WIN NUMBER FOUR FOR ALABAMA...

Randolph rips the Sun Devils...

Tarrant knocks down 21

Tide finishes with great effort to secure the win

 

Randolph brings Tide back

  Levi Randolph dropped in 28 points, many at crucial times, to lead the Tide to a come from behind 76-71 victory over Arizona State. Randolph scored 14 off his points late in the game to give Alabama a much needed win on the road back to respect in the SEC. Arizona State was an NCAA tournament team last season, and many experts expect them to be selected again. The Alabama senior took over the game when 'Bama fell behind by 9 early in the second half. Alabama's Ricky Tarrant scored his career high of 21 as a Crimson Tider. The outside shooting of Randolph and Tarrant made up for a weak inside game by the front court.

      Randolph's emergence at a scorer was unexpected, but much needed. His leadership qualities have helped Alabama to a 4-1 record. Ricky Tarrant came to Alabama from Tulane with a reputation of a gunner. He's not shy. He has a scorers mentality. His outside shooting is great, but when coupled with the ability to take the ball inside to the basket, makes him hard to predict, and harder to stop. I believe at some point this season we may see some prolonged minutes with Randolph, Coleman, and Tarrant on the floor. Alabama's guard play was the difference. Alabama's floor movement and spacing was excellent, and it made a difference in finding good shots. Despite the fact of good ball movement the Tide had only 6 assists. One reason is Tide players were finding open shots by themselves. Justin Coleman only played 16 minutes and that held the assists down. The post players scored only 2 points. Taylor also had 3 turnovers. Kessens wasn't factor.

 

Tarrant scores 21 

    The Tide committed only 9 turnovers which will help win a lot of games. The boards were essentially even. This was a step in the right direction. Alabama could have lost, but Randolph stepped up for some big time baskets. Ricky Tarrant did the same. Rodney Cooper scored six and had four boards but he helped cool of Gerry Blakes. Blake had 21 to lead the Sun Devils but Cooper slowed him down in the last 10 minutes. Grant praised his team for a gritty effort and not giving in to adversity. Fans seem to be really high on this team. It's early and making predictions would be difficult to make. But the one thing the Tide has done is give the win starved fan base some hope. With three big time games remaining on the pre-SEC season,  wins could really catapult Bama in the polls and with the selection committee.  Xavier, UCLA, and Wichita State are tough games. Something tells me this team has no back down at all. You are going to have to play well to beat this season's Crimson Tide. And better play hard because Alabama will

Tide falls 84-74 to Iowa State...

Tide plays hard but falls short in the end…

Cooper has a big night…

  

    Two Schools of Thought here: A lose is lose is lose. Nothing has changed from last season. That’s the way some fans will look at last night’s 84-74 game to Iowa State. Another way to look at the game is to say that Alabama played a road game against the number 13 or 14 team in the NCAA and hung tough. Statistically it was an interesting game.

·         Iowa State shot 58% from the floor. Alabama hit only 39%. C.M. Newton used to remind us that you have to look at the number of shots you took. Alabama took 20 more shots than Iowa State, and that kept the game in reach.

·         Bama got a minor hose job at the free throw line by 8, which is substantial but not a killer. The Tide made 10-13 which is very solid. Luckily, Jimmy Taylor didn’t shoot any for the night, but Shannon Hale was only 2-4.

·         The Tide got beat on the boards 34-31 but you can live with that. Where the Tide excelled off the glass was getting 9 offensive boards, and giving up only 2. That’s big time.

·         Personal fouls were pretty even. I thought a few fouls were missed by the refs which hurt Bama, but no felonies committed in my opinion. Bama had 20 fouls which is a few more than you would like to have. Honestly, we were so porous on defense at times we couldn’t catch up to foul.

·         Bama had only 9 turnovers. That is a big boy basketball, and considering this was a de facto road game, Grant love that number. We caused 15 and had 5 blocks. Three of those lead to change of possession.

·         Bama had 7 steals to the Cyclones steals. Our defense was pretty disruptive when Grant went zone in the second half and it caused Iowa State some problems. That ten minute period let us take the lead. We then switched back to man and that didn’t work out very well in my opinion.

·         Bama was down by 13 with a 3:26 left in the half. The Tide cut it to 6 at halftime. That impressed me. Randolph made a three, and the team didn’t fold its tent.

·         Hello Mr. Cooper!!!– Coop threw in 27 from a combination of power moves in the paint and some down town bombs. Cooper’s clutch shooting in the first 15 minutes of the second half gave Alabama a chance. Cooper doesn’t need to score that many every game, but he does need to give us a consistent 15. Maybe this game will put him over a slump.

·         The Tide’s inside game was missing in action. The only inside game was what Randolph and Cooper managed to bring on some gritty play to the hoop. Taylor had another hook shot and that looked good. He also had only 4 boards, but logged on 17 minutes. Kessens scored 2 points and had 2 boards. He did have some good defensive plays, and I believe he’ll get better after he gets his game feet back. He is very athletic. Not only is he adjusting to returning to play, he is getting accustomed to Division One hoops. Keep in mind he didn’t have the best competition to practice against last year.

·         Reggie Witherspoon has brought a little magic to the team with his offense. This offense is going to take away a little defense however. There is only so much energy to expend.

·         Kudos to Riley Norris. The freshman is giving up his offense to play harder defense. He was Bama’s leading rebounder despite logging in only 18 minutes. He also had a team leading 3 steals. Freshman Justin Coleman and Sophomore Shannon Hale each had 4 assists. The trio have the Tide a lot for underclassmen. Hale continues to expand his offense. He and Coleman opened up the Tide scoring by draining threes away from home.

·         Ricky Tarrant got only 19 minutes which was surprising to me. He hit a nice three, but he was forced to play a lot of his time when time was running down. He didn’t get the best shot selection. He did knock Thomas Matt with a hard drive in the second half. Cooper and Randolph seemed to have an easier time with some inside moves after that. Tarrant was charged with an offensive foul but at least he got his money’s worth.

      Summing up: The Tide played very well most of the games. We don’t have much of an inside game. When Taylor was off the floor the Cyclones got a lot of easy layups. Kessens isn’t moving his feet quick enough, but he is getting better. I think Michael may be the kind of player who plays better defense after he scores a few points. The talent is obviously there. He’s strong and smooth. Expect him to be a much better player when the Conference opens plays. Tonight the Tide takes on talented Arizona State. If Bama can play as well as they did last night I believe we can get out of KC with one win. Arizona State finished poorly by giving up 7 points late. Maryland pulled a win out of the proverbial rabbit hat.

 

Prediction:  Alabama 82 – Arizona State 77.

 

Tide gets ready show they belong in NCAA Tournament tonight

Iowa State is big league...

Tide seeks to reverse last year's poor start

Tonight’s game with Iowa State is going to tell Alabama fans a lot. Tonight won’t be about offense I bet. If Alabama is going to beat Iowa State it will a team defensive effort. The Cyclones have scoring from all of their position players. Coach Grant has stated he thinks Alabama could be a very good team. It will take a good team to beat the #14 team in the AP Poll. First thing that sticks out about ISU is the balanced scoring. All five starters are in double figures, and the sixth man is scoring at 9.1.  Iowa State is one of the top twenty programs in the NCAA. They are coached by Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg has brought an exciting brand of basketball to the State of Iowa.

The game is listed as a neutral location. It’s about as neutral as if the Tide were playing in Birmingham. Kansas City has been very good to the Cyclones over the years. Expect several thousand Cyclone fans to make the trip for tonight’s game. The Cyclones opened the season with 93 and 81 points. The dropped Oakland 93-82 and then followed that up by a complete shellacking of Georgia State 81-58. Both Oakland and Georgia State are the type programs that cans sneak up and beat good teams.

Iowa State likes to move the ball on offense. They had 18 assist to only 8 turnovers in their first game. That will win a lot of games. The turned around and dropped 23 against Georgia State. They had only 12 turnovers. That’s almost a 2-1 ratio. The Tide has won their first three, including a hard fought game against Western Carolina which went down to the wire.

This year’s addition of Tide Hoops is a lot different from last season. First, the team can score. Ex-Buffalo coach Reggie Witherspoon has made the Tide a pretty good offensive team. The team has been a collection of veterans, transfers, and new players. Witherspoon is melding the players into a much more explosive team. Like a lot of new teams, the Tide is just about even on assists to turnovers. That ratio is offset by a lot of steals and blocked shots. Jimmy Taylor already has 8 in the first three games. Levi Randolph has stepped up his game and turned into the leader of the team. He was unanimously elected the team captain. That was a first for a Grant coached team. No doubt that Ricky Tarrant has been a very strong addition to the roster. Michael Kessens seems to have the skills to contribute in the paint. He can play with his back to basket or can face up on the exterior. Tarrant has the potential to be an All-SEC type player. It’s a little too early to say the same about Kessens but he’s got skills. Once again, Rodney Cooper is an enigma in my eyes. He should be scoring far more that has in the past. His rebound is very solid, and he is a good defensive player. When the season is over we may look back and say that we are only as good as Cooper became his senior year.

Jimmy Taylor hit a nice little running fade away. It was a kind of Buck Johnson shot. Taylor has also bulked up and is much stronger. He has great timing on blocking shots, and can finish off interior passes with a stuff. He looks much improved. A real star in the making is Sophomore Shannon Hale. He is aggressive, much stronger, has a nice shooting shot, and has some real court awareness.

What can you say negative about Justin Coleman? He is generously listed at 5-10 and 160lbs. He is quicker than a hiccup. He can drive and dish, and drop in some outside bombs. His upside is tremendous. He and Tarrant will make a tough backcourt when they play together. That’s some that Grant hasn’t done much but as the SEC season approaches they will. Jeff Garrett has been unable play because of oral surgery but is expected in the lineup tonight. Riley Norris, who narrowed his choices of college to ‘Bama, ‘Vandy, and the Gators is going to be very good player. Same for Devon Mitchell. All of Bama’s new recruits can contribute in a lot of ways. They are all keepers, and will set a strong foundation for the future.

Grant is going to get one more season after this year regardless of what happens. If this year’s team is any indication to what he can do he seems to be off to a good start. Alabama has a really tough pre-season. The conference is going to be somewhat easier than most of the teams we play early on. Bama needs to win three or four in early period to catch the attention of the selection committee. If the Tide stumbles out of the gate it will diminish what happens in the SEC. If Alabama is able to knock off UCLA, Wichita State, and Iowa State the Crimson is going to look a lot better in the Committee room. Prior to season I didn’t think this team would be competitive. They just might be. If players continue to improve, the outside shooting holds up, and the Tide rebounds well, they might surprise. The defense has looked all that good in the first three games. Isn’t that ironic. The Tide has been trying to play a lot of zone to protect Taylor. The game tonight is a big step to determine whether we belong or not. I think that ISU should win the game. But should win is not the same as will win. This team seems tight with each other. That is a good sign. We’ll know more later tonight. Roll Tide

Where do we stand as a basketball school today?

Tide hosts Southern Miss tonight...

Tide thumped Towson and struggled against Western Carolina..

 

Emails asking the same questions...

     I get emails from fans wanting to know my opinion about our basketball program. A little background first. I’ve been watching Alabama since the Rocket 8 lifted off from the hardwood. Those were gaudy times. Then came the Eugene Lambert era which was pretty bad, but not terrible. If you view that time against the time he coached, Alabama was about average for an SEC team. No one really gave a flip about hoops in those days. Foster Auditorium was an absolute joke even for its time. It was all Alabama needed though.

Fans wanted some changes in the 60's

     Their came a day when a group of basketball fans, me included, started to write letters to Coach Bryant about the need to upgrade our program. He gave it his best shot. And like all the shots that the Bear took it was dead solid perfect. We explained to him that his legacy as an AD hinged on the improvement of basketball and other non-revenue sports. My father and Coach Bryant a lifted a drink or two together in their times, so the Bear was not a complete stranger to me. It would not be true to say we were friends. How I met the Bear was more to do with bourbon, Old Golds and Chesterfields. But he knew who I was due to my father. Those fan conversations took place with Coach through individual efforts, but finally a “group” asked to meet with him. I think it was a preview for looking at God on judgment day. He was polite and generous with his time. We had 15 minutes or so. He listened. You could tell he was really listening about what we thought as fans and alums.

Enter C.M. Newton and the program exploded... 

      Bryant hired C.M. Newton as our next head coach. Who the heck was C.M. Newton? Where the heck was Transylvania College? I was young and cocky and thought I knew it all about hoops. That hire was a puzzle to me. I remember thinking ‘why didn’t we try to sign someone like Adolph Rupp’. That’s how young and naïve I was back then. It was a total lack of respect for people who actually knew basketball. It’s the same lack of respect I see that our younger fans give our older fans today. The young think that older fans don’t know a darn thing about Hoops, and that selling us season tickets is hilarious. Many of the younger fans think that older Alabama fans sit on their hands in expensive seats, and that is a total waste of time. Nothing could be further from the truth on all counts. I’m 67 years old now. I know so much more than a college student, as it relates to basketball, because of the extra 45 years I’ve attended games. I’ve got so much information about the game of basketball and Alabama basketball in my brain than most could imagine. Reading the forums it is clear that having a mouthful to say is not the same as having a brain to back it up. I don’t always agree with the opinion of others regarding our program. But if an Alabama has an opinion I’m open to what they have to say. We have polarized our fan base, and forums just fuel the fire. I think that loving Alabama should be unifying. I’m clearly aware that criticizing our coach is perfectly acceptable. I don’t think it is acceptable to make untrue comments about our players. Like the other day someone say Devonta Pollard is "as dumb as a rock". He isn't. He is a smart young man who was carrying more trouble than most of us could endure. Let's cut that crap out.

   Unity through winning is what C.M. Newton brought to Alabama basketball.  We have had two truly great basketball teams in my opinion. Either could have won a national championship. The ’76 team was one. The ’87 team was another.  Truthfully, if you get on a roll and make it to the Sweet Sixteen you might make it to Finals. Gottfried got to the Elite Eight on the backs of great shooting in the post season. C.M. Newton came at a time that was absolutely perfect. He started to recruit black American players. The State of Alabama had a ton of them. Wendell signed to come on board and the world started to change. All of sudden, the Crimson Tide became a force. Those guys didn’t win every game, but they weren’t chump change. You had to beat Alabama because they were well coached and had superior players. Wimp inherited a great situation and made it better.  C.M. may have kicked started Alabama but in Wimp Sanderson, Alabama basketball found it’s identify. I think C.M. was a very good coach. He assembled so much talent after those first few years that Alabama simply overwhelmed the competition. Wimp was something special. He was also something else to behold. He was one of us, a man of the people, a populist. He was what we imagined what we might be ourselves if we coached. He was also a genius. I'm not talking figuratively, but making a literal statement.

Sanderson set the standard for measuring future Alabama coaches at the Capstone...

  Wimp is the best basketball coach I’ve ever known. If fact, he’s the best coach I’ve ever known. He got more out of great players than any man I’ve seen. He got more out of less talent than any coach I’ve ever seen. The persona of Wimp Sanderson was not unlike the Bear. Think Houndstooth and think Plaid. Wimp has us so close to being a top five program. He was as close as the razor’s edge. He packed the Plaid Palace with great teams and great fans. I’m telling you that we were so close you could smell it cooking. 

    Then he was gone. I am not going into the why of his leaving, but I will say it was the most overblown situation ever imagined. Wimp made the mistake of trusting a gonzo radio commentator off the record. The record now reflects it ruined Alabama basketball to the extent it has never recovered. Sure, we’ve had good teams since. No doubt, we were ranked #1 for the time it takes to drink a coke. We were #1, and a lot of schools will never be able to make that claim. That was cool. It wasn’t unimaginable then. It is now. Things changed after Wimp, Something was missing. The consistency was gone. The talent level didn’t play up to its potential, and players started going pro early. I think David Hobbs was a step away from being a really good coach until Antonio McDyess went pro. After that departure things started to go downhill fast.  Things got better with Mark for a while, and then they got really bad despite good talent.

Grant is a good coach, but...

  Contrary to most “experts” on the forum believe,  I think Grant is a great x and o guy. The problem is you have to recruit some great players. Slowly, the talent wasn’t being replaced. Some players were highly ranked and didn’t pan out. Devonta Pollard is an example.  Trevor Lacey was a good player but he was never great. Tell me any great players that Grant has recruited who turned into a great college player. We had one. His name was Releford. Even the little engine couldn't play in the NBA.  As great as the little man was, he wasn’t great as Leon Douglas, Mule King, or TR Dunn from the Newton era. He wasn’t great like the multiple stars who played under Wimp. You know who they are. The kid was like a Rolls-Royce in a used car lot. He had no help. What is Grant doing or not doing that CM or Wimp were able to do?

 CM and Wimp locked up the borders. Precious few got away. Those who did were an exception to Alabama’s general rule that no great player was leaving Alabama. By the way, UAB was considered to be an out of State school.  One night while Herb Winches and I was doing a talk radio show. Wimp was our guest. The Wimpster let his true feelings escape regarding UAB and Bartow. The radio station was aghast. The rating jumped for the first time ever in college basketball season. Some may not have liked what he said, or the way he said it, but by God he was a man who loved Alabama and we loved him back. The man lived and died Alabama. Anthony Grant is so reserved it is hard to know exactly how he feels about the school and the fans.

Our first two games make one thing very clear...

      I have watched our first two games. We play hard. We have better players than last season. They are, despite some contrary opinions, well coached. They are not shooting well right now, but they’ll get better as they learn to play with each other. Kessens and Tarrant are good players. There is a lot of new blood to mix into a unit. They may get there or they may not. Here’s the problem with our program today. Any program, including Alabama, will rise and fall on one simple fact. A team has to have some great players. We have pretty good players. Pretty good players will pull of an occasional upset and get beat on occasions when they should win. It’s just the nature of the talent level.  All Grant can do is play who he has recruited. That’s his problem. His recruiting hasn’t been up to par with CM, Wimp, and Mark. I have no doubt if he had the players he be successful. Here's a simple fact of life. He won't cheat to get them.

So where are we going into game three?

   Were do we stand?  Keep in mind that a game or two is a mere snap shot of something, and is not definitive. Anybody can take a selfie. A video of a season is a better indicator, but a career of a coach is like a full length movie. That is where you go to determine what’s happening in a program. We will never win a national championship with Grant. We may never win an SEC championship with Grant, we will never win a SEC Tournament under Grant unless, and I stress the unless Grant can start recruiting great players, and he has shown only minimal evidence of an ability to do that. He really is a good coach. He is surely a decent man. That isn’t enough. It isn't his fault we are not Kentucky. You have to acknowledge that. The one and done rule is the biggest hypocrisy ever approved by the NCAA and NBA.  We need to fix that. One day it will be corrected. Today, it hurts us. We are, however, the second best program from a historical basis in the SEC and we could try to live up to that standard. We aren't. We are not even close.

What keeps us from being great...

There are two other things that keep us from being a great program. I’m not convinced the AD has a real vested interest in helping us move forward. I have no proof he isn’t, it is just a feeling. And when you read on a forum, “do we play Kentucky in basketball this year?” shows you the state of people who think they are fans. Seriously, do we play Auburn in football? Wimp Sanderson was a coach who would change is offense for each opponent. Our coach doesn’t have enough talent to change a light bulb. That doesn’t mean I don’t love my school, my coach, or our players. I do. I hope this season is a roaring success. I want to hear Dick Vitale ask 'where did these guys come from'? I’m not holding my breath and neither should you. I think our program has reached a state of what Arlo Guthrie once said,  "Stop hoping for bad luck and knocking on wood.” That’s where our program really is. We really do expect the worse and then knock on wood that it won’t happen. Does anyone think that works?

   If you can't support the coach or the AD, then support the kids. If you don't like the coaching then support the effort of the players. If you think the whole thing is like buying a ticket on the Titanic, then look on those jerseys and see the word ALABAMA on the front.  That, we can all support.

I think our program has reached a state of what Arlo Guthrie once said, “Stop hoping for bad luck and knocking on wood.” That’s where our program really is. We really do expect the worse and then knock on wood that it won’t happen. Trust me that does not work…

    In the meantime if you can’t support the AD and the coach, support effort, if you can support the coaches support the players, and if you think the whole thing is like a ticket on the Titanic, look on the jerseys and see the word – ALABAMA. That, you can support. Let’s quit taking low shots at our players. It only hurts our recruiting. That is something I know first hand.

 Oh yeah,  how much would the 76 or 87 beat today's Tide? I'd say about 30.