During its school-record 14-0 start to the season, Alabama women’s basketball has enjoyed the success while ultimately remaining engaged with its high standard of play under head coach Kristy Curry. A fitting example of this came after the team’s 77-59 win over Troy on Dec. 21: Curry was asked about her favorite Christmas movie, and she responded by saying that her biggest challenge would be to not spend all her time watching game film.
Such buy-in has been the story of the year thus far. After a historic campaign last season that saw the team reach the second round of the tournament and have a program-record three players selected in the WNBA draft, Alabama has largely continued its success.
While the winning is still there, the stats look a little different. Last season, the Crimson Tide was 14th nationally in scoring offense, 13th in field goal percentage and third in 3-point percentage, but it didn’t snuff the leaderboards in points given up. This year, the team isn’t top 50 in any of those offensive categories, but it is fourth in the country for scoring defense at 50.8 points per game and top 20 in blocks per game at 5.4.
That defensive tenacity has paid dividends in the overall results, as Alabama is also No. 24 in average margin of victory, winning games by 25.2 points per contest. Even with the loss of its top talent, the team is still emphatically taking care of business.
“The group last year set a pure example of what this team should be,” said Timmons, who is top 40 in the nation in 3-point shooting at 44.4%, after the Troy win. “It starts with our mindset and having that mindset that we have to come in committed each day, play through our mistakes, and have that 1-0 mentality. I think our girls have done a tremendous job with that.”
In addition to her 3-point proficiency, Timmons also leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Right behind her is forward Essence Cody, who has put up 15.4 points on solid efficiency — her 62.9% field goal rate is second on the team, but she plays double the minutes and scores triple the points of first-place forward Alancia Ramsey.
Another 3-point weapon is Weathers, who is shooting almost exactly 40% from downtown. Interestingly, she is also Alabama’s leading rebounder despite not boasting the paint presence nor the typical rebound-grabbing stature of Cody, Ramsey and the team’s other bigs. Second and third place are Jones and forward Naomi Jones.
One player who can’t be left out of a Crimson Tide analysis is true freshman guard Ace Austin, who is the leader of the second unit and is scoring 7.3 points per game, in the realm of guards Diana Collins and Ta’Mia Scott while playing less minutes than both. Moreover, she is fourth on the team in assists.
While Alabama’s 3-point percentage, a defining trait from last year’s squad, isn’t at that nearly-39% mark, it isn’t unrealistic to think the team could get there from its current 36.6% clip. Regardless, it is anchored by steady shooting hands like Timmons and Weathers, along with other high-30% shooters like Collins and Scott, who make 39.0% and 36.5%, respectively. The Crimson Tide ranks sixth in 3-point percentage among the 16 SEC teams through nonconference play.
As Timmons implied with her comment about standards, this program has established a way of being that is proving to carry on year-over-year. Things might look different, but this team has the same heart as last year’s.
“I always say this: Culture never graduates,” Curry said, reflecting on the team’s unprecedented start. She pointed to Timmons and Weathers, who were part of the winning experience last year and, as Curry said, “really understand what the standard is.”
Even with her proud remarks about her players, her focus is far from the overall record, and that 1-0 mindset that Timmons mentioned comes down from the program’s staff.
Following the Tulane win in mid-December, Curry said, “I get caught up in my next opponent” and began looking forward to the Troy matchup the next week. In her mind, what’s in the past and what lies ahead are irrelevant compared to the immediate obstacle in the road, and such tunnel vision has evidently led to results. Her team has shown the ability to learn lessons from each game and move forward with a mindset of improvement.
For now, that next obstacle is No. 3 South Carolina, which will host Alabama on New Year’s Day. The nonconference portion is now over, and the Crimson Tide, unblemished and sure to be ready to do battle, is set to begin the season’s next chapter.
