Alabama
Goodman: Alabama’s big test is here, and the Tide is ready
This is an opinion column.
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There are two key similarities between Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats and former Alabama football coach Nick Saban.
No.1, they both know how to dress, or at least understand that maintaining a classy image in public comes with the job and is a sign of respect for the people they represent.
This might seem trivial to some, but those are probably just the guys who think it’s OK to wear flannel shirts with dress slacks, flip-flops away from the beach, workout attire away from the gym, sweatpants in public, tactical pants to church, saggy jeans anywhere, camo, team jerseys outside of stadiums, tucked in T-shirts and square-toed shoes or boots.
Everyone else appreciates the fact that Oats isn’t the best dressed coach in college basketball by accident and that Saban (or at least Miss Terry) has impeccable fashion sense.
Secondly — and this might be a little more important — Oats is like Saban in that he never wavers from the coaching ethos that winning is all that matters.
Too cutthroat? Maybe for some, but that’s one of the things that makes Oats good at his job.
Oats hasn’t turned Alabama basketball into a national contender by handing out participation trophies, which is why sitting point guard Mark Sears against LSU didn’t come as much of a surprise.
The broadcasters calling the game for ESPN made a big deal about Sears being on the bench, but it’s not the first time that Oats has kept Sears out of the rotation this season and it might not be the last either.
Maybe Oats was trying to send a message by putting his best offensive player on the bench, or maybe Alabama’s coach just wanted more length on defense for the second half. Either way, it was the right call. Alabama won and Oats even noted afterwards that it was some of the best defense Alabama had played all season to end a game.
Sears was back in the lineup on Wednesday against Mississippi State and led Alabama with 17 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Once again, though, Oats made the correct decision late in the game when he subbed out Mark Sears and Aden Holloway in favor of taller players.
If only the football coach at Alabama knew how to manage his team so effectively.
No.4 Alabama basketball (18-3, 7-1 in the SEC) returns to action on Saturday with a home game against Georgia. The Tide is one of the deepest teams in the country, and Oats is going to need it to finish out this season. The remaining schedule is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Ten games remain and Alabama’s final seven opponents are all currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
Alabama could make it all the way to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament and have an easier road.
No one has it easy in the SEC, of course. The league has never been better. Some are calling it the best conference in college basketball history. Maybe so. No.1 Auburn (19-1, 7-0) plays eight ranked opponents across its final 11 games. Tennessee, which has lost three of its last four games, is grinding through a stretch of nine ranked teams in its first 10 conference games.
Coach John Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas this season, but the Hogs are only 1-6 in the SEC.
Lamont Paris won SEC Coach of the Year in 2024, but his South Carolina Gamecocks are 0-8 to begin conference play this season.
The toughest football conference in the country is now the best basketball conference, too. The SEC’s greatest February of hoops begins on Saturday, but that’s just a build up for the big finish.
With Auburn and Alabama one and two in the SEC standings, it looks like league bragging rights and the regular-season title will go through the Heart of Dixie. Alabama and Auburn play twice over the final three weeks of the season. It will be a test of mental toughness like this league has never seen.
In benching Sears, Oats made sure that his point guard would be ready for the fight. And if Sears needs a rest, well, Alabama’s cutthroat, win-first coach planned ahead by taking Auburn’s old point guard and making him better.
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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”
Alabama
Gov. Kay Ivey sets execution date for Jeremy Williams
Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday set an execution date for death row inmate Jeremy Williams, who was convicted in the 2021 kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland in Phenix City.
Williams is scheduled to be executed by the state’s three-drug lethal injection during a 30-hour window beginning at 12 a.m. August 13 and ending at 6 a.m. August 14. The execution date comes after the Alabama Supreme Court granted a request from Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office on June 16, authorizing the state to carry out the sentence.
In a letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace, Ivey said the Supreme Court’s June 16 order serves as the official death warrant for Williams.
“By law, I am required to specify the time frame for carrying out the sentence of death,” Ivey said. “Accordingly, I hereby order that Jeremy Lee Williams’s sentence of death be carried out within a time frame beginning on August 13, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. and ending on August 14, 2026, at 6:00 a.m.”
Ivey noted that she retains the authority to commute the sentence before the execution takes place.
Williams, 34, was convicted in April 2024 on four counts of capital murder stemming from Holland’s death. Prosecutors charged him with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a rape, capital murder during first-degree sodomy and capital murder of a child younger than 14.
Authorities said Holland disappeared from her family’s home in Phenix City on December 13, 2021. Her body was discovered two days later inside an abandoned house less than a mile away. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
In addition to the death sentence, Williams received several other prison terms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking and for knowingly producing recordings depicting the sexual abuse of a child. He also received another life sentence for a separate sexual abuse conviction, along with a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit human trafficking and a 10-year sentence for abuse of a corpse.
Unlike most death row inmates, Williams sought to speed up the execution process. During a hearing, he told the court that he accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted the sentence carried out.
In 2025, Williams dismissed his attorneys and informed the court that he wished to waive any remaining appeals and proceed with his execution. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson determined that Williams was competent to make that decision and allowed him to forgo further legal challenges.
Under Alabama law, capital convictions automatically receive appellate review. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals subsequently affirmed Williams’ conviction and death sentence in March.
After that review concluded, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court in May to authorize an execution date. The court granted the request earlier this week, clearing the way for Ivey to schedule the execution.
If carried out as scheduled, Williams’ execution would occur nearly five years after Holland’s death and a little more than two years after he was sentenced to death.
Williams’ execution would be Alabama’s first by lethal injection since April 2025. The state’s three most recent executions were carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, which Alabama began using in 2024.
Alabama
Kids take center stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival summer camp
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – You don’t find too many camps where you learn how to slap someone. But this summer, you will in Montgomery. It’s one of many kids camps put on by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
“We have our Camp Shakespeare Junior which is our half day for the littles, kindergarten through 3rd grade,” said Cameron Williams, the ASF director of education. “We have Big Kid Shakespeare camp and everyone is learning all about ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.”
They learn about on stage combat, different acting techniques, and also how to be creative and think on their feet.
“I think theater skills are life skills. So, what makes this camp special is we’re doing more than just boosting literacy and doing theater things. We’re doing life skills, learning what it means to be team players, about discipline, and working with people who may have different personalities than you.”
Different kids have different talents. And even if your child isn’t up for a lead role in the next play, this place can leave a lasting impact.
“If you’re looking for a place where your kid can come out of their shell, to learn how to speak in front of a group, and develop some confidence, this is the place to be.”
It’s a place that’s a real treasure in Montgomery, and its mining some young gems, who one day, could be on the big stage themselves. There are still more ASF camps going on this summer for pre-teens and even adults.
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Alabama
Alabama Defense Contractor Agrees to $507K Settlement Over Cybersecurity Allegations
Huntsville-based defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. has agreed to pay $507,144 to resolve allegations that it failed to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the U.S. Department of the Navy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement resolves claims brought under the False Claims Act alleging that LOGZONE knowingly submitted claims for payment while not meeting certain cybersecurity standards required under two Navy contracts.
Federal officials alleged that between May 2021 and March 2025, LOGZONE did not implement specific cybersecurity controls outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171. The standards are designed to protect sensitive defense information handled by government contractors.
According to the Justice Department, the deficiencies were identified during an assessment conducted by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). The evaluation resulted in LOGZONE receiving a score of -170 on a scale ranging from -203 to 110, indicating significant gaps in compliance with required security controls.
The government alleged that the missing cybersecurity measures could have increased the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information or the exploitation of company systems.
The settlement does not include a determination of liability. As part of the agreement, LOGZONE will pay $507,144 to resolve the allegations.
Federal officials said the enforcement action reflects ongoing efforts to ensure government contractors comply with cybersecurity obligations tied to federal contracts, particularly those involving sensitive defense information.
The investigation and settlement involved the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, the Department of the Navy, the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
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Additional details regarding corrective actions taken by the company were not immediately available.
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