UA season one of mixed emotions

TUSCALOOSA | The 2008-09 season was a bit deceiving for the University of Alabama women’s basketball team.

Granted, the Crimson Tide won only one game against a Southeastern Conference opponent, its second over three seasons, and finished 13-17 overall, It placed last in the standings and hasn’t won a postseason game since 2005.

That doesn’t mean Wendell Hudson’s first season on the bench was a failure.

“I’ve been real pleased with the strides the team has made,” he said. “We took over a basketball team that averaged 30-some turnovers a game, we cut down on that. We took over a team that wasn’t in as many games, and we learned how to play and won some games before the conference got started that we needed to win. Also, I thought we played hard against the conference foes.

“Under the circumstances, I’m real happy with the strides this team has made.”

Specifically, Alabama scored almost 10 more points a game (63.5 compared to 54.9 in 2007-08), while nearly matched its defensive counterpart (66.5 vs. 65.1).

The real difference, though, was in turnovers. The Tide committed 778 last year, averaging 25.9 per game. This season, Alabama had fewer than its opponents (529 to 534), and averaged 17.6.

The Tide improved in other areas as well, including rebounds (40.9, up from 38.0), and assists (400 from 341), but not shooting — and put it up a lot more (714-1899, .376 this season, compared to 62-1588, .390).

“It gets hard, we kept encouraging each other, nobody likes to lose,” freshman guard Ericka Russell said. “We have to get to the point where we can finish the game. Once we get there, I think that we’ll be a definite SEC contender when it comes down to it.”

Thursday’s season-ending game against defending-national champion Tennessee effectively demonstrated the talent gap, with the taller Lady Vols able to dominate in the paint and better challenge Alabama’s outside shooters.

Even though the Tide will lose just one player to graduation, guard Camilla Blands, the roster will see some changes.

“We’re not as talented as we would like to be,” Hudson said last week, and elaborated in Little Rock after the UT loss:

“Good players make plays and good players make all of us coaches better coaches and that’s the difference. “There were times when Tennessee might not have made exactly the right play, but they had a playmaker step up and make a play and that’s what we got to learn how to do and make plays and help these young ladies from the standpoint of recruiting, get some other playmakers in here to help them play.”

Fourteen players got on the court, 12 of which averaged nine minutes or more.

Sophomore forward Tierney Jenkins led the team in scoring (11.1), rebounds (7.4) and steals (48). Junior point guard Dedrea Magee hardly left the floor during the stretch run, with 124 assists and 34 fewer turnovers than last year. Sophomore guard Varisia Raffington stepped up her play during conference play and more than doubled her scoring output.

Russell, from Northridge, launched 204 3-pointers (making 57, .279), was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team, and averaged 10.1 points.

“Everybody on the team is definitely important,” Raffington said. “We all contribute in different ways, whether it be defense, steals, getting rebounds.

“I think it’ll come with more experience, and the more games we play together.”

Expected to join them are freshman guard Candace Sykes, who took a medical redshirt this season, and signees Karneshia Garrett (6-foot-2, center/forward), Celiscia Farmer (5-11 guard), and Meghan Perkins (6-0 forward). Hudson hopes to still add another point guard, and the next signing class could be even better as it’s a very strong year for homegrown players.

“We kind of know what to expect and we don’t have to start all over again,” Jenkins said. “With the freshmen coming in we can kind of help prepare them. We have our bearings now and I think we’re going to go into the offseason positive and get better.”

Alabama did win five more games, and at 12-2 was off to its best start since 2000-01. It hadn’t enjoyed a six-game winning streak since 2002, and got over the giant mental hurdle of snapping the 25-game losing streak against SEC opponents.

Reach Christopher Walsh at christopher.walsh@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0196.