1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

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.

1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record15–16 (6–10 SEC)
Head coach
Home arenaColeman Coliseum
Seasons
1997–98 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
No. 5 Kentucky 14 2   .875 35 4   .897
No. 14 South Carolina 11 5   .688 23 8   .742
Tennessee 9 7   .563 20 9   .690
Georgia 7 9   .438 20 15   .571
Vanderbilt 7 9   .438 20 13   .606
Florida 6 10   .375 14 15   .483
West
No. 13 Ole Miss 12 4   .750 22 7   .759
No. 17 Arkansas 11 5   .688 24 9   .727
Auburn 7 9   .438 16 14   .533
Alabama 6 10   .375 15 16   .484
Mississippi State 4 12   .250 15 15   .500
LSU 2 14   .125 9 18   .333
1998 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1997-98 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 2, 2020.