1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

The 1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was David Hobbs, who was in his sixth, and final season at Alabama. The team played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of 15–16, with a conference record of 6–10, which placed them in fourth place in the SEC Western Division.

1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	15–16 (6–10 SEC)
Head coach	David Hobbs (6th season)
Home arena	Coleman Coliseum

1997–98 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
East
No. 5 Kentucky †	14	–	2		.875			35	–	4		.897
No. 14 South Carolina	11	–	5		.688			23	–	8		.742
Tennessee	9	–	7		.563			20	–	9		.690
Georgia	7	–	9		.438			20	–	15		.571
Vanderbilt	7	–	9		.438			20	–	13		.606
Florida	6	–	10		.375			14	–	15		.483
West
No. 13 Ole Miss	12	–	4		.750			22	–	7		.759
No. 17 Arkansas	11	–	5		.688			24	–	9		.727
Auburn	7	–	9		.438			16	–	14		.533
Alabama	6	–	10		.375			15	–	16		.484
Mississippi State	4	–	12		.250			15	–	15		.500
LSU	2	–	14		.125			9	–	18		.333
† 1998 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The Tide defeated Vanderbilt in the first round of the 1997 SEC men's basketball tournament, but lost to Kentucky in the quarterfinal. The Tide did not an invite to a postseason tournament, meaning the Tide had missed the postseason for a second consecutive season.

Following the season, head coach David Hobbs resigned from his position, finishing with a 110–76 (59.4%) career record and producing nine All-SEC players. As his replacement, Murray State head coach Mark Gottfried was hired on March 25, 1998.

Roster

1997–98 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown F 3 Neil Ashby 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) — Fr Atlanta, Georgia G 4 Brian Williams 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) — Jr Montgomery, Alabama F 5 Tarik London 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So G 15 Blake Thrasher 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — Jr G 21 Dejuan Shambley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — So G 22 Chauncey Jones 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) — Jr Thornton, Colorado F 24 Alfred Moss 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) — Fr Newnan, Georgia F 25 M.C. Mazique 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) — Jr Brooklyn, New York G 30 Damon Bacote 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) — Sr Hampton, Virginia G 32 Rongie Cowser 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) — Fr Gadsden, Alabama F 34 Chris Rollins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) — Jr F 35 Demetrius Alexander 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) — Sr St. Louis, Missouri C 44 Scott Hamilton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) — Sr C 52 Jeremy Hays 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) — So Boaz, Alabama	Head coach David Hobbs Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular Season
Nov 18, 1997*		North Texas	W 81–61	1–0	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 22, 1997*		at Minnesota	W 64–63	2–0	Williams Arena  Minneapolis, MN
Nov 24, 1997*		Jacksonville State	W 105–72	3–0	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 27, 1997*		vs. Georgia Tech Puerto Rico Holiday Classic	L 60–62	3–1	Eugene Guerra Sports Complex  San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nov 28, 1997*		vs. American–Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Holiday Classic	L 79–88	3–2	Caguas Municipal Complex  Caguas, Puerto Rico
Dec 5, 1996*		vs. Wichita State Puerto Rico Holiday Classic	W 60–58	4–2	Eugene Guerra Sports Complex  San Juan, Puerto Rico
Dec 3, 1997*		Texas A&M	W 81–64	5–2	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 6, 1997*		at Boston University	W 61–53	6–2	Case Gym  Boston, MA
Dec 13, 1997*		FIU	L 66–68	6–3	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 20, 1997*		vs. Tulane Arby's Holiday Hardwood Classic	L 71–76 OT	6–4	UAB Arena  Birmingham, AL
Dec 22, 1997*		Alabama State	W 85–61	7–4	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 27, 1997*		vs. Sam Houston State All–College Tournament	W 77–58	8–4	Myriad Convention Center  Oklahoma City, OK
Dec 28, 1997*		vs. Oklahoma All–College Tournament	L 61–79	8–5	Myriad Convention Center  Oklahoma City, OK
Jan 3, 1998		Mississippi State	L 52–56	8–6 (0–1)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 7, 1998		at LSU	W 60–57	9–6 (1–1)	Maravich Assembly Center  Baton Rouge, LA
Jan 10, 1998		No. 14 Ole Miss	L 63–74	9–7 (1–2)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 14, 1998		Vanderbilt	L 69–72	9–8 (1–3)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 18, 1998		at Auburn Iron Bowl of basketball	L 40–94	9–9 (1–4)	Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum  Auburn, AL
Jan 21, 1998		at No. 7 Kentucky	L 67–70	9–10 (1–5)	Freedom Hall  Louisville, KY
Jan 24, 1998		at No. 18 Arkansas	L 70–77	9–11 (1–6)	Bud Walton Arena  Fayetteville, AR
Jan 28, 1998		Tennessee	L 70–84	9–12 (1–7)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 4, 1998		Auburn Iron Bowl of basketball	W 76–62	10–12 (2–7)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 7, 1998		at No. 17 Ole Miss	L 74–75	10–13 (2–8)	Tad Smith Coliseum  Oxford, MS
Feb 11, 1998		at No. 15 South Carolina	L 63–74	10–14 (2–9)	Carolina Coliseum  Columbia, SC
Feb 14, 1998		Florida	W 80–66	11–14 (3–9)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 18, 1998		at Georgia	L 71–78	11–15 (3–10)	Stegeman Coliseum  Athens, GA
Feb 21, 1998		LSU	W 69–60	12–15 (4–10)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 25, 1998		at Mississippi State	W 85–70	13–15 (5–10)	Humphrey Coliseum  Starkville, MS
Feb 28, 1998		No. 12 Arkansas	W 65–63	14–15 (6–10)	Coleman Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, AL
SEC Tournament
Mar 5, 1998		vs. Vanderbilt SEC Tournament First Round	W 72–62	15–15	Georgia Dome  Atlanta, GA
Mar 6, 1998		vs. No. 7 Kentucky SEC Tournament Quarterfinals	L 71–82	15–16	Georgia Dome  Atlanta, GA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Sources