The Alabama men's basketball team just completed an eight-day trip to Canada, participating in three games against local universities, as well as team activities and sight-seeing. The Crimson Tide departed for Canada on Aug. 4 and returned to Tuscaloosa on Aug. 11, while making stops in Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario before returning home.
The Tide held a great two hour practice in preparation for the first game at McGill. After practice, the team went to dinner at Fire Grill. After eating dinner, the Tide returned to the hotel to get some rest in preparation for game day on Monday!
The game against McGill tipped off at 7 p.m. local time. Our guys played with terrific energy and passion en route to a big 96-57 victory! There were around a dozen Alabama fans in the crowd cheering the team on to the win. What a way to end our visit in Montreal. A terrific stay in a historic city and ending with a big victory in our final night there.
After we departed Montreal, we took a bus to Ottawa – the nation's capital. The two cities couldn't be more different. Montreal was a historic, French-speaking city that had a very European feel, while Ottawa seems more like a major metropolitan downtown where a majority of the people speak perfect English. It's amazing what a difference only a couple of hours make. Once we arrived in Ottawa, we went for a light shootaround and had a great team dinner.
Players and staff were able to spend a few hours of free time exploring the city between practices and team meetings. The team visited the Parliament buildings, which is where the Canadian congress meets and is located directly across the street from the Prime Minister's building. The Parliament buildings were magnificent in so many ways. They were built over 100 years ago and the structures are in terrific shape. There was also a war memorial nearby which honored the tomb of the Unknown Soldier – similar to what we have in Washington, D.C. Players and staff also visited giant plant sculptures in Gatineau’s Jacques Cartier Park and shopped in the local mall and open air market.
The Alabama men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 84-71 decision to Carleton on Wednesday night in front of a sold out Ravens Nest Arena. With the loss, the Crimson Tide, which defeated McGill on Monday, fell to 1-1 on its three-game Canadian Tour.
Alabama played its final game of the tour on Thursday night and defeated the University of Ottawa, 81-71. Six players scored in double figures to lead a balanced attack for Alabama, which finished the trip with a 2-1 record.
Merci Beaucoup, Canada & Roll Tide
Credits:
Photography by Robert Sutton, Story by Aaron Jordan, Video by Christoper England