A four-year ride with Erwin Dudley & Co. produced two 25-win seasons, an NIT runner-up showing and the first back-to-back NCAA berths in T-Town in eight years. Now, after point guard Mo Williams' premature departure to the NBA, the cycle begins anew for Mark Gottfried at his alma mater.

Gottfried feels that he has a handle on his team's status.

"I'm sure most people will pick us last," he said. "We lost everybody. And losing Mo puts us in a position where we've got a lot of unproven players. But I know the players that are here are committed to surprising a lot of people."

Alabama will build around talented sophomore forward Kennedy Winston and savvy senior guard Antoine Pettway, a pair of part-time starters in 2002-03 who will be thrust into leading roles this season.

Gottfried added grit to his bench by hiring defensive guru Tom Asbury, the former Kansas State and Pepperdine head coach. Asbury is expected to bring toughness and the no-nonsense sounding board Gottfried lacked last season.

"I like having veteran guys around," Gottfried said.

The Tide will need every edge it can muster against a brutal non-conference schedule that includes road games at Xavier and Providence, a Las Vegas encounter against Oregon, home games against Wisconsin and Charlotte, and a possible opener against North Carolina State in New York.

FRONTCOURT

The versatile Winston's most natural slot is small forward, but he'll work the wings and possibly the point some this season. He'll clearly be 'Bama's key offensive weapon after averaging 11.1 points per game last season. His slashing style should prove more fruitful this season with more trips to the line. Also, his rebounding is vital to the team's success. Winston, with long-range prowess and an eye to drive, should be one of the toughest matchups in the SEC.

Lack of experience in the paint is Alabama's toughest obstacle. The Tide's two returning inside players -- Reggie Rambo and Chuck Davis -- scored a combined 10 points in SEC action last season. Rambo could emerge as the team's top rebounder in an expanded role. Davis must shrug off his carefree freshman persona if he's to be the power forward Gottfried envisions. He was a prolific scorer in high school but failed to make an impact as a true freshman.

Akini Adkins, an athletic 6-foot-9 freshman, will have a chance to play major minutes inside.

Emmett Thomas is a swingman who will be asked to take on a larger role in the Tide's offensive attack. He scored 20 points in a loss to Auburn in mid-January but struggled the rest of the way, averaging 6.0 points per game for the season.

Lucky Williams, a small forward known more for his defense, showed a smooth 15-foot turnaround jumper in limited duty.

BACKCOURT

Pettway has been a consistent role player who has come up big in a handful of games. Now he must emerge as an everyday leader, creator, defender and scorer for the Tide to have success. Pettway, the team's best 3-point threat, will share duties at the point with Demetrius Smith, who has not emerged offensively in three seasons.

Straightening out the shooting guard mess that bogged down last year's club is key for Gottfried. Earnest Shelton will get first crack after an erratic season, while Thomas and the lanky Evan Brock also should vie for minutes.

Shelton has one of the best strokes in the SEC, but he hasn't produced on a consistent basis. He scored in double figures on just four occasions last season, and he connected on a disappointing 33.3 percent of his 3-pointers.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The inexperienced Tide will benefit from its five-game exhibition trip -- which followed 10 valuable practice sessions -- to the Bahamas in August. The timing could not have been better for Gottfried and his staff. The trip, however, won't help Alabama contend in the SEC West. There are just too many issues for this young club.

Still, Asbury will help the Tide defensively, and Winston has the capacity to turn into a bona fide star to carry Bama through this latest rebuilding stage.

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