For any of you that have siblings and had the "pleasure" of being the younger sibling, I'm sure you know about the younger sibling mentality. I personally have never gone through it because I'm the oldest in my family, but my sister tells me about it all the time. Teachers ask her if she's "Cameon's sister" frequently, teachers compare her to me, and they expect her to be like me in everything that she does.

Alabama Basketball has become the younger sibling to Alabama Football, but I think that can/will change with the fan's help and support that has diminished over the years.

Let's face it, in the last few years Alabama Basketball has taken a backseat to Nick Saban, SEC Championships, National Championships (dreams of before this year) and recruiting. Nick Saban and the Football program as a whole have become the bigger sibling in the absence of a good Basketball coach and a lack of, let's be honest, ability to win from the Basketball team.

Luckily for Alabama Basketball, they have more similarities with Coach Saban and Alabama Football as a whole than my sister and I have.

Coaches

One thing Alabama Basketball had been missing for a long time was a decent coach, and that problem was alleviated with the hiring of Coach Anthony Grant in March of 2008.

Coach Grant said when he first came to the University of Alabama that he wanted to bring the passion back into the sport for the university. This guy has a process, just like Saban does, and if you look at them, these two guys aren't that much different.

Coach Grant expects a lot from his players, all the time, just like Coach Saban. He doesn't tolerate one guy wanting to be "the man," and he doesn't tolerate less than 100% at all times. He has a process. He knows what he wants from his players, and he knows what needs to be done to get there.

Remember that Coach Grant is playing with someone else's players, but it's clear that these guys have bought into the process that Grant has talked about and you can tell that from the way they play.

With all these things that Coach Grant has against him, including terrible officiating, he doesn't except excuses or make excuses for the team losing. In fact, he has said before that they should have had games like Vandy won before the last :06 seconds when the bad call was made.

This team's record is by no means perfect (11-5), but remember that Saban went 6-7 his first year at Alabama, and the season is far from over.

Players

Coach Grant has made some vast improvements in these guys and the game they are playing. Their dedication, determination, and want/power to win have improved by one million percent. Not only that, but the maturity of this team on and off the court, has improved.

These guys have bought into what Coach Grant has told them. They are believers that they can and will be better with work, dedication, and by listening to their coaches and getting what needs to be done taken care of.

Sound familiar to another sport at the University to me.

(Remember earlier when I mentioned that my sister aren't very similar, this is when that comes into play)

Fans

Bryant-Denny Stadium is filled to capacity at almost every home game. The waiting list to get season tickets was over five years the last time I checked. Alabama Football fans are there whether it is in snow, rain, tornado, or hurricane. At least 92,138 people (respectively) show up to support "their" Football team and there are more people that want to be there but don't have the means to be there.

Where are these fans during Basketball season?

Coleman Coliseum has a capacity of 15,316 people. That's less than a fourth of what Bryant-Denny can hold. Surely, being the Alabama fans that we are, we can fill that place up for EVERY home game.

Getting to the game way earlier than expected, I got to hear Chris Stewart make a speech to the students. His request was to come to the games, bring a friend (he really emphasized this point) and make some noise.

That's my request to you, and while I may not be Chris Stewart, voice of Alabama Basketball and Baseball, I hope I have some influence, if for no other reason than I'm younger and female. J

Alabama Basketball is making a comeback, and they need your help and support just like the Football team did coming out of the Shula period and Saban's first year.

15,316 fans screaming, sporting their crimson gear, getting involved in a program that is getting better and is a part of the University we yell so loudly for every Fall. Let's keep it going. I am even including a link to the schedule and the Alabama Basketball Community page.

Roll Tide!