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Steve Victory JOURNAL – Season 15 (2017-18)
While Alabama’s a long shot to win an NCT title in coach Victory’s 15th (and final?) year, it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Victory’s 2017-18 bunch has been labeled by the sports gurus as “Superior.” The freshman class is listed as “Good” and the game challenge level is “Easy.” Prestige has jumped a bit to 51 (yippee it’s now average!! ). Of course, ‘Bama’s administration just wants to see a .500 conference record (even though that has been a staple the past 3-4 years). Maybe that’s why some of the players seem to be underachievers.
In some ways, the Crimson Tide can still be labeled “young” and “a year away” from greatness. There are no seniors this season, though the NBA lure of fame and riches will surely draw a player or two away. Here’s the lineup, weighted heavily toward the juniors:
Juniors:
PG Michael Slater (star potential but injuries have slowed career)
SG Marco Bartow (blue collar guy, getting better every season)
PF Alex Henry (playing mostly SF and succeeding in that role)
PF Travis McQuay (starter, has made many forget about Michael Bliss’ early departure)
PG Mark Bell (great frosh year but hasn’t been same since the injury)
PF Adam Gibson (back of the pack)
PG Will Turner (redshirted soph year – fan favorite from Alaska but doesn’t play much)
SF Traves Pearce (could be a breakout year for him)
(If everyone stays, next year could be the title season!!)
Sophomores
C Darrell Wynn (#1 prospect out of high school didn’t do much as college frosh)
C Loren Tracy (starter as a frosh but didn’t completely assert himself)
Freshmen
SG Earl Dixon (redshirted last season - JAG "just another guy")
SF Ely Wilson (Victory think’s he’ll be a stud as a junior/senior – long line in front of him this year)
SG Nate Nolan (needs to pull poor GPA up – year or two away from contributing)
The Crimson Tide will begin the season in the Preseason ACT. Opponent number one: #11 ranked Oklahoma. Alabama isn’t ranked but gets a few votes in both polls.
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