University of Alabama head men’s basketball coach Mark Gottfried has resigned effective immediately, UA Director of Athletics Mal Moore announced today. Crimson Tide assistant coach Philip Pearson will assume the role of interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
"My number one priority is to do what is best for the University of Alabama, this basketball program, and these young men," Gottfried said. "Mal and I sat down today and we talked. At that point, I notified him of my intention to resign as head coach of the men’s basketball program. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity and the privilege to lead our men's basketball program at Alabama for the past 10 and a half seasons. It has been a wonderful decade for me and my family, and I love the University of Alabama, but I feel that it is in the best interests of everyone involved. I want to thank our players, their families, our coaching staff and their families, and our great fans for all of their support over these last 11 seasons."
Alabama meets its first SEC Eastern Division opponent this season when it plays host to Kentucky Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The cross-divisional matchup will be broadcast live across the Southeast by Raycom Sports. A limited number of tickets have been returned to the Alabama athletic ticket office and are available for purchase by calling 877-TIDETIX. Prices are $18 for adults and $8 for those 18 and younger. Quantities are limited. Both Alabama and Kentucky hit the Coleman Coliseum hardwood following wins on Wednesday evening in league play. Alabama ended a two-game league skid with a 76-73 win over Mississippi to even its league record at 2-2 and improve to 12-6 overall.
The Alabama basketball team returns to campus and the hospitable confines of Coleman Coliseum to face the University of Mississippi Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. The Crimson Tide aims to even its Southeastern Conference record as it returns home with a 1-2 SEC mark following back-to-back road losses at Mississippi State and Auburn. UA is certainly glad to hit the home hardwood as it has won its last six home contests, including a 65-59 win over LSU to open SEC play on January 11. Overall, the Tide is 11-6 this season and has outscored opponents by an average of 16 points in its 11 victories.
University of Alabama men’s basketball senior guard Ronald Steele has elected to forgo the remainder of his senior season head coach Mark Gottfried announced Tuesday evening. Steele, who has not played since January 11 due to plantar fasciitis, averaged 12.9 points and 3.7 assists per game this season. The 6-2, 191-pound senior point guard returned to action this season after missing the 2007-08 campaign following surgeries to both knees.
"This is a very difficult time for Ron as his injuries have been very unfortunate and difficult for him," said Gottfried. "I’ll always be indebted to his contributions to our program and the University of Alabama and wish him the very best in his future endeavors."
The University of Alabama men's basketball team remains on the road but stays within the borders of Yellowhammer State to face rival Auburn Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Beard-Eaves Coliseum. The two in-state rivals meet on the hardwood for the 139th time in a series that the Crimson Tide leads by an 84-54 margin. The last five meetings have all been decided by 10 or more points with an average margin of victory of 15.4 points.
"Every time Alabama and Auburn get together to play, we could be playing checkers, and everyone understands how important it is and we know that," said UA head coach Mark Gottfried. "They've got a lot of players coming back, a lot of familiar names on that team and some guys that have played well in the past. I think our games this year with Auburn are going to be really competitive."