Southeastern Conference Best Practices: Alabama's Players Showcase Facilities

This blog is all about inspiration. We're spending 3 days elevating best practices from the squads that make up the SEC. You can tune in on this blog, or you can follow along on Facebook (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.

What makes something a best practice? This isn't about the most intricate experience. It's about looking at the world from your consumer's point of view and delivering something that hits it right smack on the head. In the case of colleges, I'm treating the primary consumer as that prospective student athlete.

Thus far we have discussed how Tennessee gives us a 360 degree view of Coach Pearl, here, and how Kentucky connects fans & players via interviews on Facebook, here.

Let's go...

Alabama surprised me. They are part of the reason I love doing this blog. Hit the Bama Hoops page, here, and note the 94 Feet button on the right...

That takes us to the Crimson Tide Hoops home, here, which makes quite an impression. Immediately you'll notice the featured videos in the middle, where we will turn now.

Coleman Cribs, Facilities, is not just your regular tour of the building. It is so much more. (see it here) Student athletes walk you through the facilities, sharing their perspective on what is important and, more importantly, showing their personalities along the way.


I'll scroll through some of the pictures, as I couldn't embed the video (which is worth a click, here). Walking into the gym below...


Talking about the floor, the emotion that touching it brings.


Hitting the Equipment Room -- I loved both seeing this room and the interaction of the players and the Equipment Manager. That's a person who will play a big role in your life as a student athlete...


And speaking of equipment, they walk us through the closet. They talk through all the Nikes they get. And it is a powerful, powerful moment in the video. (I wish they would have opened a couple of the boxes!)


The Weight room, of course.


And, while they are here, they chat with the Strength Coach -- a person monumentally important in your development.


Finally, they run into other players on the tour. Loved this as you see what appears to be a candid, not planned interaction between the guys. You see the camaraderie and can get a sense for whether or not you would fit. Nice!

How could this be better? Make it sharable. And a series. This video should be something recruits can take and email. (Or fans) Then extend the concept to the season -- giving a peak into the team as they travel, practice, and mesh. The interactions are really amazing -- we just need more.

That's it.

Tune in Monday as we hit up another conference... And, don't forget, you can follow along on Facebook (here) or on Twitter: I'm @pawlow34.

Andy