1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The team's head coach was David Hobbs , who was in his sixth, and final season at Alabama. The team played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama . They finished the season with a record of 15–16, with a conference record of 6–10, which placed them in fourth place in the SEC Western Division.
The Tide defeated Vanderbilt in the first round of the 1997 SEC men's basketball tournament , but lost to Kentucky in the quarterfinal. The Tide did not an invite to a postseason tournament, meaning the Tide had missed the postseason for a second consecutive season.
Following the season, head coach David Hobbs resigned from his position, finishing with a 110–76 (59.4%) career record and producing nine All-SEC players. As his replacement, Murray State head coach Mark Gottfried was hired on March 25, 1998.
Roster
1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
F
3
Neil Ashby
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
—
Fr
Atlanta, Georgia
G
4
Brian Williams
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
—
Jr
Montgomery, Alabama
F
5
Tarik London
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
So
G
15
Blake Thrasher
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
—
Jr
G
21
Dejuan Shambley
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
—
So
G
22
Chauncey Jones
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
—
Jr
Thornton, Colorado
F
24
Alfred Moss
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
—
Fr
Newnan, Georgia
F
25
M.C. Mazique
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
—
Jr
Brooklyn, New York
G
30
Damon Bacote
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
—
Sr
Hampton, Virginia
G
32
Rongie Cowser
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
—
Fr
Gadsden, Alabama
F
34
Chris Rollins
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
Jr
F
35
Demetrius Alexander
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
—
Sr
St. Louis, Missouri
C
44
Scott Hamilton
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
—
Sr
C
52
Jeremy Hays
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
—
So
Boaz, Alabama
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site city, state
Regular Season
Nov 18, 1997 *
North Texas
W 81–61
1–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 22, 1997 *
at Minnesota
W 64–63
2–0
Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN
Nov 24, 1997 *
Jacksonville State
W 105–72
3–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 27, 1997 *
vs. Georgia Tech Puerto Rico Holiday Classic
L 60–62
3–1
Eugene Guerra Sports Complex San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nov 28, 1997 *
vs. American–Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Holiday Classic
L 79–88
3–2
Caguas Municipal Complex Caguas, Puerto Rico
Dec 5, 1996 *
vs. Wichita State Puerto Rico Holiday Classic
W 60–58
4–2
Eugene Guerra Sports Complex San Juan, Puerto Rico
Dec 3, 1997 *
Texas A&M
W 81–64
5–2
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 6, 1997 *
at Boston University
W 61–53
6–2
Case Gym Boston, MA
Dec 13, 1997 *
FIU
L 66–68
6–3
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 20, 1997 *
vs. Tulane Arby's Holiday Hardwood Classic
L 71–76 OT
6–4
UAB Arena Birmingham, AL
Dec 22, 1997 *
Alabama State
W 85–61
7–4
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 27, 1997 *
vs. Sam Houston State All–College Tournament
W 77–58
8–4
Myriad Convention Center Oklahoma City, OK
Dec 28, 1997 *
vs. Oklahoma All–College Tournament
L 61–79
8–5
Myriad Convention Center Oklahoma City, OK
Jan 3, 1998
Mississippi State
L 52–56
8–6 (0–1)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 7, 1998
at LSU
W 60–57
9–6 (1–1)
Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA
Jan 10, 1998
No. 14 Ole Miss
L 63–74
9–7 (1–2)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 14, 1998
Vanderbilt
L 69–72
9–8 (1–3)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 18, 1998
at Auburn Iron Bowl of basketball
L 40–94
9–9 (1–4)
Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL
Jan 21, 1998
at No. 7 Kentucky
L 67–70
9–10 (1–5)
Freedom Hall Louisville, KY
Jan 24, 1998
at No. 18 Arkansas
L 70–77
9–11 (1–6)
Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR
Jan 28, 1998
Tennessee
L 70–84
9–12 (1–7)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 4, 1998
Auburn Iron Bowl of basketball
W 76–62
10–12 (2–7)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 7, 1998
at No. 17 Ole Miss
L 74–75
10–13 (2–8)
Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS
Feb 11, 1998
at No. 15 South Carolina
L 63–74
10–14 (2–9)
Carolina Coliseum Columbia, SC
Feb 14, 1998
Florida
W 80–66
11–14 (3–9)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 18, 1998
at Georgia
L 71–78
11–15 (3–10)
Stegeman Coliseum Athens, GA
Feb 21, 1998
LSU
W 69–60
12–15 (4–10)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 25, 1998
at Mississippi State
W 85–70
13–15 (5–10)
Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS
Feb 28, 1998
No. 12 Arkansas
W 65–63
14–15 (6–10)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
SEC Tournament
Mar 5, 1998
vs. Vanderbilt SEC Tournament First Round
W 72–62
15–15
Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA
Mar 6, 1998
vs. No. 7 Kentucky SEC Tournament Quarterfinals
L 71–82
15–16
Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
Sources[ 2]
References
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics