How embarassing ...

It seems Alabama fans united that Grant should go...

      I cannot tell you how saddened and surprised I am at Anthony's Grant failure to elevate the program at Alabama. No one fought harder to get this man to Alabama. I did radio shows with Paul Finebaum, talked with Coach Moore, and lobbied in anyway I could to try to convince fans and UA officials to consider Grant. When we hired him I thought we had found another Wimp. This would be the man who might take us to the promised land. I was wrong. I am very sadly wrong. There might be many of you that love Alabama basketball as much as me. None of you love it more. I doubt that any of you have seen as many games I have have or enjoyed the close contact with the program afforded to me for my loyalty. Last night was the absolute worst showing I've ever seen a Tide team play. David Hobbs got beat like a dog at Auburn, but that was a great AU team.  We got beat by a bunch who might be named the most likely not to succeed in the SEC. Not only did we get beat but we got our manhood taken away. We played as bad as we could play and Auburn played good basketball. But they didn't play great. That is what bothers me most. We got blasted by a bad team. The term humiliated comes to mind. I was even more upset by Grant's explanation of what happened. If you can't get your team ready to play their arch rival it's the fault of the coach. Period. I think that Releford and Hale were ready. No one else was. So it is with those feelings I express the following.

     Anthony, its time to leave. You don't deserve another season.  Enough is enough. I'd really like for you to not coach to the end of the year. I don't want you coaching the next tip-off. I want you to apologize and leave. We held up our end of the bargain. You were unable to hold up your part. That happens to all of us. But please, please, don't hang around and destroy what is left of our program. Take your money and leave. Negotiate a realistic buyout based on your history as coach and go quietly into that good night. I'm not asking you to whimper as the poet said, but please don't rage about your failure. You might win a national championship at another school. Take that good character, immaculate good taste in dressing, and turn in your resignation. Don't hang around for your a final fling. No one hates you. You are well liked and no ones thinks you have done anything more than not being able to succeed. No one thinks you have one bit of quit in you. A lot of us think that it is time to recognize that this hasn't worked. We are not asking you to be a quitter. You can still coach and you can get a good job somewhere else if you don't drag this out. You are a fine man and good coach, but not good for Alabama. 

     What happened at Auburn is just too much to endure as a fan. You can talk about Auburn's energy. I want to talk about our energy. You can talk about the Tiger's focus. I want you to talk about your focus and our team's focus. You owe this fan base an apology. Apology is good for the soul. It might be good for your future as well. I've seen a lot more basketball games at Alabama than you ever will see. What has happened to this program is a crying shame. I just don't think you can sell our program in the future. You might be guaranteed another year, and you might even have a little more success, but it is what it is, and it isn't pretty. Last night in Auburn we quit. We played a zone until the Tigers got so far ahead we couldn't catch up. We have stopped playing defense with any intensity. We have recruited no inside players, we have recruited no pure shooters in an era when great shooting is important. I'm not talking about next season. I'm talking about the here and now. You know that if you get another season I'll be there cheering on our team. You've lost control of the ship. The rudder is broken. The longer you stay the possibility of more damage occurs. The only way we can go to the NCAA tournament is through ticketmaster. I've had enough. I've seen well over a thousand Alabama games. It has never been this bad. It wasn't this bad when David Hobbs had AntonioMcDyess to expectantly go pro. We have had losing seasons but we have not had any truly embarrassing season. 

    I don't really expect you to leave right now. But how about we find some middle ground. How about taking those 2000 dollar Armani suits and wear a sweater. How about talking with the kids who come rain or shine to support their fellow students. How about acting like a man who cares about his team, his school, and his fan base. If you are going to stay at least care like you have some passing interest in the entire program. I didn't think we'd win last night, and I thought it might be pretty bad, but I never deamed it would be what we saw. You said in the press conference you have to accept what happened and move on. Are you serious? I understand what you meant, but I also think you dodged personal reponsiblity once again. 

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily the views of any web site or individual. I want to make that clear. These are my views. 

A NO WIN SITUATION FOR THE TIDE?

Auburn is 0-6 the league...

An old fan's view...

     Tomorrow’s Auburn game is a kind of no win situation for Coach Grant. I think most people get that. After all, Alabama is supposed to always beat Auburn in basketball. Grant, for his part, has done that 5 out of the 6 times his team played the Tigers. I’d take that percentage against anyone we play. The bottom line for Grant is that his players generally win against Auburn, when they should.So if  they lose when they shoud win, it is just further proof (according to many), that it is time to fire him.  Like most arguments in life the truth lies somewhere in between. Winning any SEC road game is still a big deal. Losing to a team that has not won any SEC games is never good. That is particularly true when the team you play is your arch rival. The bottom of the bottom line for Anthony Grant is you get paid to win games like the Auburn game. You don’t get paid to beat Kentucky. If you coach at Alabama and beat Kentucky it’s icing on the cake. It’s nice but not necessary. Beating Auburn is expected and it is necessary.  To Grant’s credit he has done that so far. But a second loss to the worst basketball program in the SEC will far outweigh the actual importance of the game. 

     What do officials at Alabama really expect from a head coach.  I don’t think it is expected that the coach win a national championship. First and foremost you are expected to beat Auburn. Second, you are expected to win your home games to keep the revenue stream intact. The main thing is to be competitive against everyone. Has Grant done that?  It would be easy just to say no. But that isn’t exactly correct. He’s won 20 or more games for the last three years. Only Kentucky and Florida have won more in the SEC. Grant’s teams rarely get beaten like a red headed step child. They rarely blow anyone out. They aren’t thrilling to watch, but almost every game is one to keep you on the edge of your seat. LSU beat Kentucky last night. We beat LSU. Therefore, according to most fans that means we should beat Kentucky. We all know that’s folly. We beat LSU because Alabama played well at the right time, and Johnny O’Bryant, III sat on the bench most of the first half. That doesn’t mean that Alabama might not have beaten LSU with III on the floor, but I’d much rather have him watching from a nice court side seat. Luck matters. We got some in that game.  So was Alabama the first half team or the second half team against LSU? They are both. 

    To win in the SEC you have to have the horses. We just don’t have enough. The ones Grant has been able to coach haven’t always turned out that way.  Pollard was a bust before he was busted for kidnaping. Lacey, for all his hype, never was the player most expected. He was good, but a five star? I don’t think so. I kept saying that Moussa Gueye was better than most believed. I still believe our record would be much better this season with him. Jacobs came in a four star player?  I don’t think he’s live up to that, but it would be unfair to say he hasn’t improved. That’s one of the slams against Grant that I believe is untrue. His players do get better. I’m not sure how good they were when he got them. Some have had a few too many pounds on them. Lacey looked like a punch bowl at times, but he was wearing under padding. Releford lost some weight and his game improved. I was really excited when we signed Hale. I saw him play a couple of times in high school. He has gotten better much faster than I believed he might. Playing time does that. Necessity does that. 

    At the age of 67 you have one advantage in watching Alabama games. That is the advantage of perspective. Our younger fans are very passionate today. If they think that this years team isn’t as good as some teams of that past they are correct. This years team is so far behind teams under CM and Wimp there is no way that teams under Grant could come close to beating earlier teams at that Capstone. Frankly, I don’t think they are better than Gottfrieds’ or Hobbs’ teams either. The league is so weak. I haven’t seen a great team in the entire NCAA this season.. I can’t speak for other teams and why they are having so many problems. But, at Alabama it is a lack of talent. It isn’t a lack of heart. It certainly doesn’t mean our teams don’t play hard. Grant’s teams play harder than most Alabama teams I can remember. It isn’t the x’s and o’s. It is the lack of Johnnys and Joes. I don’t remember who said that, but it is true. Releford is a great player. Name one other great player Grant has signed since coming here that falls in the great column. He didn’t recruit Green or Mitchell. Having a great point game is the starting place to have a great team. But a great point guard won’t make a team great. Is this year’s Alabama team a bad team? I don’t think so. They’ve lost a lot of close games that had they won, Bama would be a top 20 team. I understand the message behind the Biblical story of David and Goliath. In the long run I believe the Goliath’s of the world wear down and beat the Davids. At least on a level playing field. In David’s case he had an ultimate coach. 

     I know that Grant is getting one more season and earlier this season I was all for that. But we aren’t getting anywhere in my opinion. I can live with Grant staying one more year if I have too do so. I don’t want Grant to go. I want him to recruit better. I don’t really think that getting transfers is exactly like recruiting. I might be wrong about that though. We got a very decent class next season and two really good transfers. So what would a loss to a crummy Auburn team mean to me?  It means we are aren’t even treading water. It means we are sinking. I’m wishing and hoping that the Tide wins tomorrrow night. We could win. I just don’t feel good about the game. For an old Alabama fan that’s a new feeling. Going to Auburn in the past was a a fun two hours with your closest friends and enemies. Then we all went out for Pizza. Auburn fans didn’t really care whether we beat them or not because it wasn’t football. Our road fan base was a couple of thousand who did care. I admire our posters who say they are going to Gainesville for the game. So how can I put this?  In the old days we hoped we wouldn’t loss but we didn’t have to hope we could win because we could and did. 

   People ask me who I would want if Grant goes?  I have a few names in mind. We’d need a big name coach in my opinion. I’d love to see someone like Izzo come to Bama if Grant leaves. Here’s a name I really like - Larry Brown at SMU.  He’s a winner. His ego is large enough not to be intimidated by the football mystique in the SEC. He coached at some big time places. He’s still young enough to get some great seasons in the future. So here is my current thought. I hope Grant can get things fixed.  If not, let’s not waste time hoping for a miracle. At Alabama we have enough money to buy a miracle. 

      I love Cecil Hurt. He wrote that the Auburn game may not be enough to cost Grant his job. It isn’t like the AD is going to take Anthony out behind the gym and shoot him. Cecil said it would be a line on his resume. Hmm... true but try finding a great job when you couldn’t beat your arch rival at a time when their progam was lower than dirt. Losing to your arch rival twice on the road when they are as bad as a team can be is a lot like finding out your wife cheated on you. You might take her back but you’ll never feel the same. 

CAN TIDE WIN AT AUBURN?

NO LONGER A RHETORICAL QUESTION...

  Remember the choke job last season at AU? That was the game that knocked Alabama out of the NCAA Tournament. It was also the game that started large numbers of Tide fans to question Anthony Grant. Looking back at that game leads me to believe it was the start of something bad at the Capstone for the basketball program. Auburn beat us and did so soundly. On top of that we had to put up with Cam Newton once again. For most Alabama fans it was a nightmare. The nightmare continues into this seaso as well. 
   

    It wouldn't surprirse me if we won the game later this week with AU, but it wouldn't be stunning if we lost either.These are two teams which at the end of the season may be fighting to avoid being labeled the worst team in the SEC. Losing to Auburn is simply unacceptable for any Tide fan and coach. If Grant returns to the scene of his worst lost and gives an encore performance it could finish him as the Alabama coach. It should. Losing to your arch rival who currently sports no SEC wins would be about as bad as it gets. If you are a true Alabama fan this game is as important as any game the football team plays. There are games with Auburn and then there are games with anyone else. They aren't on the same plateau. In series where the CrimsonTide has won 60% of all games played between the two schools you might expect a win. Don't count on it however. The home and home series is always exciting. Consider that Missouri beat the Tigers by one earlier in the year.  How bad did Missouri beat Alabama? A lot more than one. 

 

  If you have bothered watching the Tigers play you'd be surprised that the Tigers are not as bad as their record indicates. Perhaps the greatest thing that Anthony Grant has going for him is that Tony Barbee has been a miserable failure in the worst basketball job in the SEC. What does it say about Alabama if Auburn wins this week?  What does it say about the coaching and the recruiting? Perhaps a new candidate looms for the worst job in the SEC. In all candor and honesty, if Auburn continues to split home and home with Alabama how longer will Tide fans want Grant regardless of how much we personally like him. What bothers me about what we are going through is the SEC has been a lackluster league for the last four or five seasons. Two schools of thought here - a better league might have pulled Alabama up as well, and the second school of thought is that the weakened league has allowed some badly skewed stats in Bama's favor. 

   

One thing for sure - Alabama didn't make it to the NCAA because the numbers said no. We are one game under even right now and because of the SOS a string of wins late in the SEC might find Bama in the NIT at least. I know that every one of us wants the Tide to make it to the NCAA. It isn't going to happen this year, but a strong finish might set the stage for next season. I've learned from a couple of people close to the program that Grant will be given one more season to right the ship. In an era where money is more important than records it is scary to think that mediocrity might trump a buy-out clause. I think that this is going to be one tough road game for the Tide to win even when the opponent hasn't won a single SEC game. Last year when I picked Bama to get beaten by AU on the road it wasn't a popular selection. If I had to pick today I'd pick the Tide to lose again. In a day or so perhaps I'll come to a new conclusion. Grant's team almost played their best game of the season. Grant's team came back from the dead to win. Rodney Cooper and Shannon Hale played great when it mattered most. One thing you can be sure of is that Barbee will have a good game plan for Releford. Strong play from the other Tide players can offset that strategy. I'm not saying that Alabama can't beat AU. I'm saying a loss to AU will be a tragedy of epic proportions in a struggling program. The only reason that Barbee remains at Auburn is that it is the worst coaching job in any major conference. A couple of wins over Alabama won't save Barbee, but it might make some up and comer to think he can take a step above the Crimson Tide. Please note that I said the program is struggling. That's a lot tougher than a stuggling for the season. One can be fixer. The other will required some major rebuilding. 

     

Tide rallies late to take down LSU 82-80

Tide avoids a monumental collapse with late game heroics...

            Alabama blew a 19 point lead in the second half.  During that period of time the Alabama coaching staff looked like a deer caught in  the proverbial floodlight. The staff offered no answers for the outstanding run by the LSU Tigers. The players did. Rodney Cooper and Shannon Hale made huge baskets in the last four minutes to save a game that seemed lost. For all the world it seemed that Alabama would continue to fall apart in the last 8 minutes of the second half. The bleeding stopped. Players stepped up and made big plays. Rodney Cooper played his best game of the year and hopefully found his game. He drained 4 three pointers to keep the Tide alive. Shannon Hale, who is rapidly showing the SEC he's a player made a huge three point shot just when Alabama needed it the most. The big freshman drained his shot with 48 seconds left. Releford wheeled a wicked pass to Hale who stepped up and drained the biggest basket of the game. That one put the Tide up 79-77. The Crimson fought hard with a couple of key defensive plays and hung on like grim death. 

         Rodney Cooper stepped in front of Anthony Hickey with 2 seconds left on the clock and swatted away his driving attempt. The Tide moves to one game under .500 and stirs some hope that the NIT might be possible. When looking at the stats the Tide played even on the boards. Alabama finished with 13 turnovers. 12 of those came in the second half when the Tigers upped the full court pressure and Alabama struggled. 

Stars of the Game:  Rodney Cooper and Shannon Hale. 

It was nice to see Grant show a little emotion last night. He got in the faces of several players. When the game was over he had the look of a man who had just gotten a reprieve from death row.  It was nice to see him smile though.

LSU Tigers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Johnny O'Bryant III, F	29	6-11	0-0	6-7	0	5	5	0	0	2	3	3	18
Shavon Coleman, F	36	4-11	1-3	4-5	0	4	4	1	3	1	0	3	13
Jordan Mickey, F	32	5-11	0-0	1-2	3	3	6	0	0	2	1	0	11
Anthony Hickey, G	32	4-7	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	0	2	2	4	10
Malik Morgan, G	16	2-6	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	1	0	0	3	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
John Odo, F	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	2
Jarell Martin, F	17	2-5	1-1	1-2	2	4	6	0	1	1	4	2	6
Andre Stringer, G	26	4-7	1-4	3-4	1	0	1	6	2	0	2	2	12
Tim Quarterman, G	8	1-3	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	2
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		29-62	7-16	15-20	13	21	34	11	8	8	13	21	80
		46.8%	43.8%	75.0%
Alabama Crimson Tide
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Shannon Hale, F	27	5-14	3-7	4-5	1	1	2	6	1	0	2	2	17
Carl Engstrom, C	19	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	1	1	2	2
Algie Key, G	23	0-1	0-0	1-2	0	3	3	4	2	0	2	1	1
Trevor Releford, G	40	6-10	1-1	8-8	1	2	3	4	2	0	3	2	21
Rodney Cooper, G	33	7-12	4-5	1-2	2	4	6	2	0	1	3	3	19
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Nick Jacobs, F	18	3-4	0-0	0-0	0	4	4	1	0	0	3	3	6
Jimmie Taylor, F	13	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	2	0	3	2
Levi Randolph, G	27	4-8	0-3	6-9	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	14
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		27-52	8-16	20-26	8	21	29	18	7	4	14	18	82
		51.9%	50.0%	76.9%

 Technical Fouls: PLAYERS: None - TEAMS: None
 Officials: Tony Greene, Jeff Smith, Joe DeRosa
 Attendance: 12,601

LSU Tigers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Johnny O'Bryant III, F	29	6-11	0-0	6-7	0	5	5	0	0	2	3	3	18
Shavon Coleman, F	36	4-11	1-3	4-5	0	4	4	1	3	1	0	3	13
Jordan Mickey, F	32	5-11	0-0	1-2	3	3	6	0	0	2	1	0	11
Anthony Hickey, G	32	4-7	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	0	2	2	4	10
Malik Morgan, G	16	2-6	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	1	0	0	3	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
John Odo, F	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	2
Jarell Martin, F	17	2-5	1-1	1-2	2	4	6	0	1	1	4	2	6
Andre Stringer, G	26	4-7	1-4	3-4	1	0	1	6	2	0	2	2	12
Tim Quarterman, G	8	1-3	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	2
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		29-62	7-16	15-20	13	21	34	11	8	8	13	21	80
		46.8%	43.8%	75.0%
Alabama Crimson Tide
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Shannon Hale, F	27	5-14	3-7	4-5	1	1	2	6	1	0	2	2	17
Carl Engstrom, C	19	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	1	1	2	2
Algie Key, G	23	0-1	0-0	1-2	0	3	3	4	2	0	2	1	1
Trevor Releford, G	40	6-10	1-1	8-8	1	2	3	4	2	0	3	2	21
Rodney Cooper, G	33	7-12	4-5	1-2	2	4	6	2	0	1	3	3	19
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Nick Jacobs, F	18	3-4	0-0	0-0	0	4	4	1	0	0	3	3	6
Jimmie Taylor, F	13	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	2	0	3	2
Levi Randolph, G	27	4-8	0-3	6-9	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	14
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		27-52	8-16	20-26	8	21	29	18	7	4	14	18	82
		51.9%	50.0%	76.9%

 Technical Fouls: PLAYERS: None - TEAMS: None
 Officials: Tony Greene, Jeff Smith, Joe DeRosa
 Attendance: 12,601