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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Non-conference 2012-13
It takes Alabama all of three games to equal last year’s win total. The Crimson Tide doesn’t exactly blow away the competition, but coach Steve Victory is as pleased as a kid in a candy store at his team’s wins against Columbia (72-64), Prairie View (78-67) and Ball State (80-69). All seems to be well in Victory’s world again.
If the first three contests are any indication, this ‘Bama team will be a balanced one. Four players score in double figures against Columbia and Prairie View (Lekivicius, Fischer, Bliss and Jordan). Jordan adds 20 points to lead the way in the Ball State triumph.
Alabama trips against Alcorn State 77-70, but then rebounds with wins over Binghamton (75-61) and UTEP (85-59). Victory is amazed to see his Crimson Tide push into the top 25 with a 5-1 record. Wow! What a turnaround.
Unfortunately, a four-game losing skid sends the Tide quickly off the charts. Alabama loses close road games to Buffalo (87-83) and New Mexico State (94-82), then gets beaten up pretty good at Nebraska (93-74) and by visiting Temple (76-55).
Alabama owns a 5-5 record heading into a rematch with College of Charleston. Again Victory agrees to travel to play his old team, and again the Crimson Tide comes out with a victory. Waitari Condill leads ‘Bama for the second year in a row with 18 points. Bliss adds 16 and Jason Rude adds 13 to lead the 84-79 triumph.
Charleston fans pay their old coach a tribute with a nice standing ovation before the game. The question of the day in the Charleston Post & Courier: “Did coach Victory do the right thing by going to ‘Bama?”
Opinions are mixed. Victory doesn’t reply publicly but has posed himself that question many times. “We could probably be a 45-50 prestige school if I had stayed at CoC these past three seasons,” Victory muses in his journal. “Then middle tier programs in the SEC or ACC or Big East might have come calling. Oh well, can’t look back…”
The Tide doesn’t and keeps rolling after Charleston, finishing up the non-conference slate with a 75-60 win over Evansville and a 95-82 triumph over Duquesne. The record heading into the SEC schedule: 8-5. Not bad, but Victory knows his troops will be tested every night the rest of the way. The first 13 games were but a warm-up for the grueling grind of the SEC…
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