Alabama Is Winner and Loser, Too

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —  Alabama may have defeated Northeast Louisiana, but the Crimson Tide took a beating off the basketball court.

Thieves broke into Bryant Hall, the school’s athletic dormitory, before Thursday night’s game and stole about $2,000 worth of property belonging to 4 Alabama players, campus police said.

Lt. Mark Shockley of the University Police Department said the thieves entered two rooms Thursday between 6 and 7 p.m., just before the beginning of the Crimson Tide’s 80-65 victory over Northeast Louisiana.

“There were some electronic items stolen, some clothes, shoes and items of that nature,” he said.

Coach Wimp Sanderson said the thieves stole a television and video cassette recorder belonging to freshman Robert Horry. Another freshman, Marcus Webb, lost a gold watch and other items.

“Some of the guys lost clothes,” Sanderson told the Tuscaloosa News. “Some lost just about everything they had.”

Shockley said Bryant Hall “appeared to have been open” at the time of the heist. “The rooms which they entered also appear to have been open,” he added. “Some other rooms appear to have been tampered with but we are not sure about that at this time.”

Sanderson said the thieves “had to be . . . fairly familiar with the dorm. They would seem to have known where the basketball players live, when they would have been out of the dorm and they knew the football players and some of the staff were out of town for Christmas. The basketball players were the only ones who would have had things there.”

University police are investigating the crime, and Sanderson also is trying to help recover some of the stolen items.

“If there is anyone out there who knows how to help these guys get their things back, then I will post a reward,” the coach said. “We would really just like to recover their property.”