Saban opens up at media day; ND’s pair of 5s

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SABAN STARS IN NBA: Nick Saban is not tall.

By his own admission, not fast, either.

Yet somehow, he’s found a way to be a successful pickup basketball player. Then again, it’s easy to win at pickup ball when you can manipulate everything from rules to rosters.

In between recruiting season and spring-football season at Alabama, it’s basketball season for Saban and his staff. Saban was asked at the BCS title game media day on Saturday what he does to stay in shape, and Saban revealed that he enjoys getting on the court.

With certain conditions, of course.

“I’m the commissioner of the league,” Saban said. “It’s a noontime basketball league, NBA. I pick the teams so I have the best players on my team. I also pick the guy that can guard me and there’s only two guys in the whole organization who are shorter and slower that I would pick to guard me. And then I call the fouls. So if you call that working out, I guess that’s my workout.”

Saban, who checks in at around 5-foot-8, said he doesn’t keep stats, and no, he doesn’t break down those game films, either.

“No one would want to see that,” Saban said.

Does Saban call fouls on himself? He said it happens _ but only sometimes.

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