ALABAMA WILL PLAY STORIED UCLA THIS DECEMBER...

Alabama takes on UCLA ... 

    

 I know it's the time of the year to think about bone rattling tackles and winning three national titles in football.  No doubt, those thoughts cross my mind frequently. When you are a  misunderstood round ball man in an area where basketball ranks just behind fall football, spring football, and football recruiting, December 28th is a big day. That's the day when Alabama will take their crimson jerseys only the most famous basketball floor in the NCAA. Pauley Pavilion is not unlike Mecca for hoops fans. I guess I've attended 20 or so games in Westwood. The next time I'm going is to watch the Tide play. It won't be USC, Arizona, or Stanford. It won't be on some neutral floor for a Regional. It will be Alabama vs. UCLA. I'm going to ask my friend Steven Avram to go with me. He is an UCLA grad, friend of the program, friend of Bill Walton, and lover of all thing blue and gold.  Here's how much of a UCLA fan he really is today - I gave him my Keith Wilkes UCLA warm up jacket. It now holds a prominent place is his doctor's office. There are only two basketball teams that get my attention. The Tide is # 1 in my heart. The Bruins are a close 2nd. UCLA is the historic gold standard for basketball in the modern era. They may not have the juice they once had. Still, a win over the Bruins would be mighty impressive to the rest of the NCAA. Not only that, but the Bruins come to Tuscaloosa in 2014 to finish out a home and home contract.   That is impressive for Alabama.  It will be nationally impressive. ESPN impressive. The necessity for an old man to stay alive for another year impressive.

Bama game was not well received...

    
                 When this game was announced it was to the dismay of many Bruin faithful.  Some fans don't believe a win over Bama will help he Bruins make    the NCAA field in March.  Those could be logical thoughts. I disagree.  Alabama is a good opponent but should UCLA lose the game it might really hurt according to a lot of LA sportswriters.  For Bama, the opposite is true.  UCLA might not be the team of old, but they are still a top 10 program. Alabama isn't in that rarefied air, at least not yet. Beating a team like UCLA on the road will be big. The Bruins have turned  to Steve Alford to run the program. Some fans see him as the second coming and many more don't like Alford or the hire. Alford has his work cut out for him.  After coaching at New Mexico and have mixed success, UCLA hired him. One of the first things that Alford did was sign his son, Bryce. This has caused some hard feelings among some of the UCLA players.  Bryce Alford is not a star but is solid player in his own right. Alford has been controversial at every coaching stop  he's made, and he was a prima donna at Indiana where he was an  All-American. The man can coach though.

      Bama will be solid road dog in the game.  Can the Tide win?  As long as you have Trevor Releford  playing point guard you have a chance.
 

Outlook for the new Season...

Tide facing difficult schedule

     I think it would be a fair statement that Grant is closer to getting his type players on the floor this season.  The problem is that  a couple of those players are freshman, and another is going to replace Trevor Lacey. I've always been pretty optimistic about our teams. I'm almost optimistic about this years rendition but I am not getting my hopes up just yet. The second half of the season might produce some good ball playing however. Here's my view:

Trevor Releford is as good a point guard as you will find in the SEC.  The point is where you start in building a good team. This bodes well for Bama.

• Most coaches would then want a solid inside game. This is good and bad for the Tide. Jacobs has the experience to have some big game, but he really doesn't have the size to dominate. He is a defensive liability at times as well. Jimmie Taylor is going to be good when he gets some experience. In the mean time he can rebound and block shots. He can do that and Tide fans will be surprised at his inside game on defense. And then their is big Carl. He's back, he looks well, and he has improved. He isn't fancy. He is steady. Steady is what Bama needs inside. Look for Engstrom to start. This means Bama can move lefty over to the power forward and he can overmatch a few defensive players.

• Who takes the place of Lacey?  Retin Obsahan is the answer. Near the end of last season the Belgium  waffle started to send Lacey to the bench more and more. He is a very good defensive player and has made the jump to Division One speed and play now. He could be surprisingly good.

• Shooters?  Releford and Obsahan can shoot outside and both can finish off around the basket. So who else is going to help? Shannon Hale can be a big time scorer given some time. Look for Levi Randolph to continue to expand his shot numbers. 15 a game would be huge for Bama. It is also possible.

     Then you have to look at the schedule. Xavier, UCLA, and the NIT preseason, Robert Morris, Witchita State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech makes for tough row to hoe. The NIT preseason is wild card. Bama has to play Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss, and arch-rival Auburn twice. They play Kentucky on the road but not at home. Bama's February tilts are really tough. In conclusion,  this year's schedule is much harder than last year.  On top of that you can look for a couple of the weaker teams to be much improved. Of course, you might also conclude that this gives Bama a real opportunity to get some national attention quickly.The UCLA game, even though it is televised, is a must see in person game to big time fans. Luckily, one my daughters live in LA and that great. Now to find a low price ticket in the middle of the holiday season.

 

Tarrant comes home to Bama

Ricky ends up where he always wanted to go...

   My daughter taught at Pleasant Grove for years and that gave me a lot of opportunities to watch Ricky Tarrant play hoops for the Spartans. She is a great student of the game and she kept telling he to come watch him. Finally, I agreed and then spent most of his senior year trying to convince Bama to sign him.  He is a baller. He's also a nice kid. He hustles. Those are all good things to have in your tool belt when you play for Anthony Grant.  Those two guys are a match made in heaven. Tarrant can shoot, dribble, and dish out assists. He has a motor that doesn't idle. He is a great little guard who can play both the point and the two. Bama is happy to have him. I think he'll be end up being a breathe of fresh air after watching Trevor Lacey slop it around for a couple of seasons. What is really outstanding about RT is that he is so consistent. That is something you just can't understand by watching a couple of games. In the long haul Tarrant is always there.  Butch and Sundance would have asked who is that guy. I love him, and he is going to be a big addition for the Crimson Tide. He is not the type of guy who has lot of flash. He is solid.  He'll make very few mistakes, will not miss many assignments, and has team leader written all over him.  I'm really up on this young man both as a person and as a player.

   

   Ricky will have to sit out this season as a Division 1 transfer under the the non-hardship rule. Tarrant will get to go head to head with Releford all season long. That will make Tarrant a better a player. Don't think that Releford will win all those little head to head practice battles though. Ricky will make Releford better as well.  Give him 4 stars and a bright future at Alabaama. He has gotten stronger, will work hard in our. He can make other players better with his unselfish play. He is a real basketball player. Almost a throwback type guy.

Algie Key brings some aggressive play to Bama...

Key brings some real intangibles to the Tide...

      I have to admit that a junior college player who shot around 15% from behind the three-point line wasn't real high on my wish list. After watching several videos of Key, I understood what Grant saw. You may or may not remember Amp Murry who helped launch 'Bama to national prominence under CM Newton.  For the younger Tide fans here is a quick summary of Murray. He was a terrible shooter and one of the greatest guards I've ever seen. He would steal your jock strap and you'd have no idea it happened until you felt the draft. He could wreck a press, or create his own one man press. The best thing an offensive player could do when being guarded by Amp was to pass the ball quickly, and then go stand in the corner like a scolded child.

  

  Key brings a lot of those same skills to Bama. He is probably a better scorer than Murray. He may not be quite the defender as Amp, but the similarities are striking. If Algie could bring half of what the greatest point guard in Alabama history brought, then he is going to be a great player. Time will tell but I'll go on record to say this - this same reckless play and hard nose attitude are there. We'll have to wait and see. Key is twice the defensive player that Lacey was in the press. All he needs is some time to adapt to 'Bama's system. When that happens we will have one dynamic ball player. He could be the type player that opposing players think "oh no, not Key." One of advantages of seeing over a thousand Bama games is that it gives you some real perspective, and a little insight in comparing players over the decades of time. Let's be clear - Key is not going to be the reincarnation of Murray. He doesn't have to be. Close will be good enough if he can bring the same things to the floor, and I believe he will be able to do so. Key averaged almost 18 points a game and 7 assists an outing last year at Barton CC. He shot 15% from the floor, and considering he shot just under 15% from the arc. Quick, fast, aggressive, and he finds a way to score. He is an Anthony Grant player. I'd give him 4 stars...

Kessens brings much needed inside play and Bama gets a new player...

Kessens Picks the Tide to finish his career…

 

Kessons grabs rebound against Creighton

    Anthony Grant rang the bell when he convinced Michael Kessens of Longwood University via Switzerland to transfer to ‘Bama.  Kessons was 6-9 when he transferred to Alabama. He may be even taller today. This young man is going to be one heck of a player for the Crimson and White. He averaged a double-double at Longwood where he was a marked man by opposing defenses. Kudos for Longwood coaches for recognizing he needed to find a “better” program to showcase his skills and to hopefully take the next step to the professional ranks.  It was the Longwood coaches who first brought Alabama to his attention. It was Grant and the SEC that sealed the deal for the Tide. By the way he had 17 and 11 against Arkansas.

     The first thing you notice about Kessens is his great foot work, and ability to get his hips around defenders. This speaks to his inherit ability as an athlete, and a back ground as a soccer player. So where will he fit in on the team?  It depends on a couple of factors. How much will he grow, and how strong can he become with a solid weight lifting program? He is a power forward right now, but it is possible he can be a post player. My personal belief is he will remain a power forward because he can run the floor as well as mix it up on the inside. In watching some video it is clear he can finish off plays around the basket. He is very mobile. That mobility will help him in the SEC both on the open floor and around the basket. I have no doubt he’d be a starter this season if he was eligible. He would also have proven capable of playing up to Grant's defensive expectations. He’s that good. I’d rate him as a HHHH star player. Contrary to popular thought – four star players don’t just fall off trees. A real four star player is a valuable commodity. Alabama found such a player in Michael Kessons. Maybe it would be fair to say that Kessens found Alabama.
 

Bama gets their first 2015 commitment… 

 

     J.J. Jackson has some ties with Alabama. The Montgomery George Washington Carver coach played for Wimp Sanderson at Alabama. He was much admired and was a crowd favorite. When one of his star players, Brandon Austin, announced he was going Crimson in 2015 it marked JJ’s first player to say he’s Bama bound. He is 6-5 and can jump out of the gym. Rocket man so to speak. Jackson was happy he chose Bama but heretofore the coach has seen four of his players head west to Mississippi State.
 

    A lot will be made from the fact that Austin was the sixth man for the talented Carver team. That was last season. In the future that will be different. Jackson asked Austin to come off the bench to allow his seniors to start.  They were all talented but so is Austin. We’ll have more from him next week. I’ve arranged an interview with him if all goes as plans. This kid has long arms and a reach of a seven foot player. He and Levi should get along well with their matching dreadlocks.  Austin is a perfect fit for Grant’s defensive scheme and his ability to get to the rim. He’s not ranked a three star player, for now. Look for that fourth star at season’s end.

Pros:  great jumper, great body control, fierce rebounder and competitor, good scorer
Cons: Needs some work with ball handling, needs some work on defensive intensity.

Upside:  good person, good student, better than advertised, level headed, good court
            court sense, could swing between two and small forward if needed...

Later this week:  Algie Key...

Crimson Hoops brought to you by:

Industrial Park
Bham, Alabama...
 

Mitchell brings offense, defense, and quickness to Tide backcourt...

   

  Coach Bobby Knight once told me the best way to determine how good a kid might be is to look at who else is recruiting him. If that's true, and General usually is, then Devin Mitchell, the 6-4 guard from Suwanee, Georgia might be the best recruit the Tide got early. Most services list him as a 4 star player. No argument from me on that rating. A few have him as a three. You aren't a three star player when every SEC has offered or contacted you. Throw in a few other schools like Xavier, Butler, Virginia, and you get the idea of just how many choices the young man had. He chose Anthony Grant and Alabama. He says he likes the way Alabama plays basketball, and with the departure of Trevor Lacey he thought about early playing time. He is a much better shooter than Lacey. He can shoot the three off a pass, or can create his own spacing. As an added bonus he can take it inside and has explosiveness to finish. He weighs only "around 180" but is working hard to put on some muscle.

    

Let's set aside a rumor or two here. A lot of Tide fans thought it might be better to sign Tadric Jackson over Devin. Not true, Bama wanted Mitchell and his explosivness from the start. His quickness and long wing span (seriously long) make him perfect defender in Grant's system. Those long arms are going to find a lot of shots over out matched defenders. This season the Tide has gotten committments from three of the top players in the country. Another will add his name to the list in a month or so. Look for the Tide to hear from William Lee, the 6-9 power forward from Plantersville.  That's down in Dallas County. Lee was the Class AAAA Player of the Year. Here are some absolutely crazy numbers for the big man.  He averaged 19 points per game, 17 rebounds per game, and tossed 5 assists an outing. Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Utah are a few wanting his signature. He grew up pull for the Tide. Lee's not a completely done deal, but I'd be surprised if he wasn't wearing Crimson in the near future. He might be the best player in the state.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Industrial Drive
Birmingham, Alabama

Grant brings home a winning class with one more to follow...

         That highly ineffective recruiter, Anthony Grant, has seen his Tide hit the # 6 according to several national sites that follow recruiting. We have one more big fish to reel in, and expect that to happen much sooner than later. For all the nay sayers regarding Riley Norris you'd best eat your crow and move on. The tall slender kid from Albertville, Alabama has an unlimited shooting range and ceiling at Bama. He's a perfect fit for Grant's system. He is a deadly accurate shooter from anywhere inside the gym. He can create and he can jump. Here's a little insight into another reason Grant signed him - is is also a good defense player all ready. He has the wing span of a condor. Those who know him well also say he has a big heart and a level head. His 6-8 frame will
allow him to just shoot over most defenders. In watching him in a couple of camps he seems to have two distinct shots - one is dead in with nothing but nylon, and the other the other may, on occasion, graze the iron before falling. He can also drive to the hoop and is a very good passer. He can put the ball on the floor and runs like a much smaller man. Most services rate him as a four star player, and that's about right. I had some concerns about the quality of competition, but after watching him perform at camps those fears have abated. He was the clear go to guy in a lot of trips down the floor. I'm sure that a segment of our fans will continue to say he can't play and why did Bama offer him?  Ask Billy Donovan the same question. I'm sure that Donovan is not happy losing Norris, but happy that Grant got him. Give this kid a good weight program and he'll make All-SEC.

   Justin Coleman is not very tall at 5-11.  He doesn't weigh very much at 175. What he does have is blazing speed and quickness which you have to see to believe. He can shoot the eyes out of the rim and can thread the proverbial needle with his interior passing. When Justin is on the floor the term press doesn't apply. The ball looks like its attached to a string. He can do it all in terms of providing an offense and being an offensive leader. With Releford leaving he'll get instant minutes, will be an All-Freshman player and will capture the imagination of Crimson Tide fans. He's one of the smooth little point guards that come along every decade or so in Alabama. Most fans believe that Bama beat out Auburn to get the point guard. Not true. Auburn recruited him hard but in the long run Kansas State came the closest. He picked 'Bama in large part because of Grant. Same can be said for Riley Norris as well. Bama has James "Hollywood" Robinson. Make room for Justin "the showman" Coleman. Only in a blue moon does a point guard come along who has the court sense that Coleman possesses. Mark it down - he's Bama's next great point guard.



Next:  Mitchell and one more...