard Hendrix.
With Pickett running the team and the same starting lineup on the floor for the last five games, Alabama has won four straight following Saturday’s 81-73 victory over Missouri State in the Las Vegas Classic at the Orleans Arena.
The Crimson Tide (8-3) will face Iowa State at 7:30 tonight for the tournament title. The Cyclones defeated Purdue, 83-80.
“We’ve done a good job of adjusting to not having Ronnie,” Gottfried said. “But we’re getting pretty good play from our two point guards (Pickett and Mikhail Torrance), and playing Brandon Hollinger at the wing has worked out well.
“We’re starting to develop some chemistry. We’ve gone through some ups and downs as you would expect, but we’ve worked hard, and we’re not going to quit.”
That was evident Saturday. Missouri State led 64-61 with 5:35 left after leading by as many as eight points in the second half. Hendrix had scored 30 points, but he needed some help and got it from senior guard Mykal Riley.
With 1:20 left and Alabama ahead 72-71, Shane Laurie fouled Riley after a steal. The foul was ruled intentional, giving Alabama two free throws and possession.
Riley made one of two. On the ensuing possession, he nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing that put the Crimson Tide ahead 76-71. He finished with 13 points.
“That was a big swing,” Gottfried said. “That’s what you want from your seniors.”
Missouri State (7-4) committed 16 turnovers and was 8-for-23 from the free-throw line.
• Iowa State 83, Purdue 80 — The Cyclones (7-4) squandered a 12-point second-half lead but rallied to overtake the Boilermakers (7-4). Iowa State, led by Jiri Hubalek’s 18 points and Wesley Johnson’s 15, made nine of 12 free throws in the final 1:16.
• Wofford 63, Texas Southern 56 — The Terriers (6-4) clamped down defensively in the second half, holding Texas Southern (1-10) to 35 percent shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes. The Tigers were 1 of 11 from 3-point range in the second half.
• Bethune-Cookman 56, Texas-Pan American 54 — Dominique Whatley’s 3-point shot at the buzzer gave the Wildcats the win. Whatley had 18 points for Bethune-Cookman (5-6). Nathan Hawkins scored 19 for Pan American (6-9).