1978–79 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was C.M. Newton, who was in his eleventh season at Alabama. The team played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season 22–11, 11–7 in SEC play.

1978–79 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
NIT, Semifinals
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	22–11 (11–7 SEC)
Head coach	C. M. Newton (10th season)
Assistant coaches	John Bostick Wendell Hudson Wimp Sanderson
Home arena	Coleman Coliseum
Seasons ← 1977–78 1979–80 →

1978–79 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 7 LSU	14	–	4		.778			23	–	6		.793
Tennessee †	12	–	6		.667			21	–	12		.636
Vanderbilt	11	–	7		.611			18	–	9		.667
Alabama	11	–	7		.611			22	–	11		.667
Mississippi State	11	–	7		.611			19	–	9		.679
Kentucky	10	–	8		.556			19	–	12		.613
Georgia	7	–	11		.389			14	–	14		.500
Ole Miss	6	–	12		.333			11	–	16		.407
Auburn	5	–	13		.278			13	–	16		.448
Florida	3	–	15		.167			8	–	19		.296
† 1979 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[1]

The Tide reached the second round of the inaugural 1979 SEC men's basketball tournament, where they lost to Kentucky 100–101. Afterwards, the Tide accepted a bid to the 1979 National Invitation Tournament and reached the semi-final where they lost to Purdue University.^[2]

Roster

1978–79 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 10 Robert Scott 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So A. H. Parker High School Birmingham, AL G 14 Leroy Russell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr — Brent, AL G 20 Eddie Adams 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Central High School Phenix City, AL G 22 Reggie Strickland 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So — Opelika, AL F 32 Ken Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Central High School Phenix City, AL F 40 Maurice Myers 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Holy Family High School Birmingham, AL G 41 Joe Hancock 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr — Tarrant, AL F 43 Carl Mitchell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr — Dothan, AL G 44 Greg McElveen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr — Baton Rouge, LA F 45 Richie Hood 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr — Millport, AL C 50 Phillip Lockett 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Livingston High School Livingston, AL F 51 Eddie Phillips 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr A. H. Parker High School Birmingham, AL F 52 Reggie King 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Jackson Olin High School Birmingham, AL	Head coach C.M. Newton Assistant coach(es) John Bostick Wendell Hudson Wimp Sanderson Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt