Richard Hendrix shares pride former Alabama players felt at Final Four
Richard Hendrix played in a lot of high-level games as a player in Europe, which taught him to take a step back and cherish the moment. It’s why when he was catching up with several former Alabama basketball players at State Farm Stadium before his alma mater’s first appearance in the Final Four, the former First Team All-SEC forward came up with an idea.
Hendrix told Chuck Davis, a star for the Crimson Tide from 2002-06, that he wanted to gather all of the former players who traveled to Phoenix to watch Alabama play UConn together for a group photo. He started asking around, found out where everyone was and told them to meet with 15 minutes left on the clock following the Purdue-NC State game.
His plan was successful, and Hendrix was joined by 14 other Tide alums before watching their school play on college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time. The group was later joined by Herb Jones, whose New Orleans Pelicans played the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
“It was a great moment,” Hendrix told BamaOnLine. “You talk about this Alabama program that’s had a lot of really good players, a lot of really good coaches and some really good teams, and to have everybody in one moment to finally see the team that’s able to get over the hump and get to the Final Four, I felt that was something that was very important and that really needed to be captured.”
The players who posed for the photo included Hendrix, Davis, Jones, Antoine Pettway, Kyle Sellers, John Dill, Derrick McKey, Greg Cage, Demetrius Smith, Mark Gottfried, Jason Reese, Wendell Hudson, Ennis Whatley, Trevor Releford, Terrance Meade and Johnny Dill.
Alabama has produced many big names during its history, but before this year, the Tide had never played on the third weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Getting to witness that in person was a great experience, Hendrix said, not just for himself but all who played at UA.
“All of us former players felt a huge sense of pride to see those guys get it done because they did all of the work, and we were just here to support them and we’ll always try to support them as much as we can,” Hendrix said. “But it was definitely a moment that, for what they were able to achieve this year, it felt good for all of us former players to finally see a group get us over the top, and we all felt just a little, small piece of pride with them doing that.
“The credit to all the coaches and the players that actually got it done this year.”
Hendrix, who is now an SEC Network analyst, also shared his thoughts on Alabama’s play in the entire NCAA Tournament and what the historical run means for the future of Tide hoops.
Former Alabama players at the Final Four (@rhendrix35 / X)
Hendrix on if he thought this postseason run was possible three weeks ago…
“I felt like this team has a team that obviously could beat anyone, and at the same time, I felt like they could lose to anyone they play. I felt like they have struggled against the top teams all year long. But for me, I think the biggest credit needs to be given to this coaching staff and what they’ve been able to do as far as getting this team to get refocused.
“I think the most underrated move that people might not look at is what Coach (Nate) Oats did before going to Spokane and Nick Pringle. Making a move like that is very, very bold, and it takes a lot of confidence in yourself and you see the response that he’s able to get from his team for getting them all on the same page and getting them to understand that this is about the moment and everyone needs to be on the same page. Doing that, I think, was something that really sparked something in this team that shows them that they can be together and if they are together and they get on the same page and achieve.
“I think that has to be a critical turning point. And that’s just from my perspective, from seeing things on the outside. I’m not a guy who’s in the program, at the practices. I’m just an analyst for the SEC Network who looks at Alabama just like if I’m looking at Tennessee or Ole Miss or anyone else. But I think that was a major, major move, an underrated move, and I think that’s something that really got them to the Final Four.”
Hendrix on what he saw from Alabama during the NCAA Tournament run…
“I was impressed with players stepping up and having big games. When you’re in tournament play, it’s a challenge to win so many games on short turnaround when you don’t have the preparation. But if in every single one of these games, you had a different player step up. You look at the Grand Canyon game, you got Mo Dioubate steps up in the clutch, doing a lot of dirty work plays and finishing and just making selfless plays for the team to win.
‘You go to the North Carolina game, and it’s the Grant Nelson, what he’s able to do, taking advantage of his mismatch, knocking down shots on the outside. Defensively, making plays and showing up in the big moments. Against Clemson, Nick Pringle, huge double-double, active on the boards, as well as Jarin Stevenson. What he was able to do knocking down shots.
“It shows that if you want to be a championship-level team, you have to have depth, you have to have players step up with confidence and you can’t be selfish. You have to be selfless, and that showed that this team was able to do that. And obviously, we talk about the guys who have been very consistent all year long with Mark Sears and Aaron Estrada stepping up in big moments and getting us to the Final Four when they needed it done.”
Hendrix on what this Final Four run can do for the program moving forward…
“I think it validates the strength of what this program has always been. I think now people look at this and you see a program that has put out NBA draft picks and lottery picks. It’s put out guys who have been first-team all-conference, really good players. And it’s going to put a spotlight now with this coaching staff and how they play that you have a fun style in which the players are going to want to play.
“And recruiting is seeming to get better. Players want to play in a system where they can get up and down and showcase their skills. And to me, I think the biggest takeaway from this is I think this is just the beginning. Them getting to a Final Four this early and Coach Oats’ tenure, I think, kind of shows that Alabama can be back, and it looks promising that they will be.”
Hendrix on the job Oats has done leading the Alabama basketball program…
“I think he’s done a tremendous job. I think the main thing that when I observe what he has is supreme confidence in the way that he believes in himself and his philosophy. I think that’s something that needs to be admired. And oftentimes, coaches might have a philosophy in which they want to play, but they really don’t believe it and they don’t know how to prepare for it. They don’t know how to practice with it. They don’t know how to have everything going in the same direction towards what they’re trying to achieve. That’s something that is impressive to me.
“And it’s also impressive to put together game plans where you truly believe that you want to go out and win and dominate your opponent every single day. I mean, this is a team we saw them score over 100 points maybe over seven times this season, winning games on the road against teams that they had more talented games. And that’s something that, for me, really has to bring faith into the fan base.
“The Alabama fan base has always been a very supportive fan base. But there’s always been a moment when you’re watching Alabama basketball that you might feel like you’re gonna be let down. And now getting to the Final Four, getting that off your back, I think you can now see that it’s kind of like people believe that we can do it as a program. And the credit that the staff has brought to the players, the confidence they put in them, the positioning that they put them in to succeed, it definitely makes everyone feel that Alabama can be a winner.”
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