The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Donnie Marsh Blog
3/2/2010 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2010
We made it through the grind of February and now enter the month of March in position to reach the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Standing in the way of those goals are two (2) of the better teams in C-USA. We have done a good job a staying focused on the task at hand and that means the only thing in our sights is our game against Memphis on Wednesday night. We are tied with Memphis for 2nd place heading into this game and of course Memphis holds an edge by virtue of their win over us a month ago. We really don't need any additional incentive when this team comes to town. It was a hard fought game in Memphis and was tied with less than 4 minutes left. Down the stretch we didn't get the stops we needed. It was perhaps our poorest defensive performance all year. That has been eating at me since that night. We have hung our hats on our "D" and that night we simply didn't get it done. We had a lengthy film session the day after that game and I believe the players got the message. We have been solid defensively over the last few games and I expect that to continue on Wednesday. We scored enough points to win that game in Memphis. Memphis got a nice lift from their crowd that night and I think that went a long way towards giving them that extra "umph" to close out the game. Another big factor was turnovers. We turned the ball over way too many times that night and many of them led to breakouts & transition baskets that this Memphis team thrives on.
We started putting in our game plan Monday at practice and that will continue today. I really liked our guys' focus and attention to detail. Following practice tomorrow we'll visit "tent city" in front of Bartow Arena. It gives our guys and the staff a chance to thank the students for their support. Last year, Coach Davis bought pizza for the students who camped out. That was a big hit.
Wednesday night is also senior night and we will recognize Howard Crawford, Kenneth Cooper and George Drake prior to the tip off. Make sure you get there in time to express your appreciation to those guys - and especially Howard - who has put 4 years into the Blazer program. But one of the things I admire about the Blazer faithful though is the way you embrace the guys who may not have been here for 4 years, but because they have worn and represented the Green & Gold; because they have sacrificed and sweated while carrying the Blazer mantle; you make them a permanent part of the Blazer family. That will mean a lot to George & "Coop". And I know Howard will feel the love from the packed house as well. Howard has grown by leaps and bounds as a player and person. He has been a model citizen off the floor and he is on track to earn his degree. He has made the most of his UAB experience and it will be an emotional time for him and his family. We hope to begin the evening with a celebration and end it with our guys coming into the stands to thank all of you for your support this season. So get there early and sit tight at the end. This should be a special night.
GO BLAZERS!!!
