The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Basketball Blog
2/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
Feb. 28, 2011
UAB BASKETBALL BLOG
February 27, 2011
It is absolutely amazing to think that there is only one week left in the regular season. This season has truly "flown" by. This last week brings some serious drama to not just the C-USA race but to several conference races across the country. With two (2) games remaining we sit in a very good position. As a result of the action last night we are currently alone in first place in the league. It's an often used cliché but we truly do "control our own destiny". I am so proud of this group of kids because they are locked in and have bought in to another of our mantras, "Whatever it Takes". It's rare that you see a team transform itself this late in a season, but that's what these kids have done. I have preached (and written) about the need for us to develop physical, mental and emotional toughness if we were going to be able to reach our goals. I've talked about that "hard hat, lunch pail mentality" and I think our guys have embraced that as our M.O. We've done this with one of our key players out and different guys contributing. Take last night at Houston for example. I thought we came out of the gate with a focus and intensity level that overwhelmed Houston. We were all over the place defensively, we drew four (4) charges that were called and there were another two that we would have had if we hadn't fouled before the contact, and another that one of our guys bailed out on. That might not seem like a big deal to most of you but it's huge to me. You can't find another game this year where we have taken 4 charges and AJ didn't have one of them! We know he'll throw his body around, but to have three (3) other guys combine for those 4 charges says these kids are committed to doing "whatever it takes". Consider also that in limited minutes Tony Criswell collected ten (10) rebounds (4 on the offensive end that led to extra possessions)! And on a night when he didn't do well what he's normally on the floor to do, Dexter Fields did an unbelievable job on one of Houston's top offensive threats. Dexter limited Darian Thibodeaux, a 43% 3FG shooter, to just 3 shot attempts period, and 2 of those came when Dexter wasn't guarding him. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying Dex is our new defensive stopper, but he took out a huge part of Houston's offense last night. 69% of the shots Thibodeaux has taken this season are threes. Another example of this group committing to doing "whatever it takes". There are several other examples of that commitment, Ovie & Tony's interior defensive work come to mind. Now as we work to re-incorporate Cam into the mix, it's important for him to fit in with the way we're playing now, and not have the team have to adjust to him. We've had limited practice opportunities to emphasize that, but we'll get two (2) good days of work in before heading to Southern Miss for a huge game on Wednesday.
That's a pretty good segue into the showdown in Hattiesburg. I really hope we can get another huge turnout of Blazer fans to make that trip. I really like our guys' focus right now. You can see their attention to detail is heightened; they're asking more pertinent questions; they are picking up adjustments quicker; and they are giving input on things they see and feel on the floor that allow Coach Davis to exploit on the offensive end or for me to attack at the defensive end. Right now there is a great "feel" to this team. And it's happening at just the right time. We've been a "one-game-at-a-time" team all season and that is never more critical than right now. This is the biggest game of the season, because it's the next game. And we plan on "Bringing the Fight" or doing "Whatever it Takes" to bring home the win Wednesday.
GO BLAZERS!
