Avery Johnson Holds Spotlight Over Saban Wednesday [VIDEO]

Alabama coach Nick Saban had a press conference Wednesday and, at least on this day, it may not have been the main attraction on campus.

No, on Wednesday, new men’s basketball coach Avery Johnson held the spotlight, even out on Saban’s domain standing next to the man himself.

Johnson, who was formally introduced by the school in a press conference earlier in the day, spoke casually with Saban on the football practice fields during the team’s afternoon practice as media cameras snapped away more so due to Johnson’s presence than Saban's.

Not that Saban took issue with that.

“First of all, Avery Johnson is a part of our family here now,” Saban said. “We want to do everything we can to help him be successful. We have a tremendous amount of respect for what he’s been able to accomplish and what he’s been able to do.

“We’ve always been a real team player in terms of the relationships that we try to have with the other sports because we want to be good in everything here. We want to help Avery every way that we can.”

After the team finished stretches, Saban called them into a huddle at midfield, at least partially so that Johnson could say a few words.

“The players have a lot of respect for someone who’s played in the NBA and coached in the NBA,” said Saban, who met with Johnson for the first time prior to the new coach’s 11 a.m. press conference.

Johnson addressed to the team about past experiences speaking to the New Orleans Saints, who he has been an unpaid consultant with since 2006, after Hurricane Katrina and again before the team’s Super Bowl run in 2009.

His message to the team?

“Practice makes perfect,” Johnson told the media as he walked off the field afterward.

Injury report

Saban confirmed Wednesday night that both running back Bo Scarbrough and defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson were injured over the course of the past two practices.

Scarbrough, a freshman, was carted off the field with a torn ACL -- which he had surgery to repair Monday -- during last Friday’s scrimmage in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“We're hopeful that we'll be able to get him back for the season,” Saban said. “He was doing really, really well this spring practice. It happened in two-minute (offense) late in the scrimmage. It was very unfortunate.”

Scarbrough tweeted a short video clip of his progress on Wednesday.

Robinson, a 6-foot-4, 312-pound nose tackle who will be a junior this fall, was also carted off the field, but at the end of Monday’s practice.

“A'Shawn Robinson just got a sprained ankle and sprained knee,” Saban said. “Not really anything that will keep him out. He'll be day-to-day, but we'll be a little conservative with when we let him come back.”

Neither was at practice Wednesday. Robinson was working in the team’s weight room, wearing a black, non-contact jersey.

Watch player interviews from Wednesday below: