01/27/04
TUSCALOOSA - The points must come from somewhere. For the time being they won't come from Earnest Shelton.
Sixteen games into the season, with Shelton on the bench with a knee injury, the University of Alabama men's basketball team finds itself looking for the best way to be successful on offense. The timing could be better considering that 17th-ranked Florida is coming to Coleman Coliseum tonight at 7:30.
"When you lose a key guy you are going to get points in a different, way," Gottfried said. "We've got to figure ourselves out as well as figure out Florida."
Gottfried has one thing already figured out about playing without Shelton, the team's leading scorer, who sprained a ligament in his right knee during last Wednesday's win at Georgia and is out of the lineup for at least another week.
"Even though we are going to be without Earnest, our key guys still need to play well for us to have a chance to win," Gottfried said.
Two of those key guys have injury problems of their own. Freshman center Jermareo Davidson hurt his right knee in Saturday's loss to Ole Miss. Sophomore Kennedy Winston, the team's second leading scorer, played 39 minutes against Ole Miss but woke up on Monday morning with a swollen knee.
Gottfried said Davidson "is not 100 percent" but expects the freshman center to play against Florida. He also expects Winston to play in tonight's game, which will be televised on ESPN2.
"We're banged up now," Gottfried said. "That's not where we want to be heading into a game like this."
Florida (12-4, 3-2 SEC) snapped a two-game Southeastern Conference losing streak on Saturday with a 68-52 victory over Auburn. Florida point guard Anthony Roberson had 21 points and five 3-pointers in the victory.
"I'm not sure there are a whole lot of guards in the country better than him," said Gottfried, whose team is 11-5 overall and 3-2 in the SEC.
Roberson also plays a big role in the full-court pressure defense which has been successful for the Gators. Auburn, for example, turned the ball over 22 times against the Gators' press.
"To me, your offense will come and go some games," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "But they have to press, defend and rebound every single game like their life depends on it. That is the way it has to be."
Alabama point guard Antoine Pettway scored 25 points in Saturday's loss to Ole Miss but Gottfried was disappointed in the team's ability to handle the Rebel pressure. Gottfried was also disappointed in the play of his inside players.
Gottfried challenged sophomore Chuck Davis to give the Tide better inside presence. Davis averages 11 points and six rebounds per game but also has a team-high 59 turnovers.
"That's not acceptable," Gottfried said of the turnovers. "He's got to handle the ball better. He has to be more productive with the basketball. If we are going to go in there, something good has to come out of it."
TUSCALOOSA - The points must come from somewhere. For the time being they won't come from Earnest Shelton.
Sixteen games into the season, with Shelton on the bench with a knee injury, the University of Alabama men's basketball team finds itself looking for the best way to be successful on offense. The timing could be better considering that 17th-ranked Florida is coming to Coleman Coliseum tonight at 7:30.
"When you lose a key guy you are going to get points in a different, way," Gottfried said. "We've got to figure ourselves out as well as figure out Florida."
Gottfried has one thing already figured out about playing without Shelton, the team's leading scorer, who sprained a ligament in his right knee during last Wednesday's win at Georgia and is out of the lineup for at least another week.
"Even though we are going to be without Earnest, our key guys still need to play well for us to have a chance to win," Gottfried said.
Two of those key guys have injury problems of their own. Freshman center Jermareo Davidson hurt his right knee in Saturday's loss to Ole Miss. Sophomore Kennedy Winston, the team's second leading scorer, played 39 minutes against Ole Miss but woke up on Monday morning with a swollen knee.
Gottfried said Davidson "is not 100 percent" but expects the freshman center to play against Florida. He also expects Winston to play in tonight's game, which will be televised on ESPN2.
"We're banged up now," Gottfried said. "That's not where we want to be heading into a game like this."
Florida (12-4, 3-2 SEC) snapped a two-game Southeastern Conference losing streak on Saturday with a 68-52 victory over Auburn. Florida point guard Anthony Roberson had 21 points and five 3-pointers in the victory.
"I'm not sure there are a whole lot of guards in the country better than him," said Gottfried, whose team is 11-5 overall and 3-2 in the SEC.
Roberson also plays a big role in the full-court pressure defense which has been successful for the Gators. Auburn, for example, turned the ball over 22 times against the Gators' press.
"To me, your offense will come and go some games," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "But they have to press, defend and rebound every single game like their life depends on it. That is the way it has to be."
Alabama point guard Antoine Pettway scored 25 points in Saturday's loss to Ole Miss but Gottfried was disappointed in the team's ability to handle the Rebel pressure. Gottfried was also disappointed in the play of his inside players.
Gottfried challenged sophomore Chuck Davis to give the Tide better inside presence. Davis averages 11 points and six rebounds per game but also has a team-high 59 turnovers.
"That's not acceptable," Gottfried said of the turnovers. "He's got to handle the ball better. He has to be more productive with the basketball. If we are going to go in there, something good has to come out of it."
