The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
DONNIE MARSH - Men's Basketball
12/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
How exhilarating was that win last night? That was a very good VCU team we faced and they almost gave us more than we could handle. I was impressed with them watching them on tape and even more so now that I have seen them in person. They will make a serious run at the CAA title and will certainly help us as they continue to win games. But this was about our guys' heart and fight and desire and effort and never quit attitude. It was about finding a way to overcome some very shaky defense early (I can say that); searching for some consistency on the offensive end (early and middle); and getting the right combination of guys on the floor at the same time that could solve both of those issues. When we finally did that we saw an incredible effort that resulted in a magical night at Bartow Arena. Sure this is still very early in the season, but a win like that at any point is something to celebrate. I will echo the sentiments of the players in the locker room following the game when they gave a special shout out to Tony Criswell. In his first meaningful minutes as a Blazer he made an impact. He did a terrific job making it difficult to enter the ball into the post; he battled incredibly hard on the glass at both ends; he made his free throws; and he sacrificed his body at a critical point in the game to draw a charge. He did all that in just 18 minutes of action! With our starting bigs slowed by injury and ineffectiveness, we needed someone to step up and make a difference in the post. He did. But it also has to be noted that we went small during a long stretch of that game and that meant Jamarr and Robert logging time at the other "post" spot. I thought both did an exceptional job working to keep the ball out of the paint and getting to shooters with a sense of urgency. We held VCU without a field goal in the final 5:29 of the first half and the final 5:08 of the game. That is a terrific effort from the guys on the floor. We didn't do everything right, trust me on that, but we really battled and that is what this team has to do night in and night out. We are still searching for that elusive 40 minute complete performance (ala Butler and Cincinnati last year), but we are making progress in that direction. It's still about getting better each time out. We also have to gain some ground on becoming more consistent individually and as a team. We have had too many roller coaster performances. It happens to young teams that may not quite know how to handle it when you've had a good night. Sometimes young guys think that's just going to happen the next time out. What they don't yet grasp is that after you have a good or great night, the heat gets turned up. There becomes an expectation from your own team that you can do it again. But more significantly you become a focus of the opponent's scouting report and they scheme to take away your strengths and attack your weaknesses. That's what makes you appreciate the great players in any sport. They are able to perform at a consistently high level in the face of defenses designed to stop them or slow them down. Young players experiencing success at this level for the first time have to be taught that lesson. Last night for several of our guys, was a learning process. We'll get better at handling it as we move forward.
I also wanted to make mention of the terrific job our guys did in the classroom this fall. I'm sure the word is starting to get out but we had seven (7) guys with a GPA of 3.0 or better and our overall team GPA is at a 3.0 for the semester! How proud are you about that? These kids (none of whom has ever cost us an APR point I might add), have accepted the challenge of being the best in the classroom and on the court that they can possibly be. They have responded beautifully and as a staff we are tremendously proud of each of them. I want to especially thank our academic support staff, the tutors, mentors and the rest of our academic "team" that has spent countless hours keeping our guys on top of their assignments. Thanks also to the professors on this campus who understand the travel commitments that come with being involved in athletics at this level and have shown incredible patience and flexibility.
GO BLAZERS!
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