STATE OF THE PROGRAM REPORT

tide falls flat in the NIT



    Mercifully, and without fanfare the season is over for the Alabama basketball team. To steal a line from Dylan Thomas, they chose to go gently into that good night. No raging against the dying of the light either. After giving 'Bama fans some hope by a splendid SEC Tournament team, the team decided to go back to a never place. By that I  mean I hope it is a place we never have to go again. 

    Have no misconception of the Richmond Spiders. They were a better team than us. They were exactly what was advertised. Small, quick, and deadly shooters. I was afraid they we would have trouble matching up with them. We did. Our guards were not quick enough to catch them, and we seemed to avoid the paint on offense like it was penalty box. Given a couple of additional days to prepare we might have figured out how to defend them. I don't know that it could have helped. So that being said, I wanted to discuss the state of our program.

Here's where are in my opinion...

1. We need at least three long range shooters. I have no doubt that Sexton and Petty can fit the bill. Those two players will make things easier for Norris, Davis, and Ingram to be more relaxed when shooting. I guess you could throw Braxton in that bunch, but I think he has more serious work to do at the small forward. We should be much better next year. I saw Norris play a lot of high school games. He was a better shooter then than now. Let's not forget Armond Davis, either. he proved his worth. His defense got much better. 

2. Okay, I am not joking on this one. We need a sports psychologist. In the worst way. The loss of confidence is easy in basketball. In football, you can just roll over some one. In hoops, you are playing a collision sport that requires good eye hand coordination. We signed Davis and Collins. They had their moments, but overall were not what we had hoped for. Davis will be better this upcoming season. When we encounter another Shannon Hale problem it might help.

3. We need a power forward who can rebound and score. Bola could rebound. He was a machine on the inside glass. But his scoring was suspect at best. Look for the Tide to sign a graduate transfer in this regard.

4. We need a post player who can score. One of the most overlooked players on the team was Hall. He improved on offense. He has some surprising range, and worked hard on a baby hook. AND, he worked hard on his free throws. He has great form from the line. He got his shoulders squared and it worked wonders. Giddins was a highly ranked high school player. Ohio State is not chopped meat in the Big Ten. His freshman year produced lackluster stats, but the didn't play a lot due to upperclassmen. I think he may be one of the reasons the Tide big men played better this season.

5. Cult status has been endowed by Tide fans on Sexton and company. Let's be a deliberate about how we define freshman players. I have seen four of our five recruits play. They could be a special bunch. Are they going lead us to an SEC Championship next season? I hardly think so. No doubt, these caliber players are a step above what we have right now. We have two freshmen that were Mr. Basketball in Alabama and Tennessee. That's a good foundation. 

6. The coaching is really unknown at this point. I take the position, personally, that we have a great head coach and he has a good staff. I believe his teams overachieved in a lot of ways. In other ways they were making the same mistakes on Monday night as they did early in the season. One thing we need to keep in mind is that Avery Johnson has never coached anything but great players. All NBA players are great compared to non-NBA players. People kept asking me why does he continue to play Key when he seemed to top out late in the season. Key is a great player who needs experience. Johnson recognizes that Key will be, pardon me, a key to the team next season. I think it is reasonable to believe that Johnson has taken a few lumps in getting familiar with college coaching and recruiting. I think he has done a good job. Whether he will elevate to greatness remains to be seen. I'd  guess he will, but we really don't know.

7.  Facilities: Is Coleman Coliseum that you think will help the staff attract great players. I'm saying no on this one. For an airplane hanger, Coleman is fine. For a basketball arena with a fiery home court advantage not so much. Alabama's Athletic Department is flush with revenue right now. As long as Nick Saban is coaching it will make massive amounts of money. I would like us to build a new facility that is fan friend, opponent no -friendly, and a building we can be proud of. I think 12,000 is large enough. We need a pit. We need something akin to the gates of hell for other teams. 

8. AD Leadership:  I think we are solid as a rock here. I will look toward the new facility when it is announced. "If you build it they will come." That's a true statement. The Tide has great weight rooms, player lockers, and academic help is first class. 

9. The schedule needs to be toughened in the Pre-SEC season. Better to lose to great teams than win over poor teams.  Ask Vandy if that is true. We need some home and home series with Big Ten, Big East, ACC, and PAC 10 teams. 

10. The fanbase: I use that term loosely. We have a lot of fans who love basketball and attend every game. To attract fans you have to have a good product and create some fun. And for heaven's sake please put our student body directly behind the opposing teams bench. The band needs to be somewhere nearby as well. 

CONCLUSION

    I think the program is headed in the RIGHT direct direction. Johnson seems to be a good coach and a great recruiter. He had a team with so many new players they probably wore name tags to practice for a week. We need to close the borders of this State and get far more than our fair share of players. As we grow we can expand our recruiting base. If I were a teacher I'd give Johnson a A to this point.

TIDE TAKES ON THE RICHMOND SPIDERS TONIGHT...

DON'T KNOCK THE NIT BECAUSE IT GAVE BIRTH TO TIDE GREATNESS


   

  It was a simple sentence. “I hate the NIT.” I saw someone post that the other day, and a couple of other people picked up on the idea. Why would anyone hate the NIT? Why don’t you just say nothing and watch Netflix instead. There is nothing wrong with the NIT. It has a storied past, and was very instrumental in the Tide’s rise to a three decade glory run in basketball.  How important was it for the Tide? Here is how much - Coach Paul Bryant sat at the end of the bench. He was cheerleading for his school. It was enjoyable to see him as a fan. 

    I clearly remember our first trip to the NIT. Glenn Garrett knocked down a jump shot that put the Tide over the Manhatten Jaspers 87-86. In the next game, the Tide polished off the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a major upset. This was during the day that every team in the NIT would have been an NCAA at large team. There was always considerable arguments if the NIT champion could beat the NCAA champions. Who knows? I wouldn’t bet against the NIT champ. The main point is that the Tide used the NIT as a launching pad for announcing to the nation that the were going to play basketball, now, and play it in a serious manner. For that reason alone the NIT should make Tide fans have fond memories of the Tournament that gave birth to Alabama basketball on a national level. This Tournament was played in the Garden. It was the Mecca of college basketball. This wasn’t the new Garden but the old one. It reeked of a leather smell when you walked through the doors. 

    This was also during the time that all invited teams actually made it to New York. For a young man, the drive from Alabama to NYC, was a defining moment in my life. I had always loved Alabama basketball, but after that trip it became an avocation in my life. With 1200 games under my belt I’ve seen a lot of good games. I’ve seen a lot of important games for the Tide. But until the Tide wins the NCAA Tournament there is no more memorable game for the Tide. It was, and is, the single most important game in the history of Alabama hoops. Now, most of our fans were not even alive when this game was played, and putting it into perspective will be hard for some. For those of us who go back a long ways we know exactly what it meant. From there the Tide would win three consecutive SEC Crowns. Only Kentucky has done that as well. It was a magical time for Alabama basketball. For me it ranks above the Tide being ranked #1 for a cup of coffee in the Gottfried era. 

    Ironically, the game tonight and the Tournament takes on the same role as that first Tide game. The Tide had been to the NIT many times. But it was when we had decent teams and were not invited to the NCAA. This year is a little different in my mind. We are doing exactly what C.M. Newton was trying to do in that very first Alabama appearance.  Avery Johnson believes he is on the cusp of returning Alabama to past greatness. An NIT win would be like lighting a match to a can of gasoline for ‘Bama. The explosion might accelerate the process on a national stage. 

   A loser’s tournament? No way. There are 12 to 15 teams that would have played in the NCAA if My Old Mother State didn’t get an auto-bid. We all like Cinderella. But Cinderella isn’t going to win an NCAA championship. It’s not going to happen. Instead, those teams rob the NCAA of having the best field possible. I know it’s quaint. We all pull for 16 to beat a 1. So, in that sense the NIT has a lot of teams better than some of the teams in the NCAA. You want to hate the NIT? Go ahead, but unless you understand the importance of this Tournament to the University of Alabama you are selling fool’s gold.

This blog is  for Johnny Dill. Thank you Johnny. 

TIDE FALLS JUST SHORT AGAINST KENTUCKY BUT...


 

Not the look of a team that expected to lose. compl al.com

         It is never easy writing about a game lost. Maybe this game is the exception which proves the general rule. Sure, the Tide lost to Kentucky 79-74 in a nip and tuck affair. Alabama shot 20 free throws. Kentucky shot 40. Same old song with a new verse.  The better them won, and I won’t deny that. So, if Kentucky is an elite team, one of the best in the country, where does that leave Alabama? It leaves them close to being elite. I’d say very, very close. In a sense neither team lost today. Kentucky got the W, but the Tide proved a very big point to the rest of the SEC. It was the point that next season and in the future, you better not forget Alabama. If you do that, you’ll get run over by a basketball steamroller. Alabama proved in the later half of the season they may look like the have died, but not unlike Lazarus they can be raised the dead. This has been team that can rip out the heart of Tide fans, and in a failing heart beat can find a pulse, and keep on living. Thank you, guys. The roller coaster ride has been fun. In the end you proved that you are winners in every sense of the word. Nothing came easy for you, but you kept on working and finding ways to redemption. You took the hard path to find your way. That makes the SEC Tournament performances even more rewarding I suspect. You were like a toddler learning to walk and we watched you grow from a child into a man. You proved that old adage that sometime a team is greater than the sum of its parts. You were hard-hats, transfers, newbies, and cast offs from the start.  You were the guys at the bottom of coal bin who showed that you could still burn. We are proud of you. I have seen a lot of Alabama teams play in my life, but this one may be the most heartwarming of the bunch. 

WHAT A GROUP OF PLAYERS

     You had one senior who shoots free throws like the way the earth spins, but he had a great season. You had a couple of freshman that became leaders. You had a junior college transfer who proved he can play, and a grad transfer who showed us all the true love of the game. You had a transfer who had to endure sitting on the bench for a year and playing for his father. Boy, did he surprise a lot of us. You also had a professional coach who I believe fell in love with basketball again. He showed everyone that he belongs, and as Dick Vitale said, “who wouldn’t want to play for Avery Johnson.”  You guys had some dark days. Dark turns to light in the long run, and each of you proved you were a team. As you grow older in life you come to understand that being a part of team is as good as it can get. Your fans were part of that team. Sure, some jumped ship, and then got back on board. Don’t take us seriously. Even when we hate you we love you. When you hurt we hurt. When you win, we win. Being a fan for an Alabama basketball team sometimes feels like getting the last ticket for the Titanic. Some other fans laugh at us and say we are a ship of fools. Nope. We are dreamers and believers. You will be remembered as the team that made us believe again. How wonderful is that. 

FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR THE TIDE

     Don’t worry about Kentucky. Those guys wouldn’t want to play you again for all the money in the world. After playing two games before today, you laced ‘em up and gave the Big Blue Nation notice that Alabama is back. You are the foundation for a new future. On your shoulders greater things will stand. I’m just glad I got to watch you do it. Now you have the NIT. Now that you have learned how to do what you need to do, go do it again. We believe you can.

TIDE HAS ITS HANDS FULL WITH RED-HOT MISSISSIPPI STATE...

Bama needs steady game from Key

      I Have always believed that a team that plays a game the day before a team drawing a bye has an advantage. First, that team which has played a game is no longer nervous. Second, those teams are pumped from winning the day before, and finally, good play can generally carry over for one night. This is painting today's game with a broad brush, but it so frequently you can't ingnore the facts. Add to the equation that Alabama, even though they have already beaten State, is really not that much better than State. Beating a team three times in one season is no easy trick. Ask Auburn. So, the question of the day for Tide fans is can the team beat State for the third time in one season? I don't know. Anyone who can explain how this Tide team plays on any given day is selling snake oil.

       Yesterday, I picked the Alabama to win this game by eight points. After watching State eviserate LSU I'm not so sure. Logically, Alabama should win today's game; however, logic isn't a stat. This Alabama team has played a lot of hard nosed defense. Time after time the coaches of the SEC say that Tide plays the most physical defense in the league. Bama doesn't do anything special. No, the Tide simply plays an in your face man to man defense. You may win against Alababama but you will get beaten to death in the process. Both teams know exactly what the other will do on offense. Their is a caveat with that statement. Yesterdeay, Avery Johnson didn't hesitate to reveal the Tide had a lot of new offensive sets. He didn't say exactly what they were of course. But my bet is that it means pounding the ball inside to control the paint. Then, after doing that you see a lot of kick outs to shooters on the three point line who hopefully will shoot the ball well. That's always the question with this team. Will they shoot well? Alabama is slow and very methodical on offense. That's purposeful. Alabama wants to keep the score low and shorten the game. Lately, we have seen the team keep opponents to low offensive outputs, but faildc to score enough points to  win even when the score is in the fifties and sixties.

      Alabama is going to center their game on rebounding. Control the defensive end to deny State the run outs, and grab as many offensive rebounds to score second chance baskets. That's not brain surgery. All teams try to do that, but with 'Bama it is an intrical part of their offensive game plan. I think we can pretty much assume that the Tide will be mediocre from the free throw line, and will shoot in the low forty percent range from the field. If the Tide makes a third of their outside shots it would be a pattern that repeats itself game after game. What the Tide needs is for Riley Norris to get hot, hope that Dazon Ingram shoots more threes, and Armond Davis continuies to play well. Braxton Key is likely to give Bama his usual game. This is also a game where Jr. has a chance to get to basket. Expect him to get more time on the floor.

    The seccond area that Johnson has addressed is keeping turnovers down to a number the Tide can live with. He'd like for the Tide to keep that number around ten. That's probably wishful thinking given the history of the team. State turns the ball over with frequency as well. This might be one of those stats that cancel each other out. In other words, this might be a low scoring sloppy basketball game. That is exactly what Alabama wants. The mantra for the Tide is we are going to physically abuse you, we might not shoot well, we'll control the glass, and wear you down. It sounds a lot like a Tide football game plan.

     State is so diverse on offense it is hard to pin down who is going to have the hot hand. So many have great shooting skills. Alabama is going to get into faces of Bulldog shooters and make it hard to shoot. Tide is also going to deny State getting the ball into the hands of their best players. Those are tall orders for the Tide. Alabama has to win games by winning individuals battles all over the floor. The won't win them all, but they believe they can win enough to win a low scoring games. That is the Tide's key to victory. Great shooting would be an unexpected bonus. I expect this is going to be one of those grind your teeth and have another beer games, for Tide's fans. It's an odd way to approach a game offensively. Alabama knows they aren't able to score but still believe that can win. They have done that. They have failed to do that almost as often. It might not be fun to watch, but you have to admire a team with so many limitations be able to win games.

       

Tide season needs to end with a couple of wins...
Alabama is currently projected as a four-seed in the NIT*

       The season is almost over. Alabama will play Mississippi State or LSU on Thursday. I think getting the #5 seed was much better than most expected. Once again, a season-ending slump ruined what might have been an unexpected run into the NCAA Tournament.  Bama had four games left the could have won, but honestly, they could have lost all four. The one win the Tide squeezed out against Ole Miss was important. That win will likely get the Tide into the NIT. Bama had an extremely favorable SEC schedule this year. That accounts for the 5th seed as much as anything. I'm just stating the obvious.

NIT would be a nice finish for Tide...

      I know all Tide fans are going to be disappointed going to the NIT. The only road to the NCAA is to win the SEC Tournament. That isn't going to happen. Considering how the team finished the season I'm not sure that Bama will beat State or LSU. Alabama had some bad breaks this season. They first lost Nick King. Then Shannon Hale disappeared from the face of the earth. He may rejoin the team for the SEC Tournament. I don't see a lot of upside in that for anyone but Hale. He might try to redeem the embarrassment that is his senior season. Hale was supposed to be a big part of the team.  Instead, he became a liability. I know we get tired about what happened to the pair but it is relevant. I'm not sure he will be reinstated for the remainder of the season. Frankly, he hurts the team. Sad ending for a player who could have been really good.

Pre-Season prediction was close...

      I had predicted before the season started that Bama would be hard pressed to match the number of wins of last year. Bama might just get their 18th win on Thursday. I think that would surpass what might have been expected for this season. It hardly what Tide fans wanted, however. It would be uplifting to see the Tide win two or three more games this season. The younger players need the experience. I don't care if it is a lesser tournament than even the NIT. They need to play. Key and Ingram have the potential to be All-SEC players. Each may have NBA potential.

Key named to All-SEC Freshman team...

      You have to be impressed with Braxton Key. He made his share of Freshman mistakes, but overall he had a good season. He made the All-Freshman SEC team. I'm not sure whether Ingram was eligible for that honor. If so, he should have gotten some votes. Those two had a lot of success this season, but they also had some really bad games. I think Armond Davis proved he belonged. I never considered him to be an inside scorer. He surprised a lot of us with his head fakes and taking it to the paint. Overall, I think Davis proved to have a good season. He may be that classic sixth man each college team needs. Don'ta Hall improved this season. He isn't going to scare anyone with his scoring but he is a shot blocker to be feared.

Riley gets my nod for MVP...

     I think that Riley Norris proved to be our most valuable player. He has some great shooting games,  but he was a hard-nosed player and did yeoman on the defensive end.  He frequently drew the opposition's best offensive player. Truthfully, naming an MVP for Bama is wide open. You might believe it is someone else and I wouldn't argue.  A.J. jr. proved his worth. In fact, at times I thought we were a better offensive team when he was running the point. Therein lies a part of Bama's problem. Ingram doesn't seem to be a natural point guard. If he cuts down his turnovers he might be a winner.  What Bama needs is offense. The Tide signed four great offensive players. Two are probable starters next season. We should improve. I'd like to see Bama get a grad transfer power forward to beef up the inside. No doubt, the Tide should beat LSU or Miss. State. No doubt, the Tide shouldn't have blown a 16 point lead to lose to Tennessee. I view the SEC Tournament as a road game for all practical purposes. Bama has been a good road team. They have seemed to play better on the road than in the Coleman Coliseum. 

Tonight I like State by eight.





*NYCbuckets.com