Softball: Three area players sign scholarships. 3C
M O N D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 11 , 2013
Sports
SECTION C
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UA WOMEN
SHELTON STATE
ALABAMA FOOTBALL
FAMILY BUSINESS
Tide loses in triple OT to Arkansas Combined reports
TUSCALOOSA | The University of Alabama women’s basketball team dropped a 91-80 decision to Arkansas in triple overtime Sunday afternoon in Foster Auditorium. “Both teams played hard in this game,” Alabama coach Wendell Hudson said. “We did a lot of good things, but at the end of the day there were a couple of plays where Arkansas got the loose balls, especially in the last overtime. We’ve got to finish. We didn’t fi nish. That’s just the bottom line. We played hard, but we didn’t play smart.” Crimson Tide sophomore Daisha Simmons led all scorers with 21 points in addition to nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. Also notching double-digit points for the Crimson Tide were sophomore Kaneisha Horn with 19, junior Jasmine Robinson with 14 and junior Shafontaye Myers with 11. Junior Dominique Wilson fi nished as Arkansas’ leader in points with 19 while senior Quistelle Williams notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. In the fi rst overtime, neither team led by more than three, and in the same way regulation ended, Myers connected on another 3-point shot to force a second overtime. Alabama opened the second overtime with seven unanswered points, but Arkansas came back to score eight of the last nine points, including a 3-pointer from Wilson with 13 seconds to go, forcing another overtime. In the third, it was all Arkansas, as the Razorbacks outscored the Crimson Tide 15-4. For the game, Alabama was 35.4 percent (28 of 79) from the floor while Arkansas hit 40.5 percent (32 of 79) of its attempts. The Crimson Tide outrebounded the Razorbacks, 55 -52, but committed 25 turnovers to Arkansas’ 23. Alabama (12-12, 2-9 in SEC) travels to Auburn on Sunday with tipoff at 1:30 p.m. It will be televised on ESPN2.
Bucs basketball a big part of life for the Mohuns By Marquavius Burnett Special to The Tuscaloosa News
STAFF PHOTOS | DUSTY COMPTON
BRANDON HILL HEIGHT: 6-FOOT-7 WEIGHT: 390 POSITION: OFFENSIVE LINE
BIG ADDITIONS Junior-college transfers Brown, Hill expect to compete for starting jobs LEON BROWN
By Chase Goodbread
HEIGHT: 6-FOOT-6 WEIGHT: 305 POSITION: OFFENSIVE LINE
Sports Writer
PHOTO | CRIMSONTIDEPHOTOS.COM
Alabama’s Daisha Simmons scored 21 points to lead the Crimson Tide in Sunday’s triple-overtime loss to Arkansas at Foster Auditorium.
TUSCALOOSA | Leon Brown can hardly wait for spring practice to begin at the University of Alabama. Brandon Hill knows he’s got to put in his time conditioning fi rst. Two of seven new faces to the Crimson Tide football program, offensive linemen Brown and Hill are the biggest of Alabama’s seven scholarship January enrollees who will be eligible for spring drills in March, and the only two to come to Alabama from other colleges. Brown expects to compete at right tackle, where UA has lost D.J. Fluker to early NFL Draft entry. At 6-foot-6, 305 pounds, Brown was a quick and athletic tackle for ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y., who excelled in pass protection. Hill, who spent last year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., said he’s still got some weight to lose before he’ll feel ready to compete. Hill said he weighs 390 pounds, with a goal of 350, and already has lost 16 pounds in his fi rst three weeks at the Capstone. “My weight,” Hill listed as his primary objective. “Get it down, get in shape better, try and get out there on the field as fast as I can.” To that end, Hill has been working with the athletic department’s nutritionist, Amy Bragg.
“She’s great. She taught me how to cook food, how to actually eat what I have to eat,” Hill said. “To be honest, I thought Gatorade helps with that, but they said, ‘Wait a minute, if you take water you’ll be good.’” Although Hill played primarily at right tackle at Hargrave, he said he could also compete at guard for the Crimson Tide. Hill signed with Alabama’s 2012 signing class but was unable to academically qualify and went to Hargrave to secure his eligibility. Brown is expected to compete this spring with Austin Shepherd and others for the right tackle position vacated by Fluker. But the Maryland native isn’t waiting for spring drills to begin preparing. “I’m here early to learn the system, get in the weight room, get stronger so I can produce the best I can when I get on the field,” Brown said. He played left tackle at ASA. “My time in Brooklyn was very, you know, needed,” Brown said. “I needed to get the experience of getting a higher level of college football in. It prepared me very well to be here right now.” Reach Chase Goodbread at chase@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0196.
Before Shelton State players check into a game, they receive encouraging words from a familiar voice at the scorer’s table. The voice belongs to Susan Mohun, wife of Buccaneers men’s basketball coach Barry Mohun. Susan has been the bookkeeper for Shelton State for 15 years, the duration of Barry’s tenure at head coach. Susan said she agreed to do the books because she “couldn’t stand to hear the parents talk about him” if something was going wrong in the games. Now, she acts as the team mom. “I occasionally hea r what t he players need to work on during the week, and I try to remind them of that,” Susan said. “I’m the last voice “I occasionthey hear before ally hear they check in, and I want it to be what the something posiplayers need tive.” Ba r r y is t he to work on iron fist, a stern father fi gure. Suduring the san is the caring week, and mot he r f i g u re who creates a balI try to rea nce bet ween mind them what the coach says in the heat of of that. I’m battle and what he really means. The the last voice Mohu ns of t e n they hear have the players over for cookouts before they a nd even t a ke them to Valley check in, and V iew Baptist I want it to Church some be something Sundays. T he Mohu ns positive.” keep it all in the f a m i l y. T h e i r Susan Mohun three children, April (17 ), Amanda (15) and Austin (14) attend every game, home and away. Just as he would with their own children, Barry often goes to Susan for advice on how to discipline and handle players. Barry said Susan helps keep everyone in check. “I’m sort of old-school, and she gives a player’s perspective of maybe why they did something,” Barry said. “Punishment-wise, she understands that every player is different and responds to criticism differently.” Still, perhaps no former or current player knows the true generosity of the Mohuns as much as former Bucs guard Tim Lewis. Lewis played summer league basketball for Mohun SEE FAMILY | 3C
ALABAMA SOFTBALL
No. 1 Crimson Tide claims UNI-Dome tourney title From combined reports
CEDA R FA LL S, I OWA | The top ranked University of Alabama softball team claimed its first tournament championship of the season as it downed North Dakota State, 10 -0, Sunday in the UNI-Dome Classic. UA (5-0) banged out 12 hits, including four home runs. Freshmen Haylie McCleney and Kallie Case and sophomore Danae Hays each had three hits. Junior Jackie Traina improved to
3-0 in the pitching circle with the fiveinning shutout. The All-American allowed four hits and struck out eight and walked one. Alabama scored a run in the bottom of the fi rst to start things off. McCleney collected her 11th hit of the tournament when she doubled to left. Then after a stolen base and a passed ball, she scored on a Kaila Hunt sacrifice fly. After making a run-saving diving grab in the top of the third, McCleney led off the bottom half with a home
run to give the Crimson Tide a 2-0 lead. After a Kayla Braud walk, Hunt hit a home run for a 4-0 lead. With two outs in the fourth, McCleney reached on a bunt single, stole second then scored on a Braud single to center to give Alabama a 5-0 lead. A two-run homer in the fifth by Hays drove in Case and gave the Crimson Tide a 7-0 advantage. Senior Keima Davis ended the game with a three-run homer to cap off the tournament with a 10-0 win. On the weekend, Davis hit a grand
slam and two three-run homers. McCleney led an impressive weekend from the Alabama freshmen. The Morris native hit .722 with nine runs, two doubles, a triple, two home runs, four RBIs and five stolen bases. The four freshmen combined to hit .622 with 11 stolen bases and 17 runs scored. The Crimson Tide hit .384 with nine home runs and 20 stolen bases. UA outscored its opponents 43-12. Alabama’s home opener is 3 p.m. Tuesday against South Alabama.
PHOTO | ERIN NELSON
Barry Mohun has been coach for the Shelton State men’s basketball team since 1998. His wife, Susan, keeps the team’s scorebook.