THE TIDE STUMBLES AND BUMBLES BUT WIN

Nice win over a likely NCAA Tournament Team, but...

   

     Dick Enberg might say ¨Oh, My¨. Alabama had a lot of oh my moments and still won. Murray State is a really good basketball team. They will be dancing winning OVC Tournament. The might be dancing if they win the regular championship. The Racers have their own version of Collin Sexton. Ja Morant shredded the Bama defense with 28 points. He had 10 turnovers due to some hard-nosed defense by several Tide defenders.  He was a pleasure to watch and an even better pleasure to beat. Bottom line is that Bama won 78-72. Kira Lewis, Jr. and John Petty, Jr. led the Tide´s offensive effort with 20 and 16 points respectively.

the good -

1. Bama made a stellar 23 of 30 freebies which will help hold a lead.  
2. The Tide pulled down 40 rebounds with 15 being offensive.
3. Ten blocked shots is a high number, and the Tide disrupted at least that many more shots.
4. Jones pulled down 10 and Petty got 8. Good play by both

the bad- 

1. 21 turnovers will usually get you beat. The Racers offset that number by committing 18 of their own.
2. Ingram had 6 turnovers and Jones had 5 which continues a trend of sloppy ball handling by the pair.
3. Every player for ´Bama had a turnover except for Junior. 

the ugly-

1. Alabama still looks confused on offense in my opinion. There seems to be little flow to their offense. 21 turnovers are not helping develop consistency
2. Coach Johnson put a couple of groups on the floor that baffled me. 
3. Mack needs to step it up to be the much-needed man off the bench on the edge. I hope Riley can help do that when he returns. I´m not giving up on Mack. He had a recent big game. 
4. Is it just my imagination or does the Tide miss more layups than humanly possible.
5. The announced attendance was 9.004. I will be crowned as the King of England this weekend. You are invited. This team needs sell-outs. 

bottom-line 

Johnson is still experimenting with the rotation. He is a good coach, and I am sure he knows what he is doing. We have a lineup where balanced scoring is happening and that is a good thing. Kira Lewis is going to be an All-SEC Player if ´Bama wins enough game to showcase him. Petty is much improved. His outside shooting is hot and cold. Shooters gotta shoot. Lewis, Petty, Reese, and Mack all have some firepower. Hall patrols the lane like a worried mother. There are a lot of good things happening. Did I mention the 21 turnovers?

    Alabama now hits the road to play UCF. This will be a tough game. The Knights are pre-season picks to win the American Athlete Conference. That league includes Houston, UCONN, Cincinnati, Temple, Memphis, Wichita State, and SMU. Those are premier basketball programs. Throw in Tulane, Tulsa, and East Carolina and you have one dynamic league. I doubt Bama will be favored. The Knights beat Alabama last season. Have you ever seen a 7-6 basketball player? They have one. 

CANDID THOUGHTS ON 'BAMA HOOPS PROGRAM

'Bama Fans Need a Big Time Program

 

 

A rendition of new arena interior

   I see that Tennessee has the #5 ranked team in America. Think about for a moment before you read any further. Why can Tennessee do that and Alabama hasn't done that? The last time an SEC Conference Championship was hung in Coleman Coliseum was 2002. That was 16 seasons ago. The MVP in the Conference that years was Erwin Dudley*. He was first-team All-SEC pick. Alabama is 4th in SEC Conference Championships behind Kentucky, LSU, and Tennessee. The Tide was ranked #1 in hoops for a short time in 2003. Mark Gottfried was the coach. Gottfried continued to coach until 2009. Since 2002 Alabama has not won a regular-season championship or a Tournament Championship. That is simply unacceptable to basketball fans, or at least the ones I know.  Whether Avery Johnson can return to the years of Wimp Sanderson, CM Newton, and Johnny Dee remains to be seen. Check with me at the end of next season.

          Why doesn't the University of Alabama do anything it takes to make the program big time? It is a question that I have been thinking since Gottfried left. David Hobbs is my friend. So was Anthony Grant. Both were men of high character and could coach the dickens out of the talent they had. David gets a lot of unfair criticism in my opinion. The day before the NBA draft he was assured that Antonio McDyess was returning. He didn't. Who could blame him, and certainly David Hobbs didn't.  Hobbs career was turned upside down. Those who criticized Grant needed to understand the culture which infected the program when he took the 'Bama job. To be kind, let's just say it wasn't good. What Grant did was return character back into the program and it took a lot of discipline to do so. That was done at the cost of wins. The question in my mind is why hasn't the University built an arena to better attracts big-time prospects? I know some will say that doing a remodel was good enough. Not in my mind. The seating was not a configuration that puts fans up close and personal when it was built. It still isn't and the students deserve better. I personally think we need to give students better seating. That will cause an uproar with long-term fans. I'm in that group. It serves a better purpose for our students to have the seats. We need a better homecourt advantage. This is a relatively easy fix for your program. 

  e     We have been told of long-term plans to build a new arena. I've seen some nice renditions to give some idea of its appearance. For basketball fans, it might be better to set a date for the groundbreaking, and perhaps find a major corporate sponsor to help defray building costs. Had we done this two decades ago we might have a top ten program? I understand the costs. I understand that football drives the influx of money. I know I get sick to my stomach walking into the Auburn arena and knowing how much better they are now. There are other are other reasons make the Tigers a good team. 
        If Alabama wants to risk playing second fiddle to AU in hoops in the future can stay in Coleman and keep going to the paint store. Or we can take a chance that it launches Alabama into the next level of college Hoops. The decision is above my pay grade.  Alabama has everything it needs to make top ten hoops a reality. In the end, it is about getting good players. We need to give our basketball coaches everything they need to do that.

*Erwin Dudley is still playing in Turkey. 

TIDE WINS 2 of 3 IN CHARLESTON CLASSIC

TIDE TURNS RED-HOT FROM THE FREE-THROW LINE...

   

 Bama didn't win the Charleston Classic. They did, however,  win a lot of Tide fans with two great performances against Ball State and Wichita State. After a zombie-like performance against Northeastern, Avery Johnson got the attention of his team. Believe it or not, the Tide iced the game against Wichita State with clutch free throw shooting. When you make 31 of 34 freebies you are going to win a lot of games. That performance raised the team season's free throw percentage to a nice 73%. Kira Lewis was 11-11 and Alex Reese was 9-10.  It is almost like 'Bama had a consultant to talk with about shooting free-throws. Making some freebies builds confidence. A chink in Alabama's game seems to be on the road to recovery.

    In the past two games, the Crimson Tide has been shown some real chemistry on the offensive end of the floor. John Petty has had two nice shooting nights from downtown Freddie Brown* territory. He wants to ball. That is a good sign. Petty is long and once he goes up no one can block his shot. These games were not true road games, but they weren't at home either. Kira Lewis drilled a three-point shot when Wichita State was making a run. 

The Reece Piece...
     

   Alex Reese played only three minutes against Ball State. If 'Bama was going to use an eight-person rotation, Reese looked like he was the odd man out. He played just 9 minutes against Northeastern. Perhaps the additional pine time caused Reese to think about his career at Alabama. Whatever happened, Reese turned into a huge asset against the 'Shockers. Reese wasn't the only breakout player in the Charleston Classic

Big Mack Attack...


      Tevin Mack nailed 5 fo 9 three-pointers against Ball State. Mack proved he could indeed go home again. The South Carolina native got back some of his Texas Mojo to lead the Tide to their win over Ball State. Mack averaged over 15 points a game with the Longhorns. Alabama would love to have similar numbers from the forward. Sure, he has some rust on his game. He hasn't really played in 18 months but you can see the talent with his outside shooting and his slashing drives to the basketball. A defense has to cover the outside threat only to see Mack drive inside the paint. He should be back to his old self by the start of the SEC.

And a Child shall lead them...
  
 

 When I was 17 going on 18 about the only things that concerned me was would my Pop let me use the car on Friday nights. Kira Lewis, Jr. should be a senior in his school. Instead, he "reclassified" and became the starting point guard for the Crimson Tide. That took a lot of courage. Lewis has shown the same courage on the floor leading the Tide to 4 wins in 5 games. He's done this with no offseason weight training or big-time competition. He is perfect from the free throw line, rebounds, and is a deadly shooter. He can shoot from beyond the arc and drive the basket. He handles a fast break with skill. Can he end up better than Sexton? He will be a different kind of great. Kira is Kira and any team in the nation would have been happy to have him. It is unlikely he will go to the NBA. One more season might make him a first-round draft choice. If 'Bama could convince him it is in the best interest to play for three seasons it would be great. Of course, I doubt it would be in best season. Kira the quick is quite a player. When he gets some experience other SEC teams will understand why every team in the SEC, ACC, Big Twelve, and Pac 12 wanted him

Not so Petty anymore...
  John Petty was highly recruited. Some recruiting gurus had him a five-star prospect. It really doesn't matter. Last season he was as hot as a pepper patch. Other times he was the next ice age. Johnson wanted some consistency and other roles to play. This season he runs the break with the ball, rebounds like a post player, and is a dynamic shooter. When Petty is set to shoot he is deadly. He is going to get better. Sophomore seasons are the time when most players have their biggest jump in performance. I see no reason to believe he is different. The main thing I see is a player who wants the ball and wants to make a big difference. He reminds me of an old friend name Latrell Sprewell. 

Upcoming...

    Alabama takes on Murray State next Monday. The Racers are the defending champions of the Ohio Valley Conference last year. They were the regular season champions and winner of the OVC post-season Championship. The Racers were 26-6 and earned a berth into the NCAA National Championship Tournament. The lost in the First Round to West Virginia.

     Murray State was picked to finish second in the OVC behind Belmont. The media experts gave Belmont six votes to 5 votes for Murray State.  The Racers are not some cupcake team the Tide can take lightly. I expect a close game. 




     

*  Freddie Brown play 13 seasons with Seattle. He was a red-hot outside shooter. He got his nickname in high school from an opposing coach who bragged about his outside shooting.

Bama looked pretty inept against Northeastern...

What did we learn in Bama's first three games?

   

Johnson needs some shooters

 Okay, I buckled up for season one. Alabama got an NIT bid. It was a one and done deal. I buckled up for season two. The NIT asked Bama back, and it was one game and gone. Then fans buckled up for season three. Honestly, a lot of fans buckled up for Collin Sexton. Alabama finished strong and made it to the NCAA. It was another one and done deal, when 'Bama got bumped after one win. It was progress for the Tide. With Sexton gone followers wondered how good the would be. I laughed out loud when some fans said the Tide would be better without Sexton. How could any team be better without Sexton? 

    Season four was upon the Tide hoops nation. I can't remember exactly what number of wins I picked prior to the season's first game. I think it was around 18 or so. I have to wonder if that was optimistic. The Tide got thumped by Northeastern 68-52.  It was a complete beat down. Alabama was not competitive in any phase of the game. The inside game was non-existent. The outside shooting was laughable, except no one was laughing. Is this a trend or, was this all just a bad shooting night? Every team has bad shooting nights. 

    After watching the Tide's first three games it is becoming clear that this Alabama may have some long-term shooting problems. John Petty is a good shooter but the word "road" means he can't drop a ball off the end of a pier and hit the water. Herb Jones is still playing hard-nosed defense, but his offense leaves a lot to be desired. Dazon Ingram seems lost at times. Alabama couldn't get the ball inside to Don'ta Hall. Tevin Mack needs to step it up and score like he did at Texas. It might be "rust" from not playing for a season.

     Here is the sad truth about Alabama at this stage in the season - their best player is a 17-year-old kid who should still be in high school. My own belief is that Avery Johnson plays too many players in whatever his rotation might be. It reminds me more of hockey lines changing on the fly. The more you have in a rotation the harder it is to find chemistry.  Jack Nicklaus said that good putting covers up a multitude of sins. The same is true for good shooting. If Alabama shoots better fans believe they are playing better. That isn't always true. Right now, the Crimson Tide isn't shooting well and frankly, they aren't playing well. For the first time since Avery Johnson arrived at Alabama, I wondered about his coaching. I am getting emails asking me about whether he is a good coach. He is a good coach. I'll get some criticism by saying the problem is recruiting. The Tide gets some good players. They got a great player.  Some of their current players will get better. Alabama doesn't have a player who can strike fear into opposing teams. In today's game, you have to have some outside shooters. Johnson is caught in the modern dilemma that all coaches face. Do I try to recruit players who can leave after a year or two, or do I use the Gonzaga model? The Zags get players who hang around for four or five years. This means player development is important and they build consistent cohesion.

      I think the question of whether Alabama is better without Sexton has been answered. Fans will now move on to the next question.   Would Alabama be better off without Johnson? It is a fair question. I think he may coach himself out of this slow start, but this isn't going to be a banner year. If you want to know what is wrong with this team you need only look at the Tide's three new players. All hang their hats on great shooting. What Bama needs right now are a couple of players who can light it up from the outside. This is year four of the Johnson era. Fans will not be happy if the Tide doesn't make the NCAA, and they should be. Alabama has more money than any college team. The Tide still plays in a second-rate arena. I question Alabama's desire to have a great hoops program. If Alabama can hire a Nick Saban it means they can hire a Coach K type if the need arises. Don't get me wrong. I love Avery Johnson. His charisma is infectious. He makes me want to play again. I need to find a reason to buckle up. 

 Here's what I have learned so far this season

• Kira Lewis, Jr. is the real deal. He will get better, and when has some NCAA experience he will be a load for other teams
• Petty is playing hard. He is rebounding and can run the floor. He needs to keep shooting. They will fall.      
• Alabama's offense is standing around and not moving.
• Teams will zone the Tide until shots start to fall.
• Hall can help inside if he can get the ball. 
• Johnson is playing far too many players to find chemistry. I am not sure what he is looking for.
• Bama is playing decent defense and it will become more important for this season.
• Alabama enters season four with no real proven outside shooter except Petty. How did that happen? 
• Alabama's players are competive and are givng great effort. Don't knock the effort.

And from Alcrtide: 

• Good write-up Bill. Agree with most of what you say, but they didn't play hard alcrtide 2018-11-16 09:45:23
yesterday. And the part where you talk about too much standing around on offense - movement is effort, and they aren't moving so they aren't giving enough effort.
I think after CAJ lost to Nova in the NCAA tourney he saw he needed shooters and went out and signed three good ones. I am afraid the sad reality is this program is not going to greatly improve until the players that aren't good shooters graduate and the good shooters arrive.
You are dead-on that our best player is Kira Lewis. Last year it was Sexton. CAJ can evaluate talent and recruit, and there is no reason we can't be successful going forward if CAJ can develop them and get good rotations and team chemistry on the floor.
The fact we have a player or two that think they are ready for the NBA after this season says a lot. I noticed Petty is #23 and we signed Jalen Forbes, who is shown in a Bama uniform wearing #23. Petty is not ready - the NBA plays 41 road games - and if he can't hit his shots on the road in college I don't know why he thinks he can score on the road in the NBA. The fact we are still trying to sign one more tells us someone is leaving. Maybe Petty, maybe Giddens who is a 4th year junior.
We agree on the problem of rotation and floor chemistry. I would get this down to 8 players and build the team around them:
Lewis, Petty, Jones, Hall, Smith, Mack, Reese and Ingram.
I don't know how you can put Hall, Jones, Ingram and Smith on the floor at the same time - who is going to make outside shots except Lewis or Petty? You need at least 2 good shooters on the floor at the same time. Unless we go big to match the size of opposing teams, or for brief spurts - I would not play Hall and Smith at the same time. You also can't play Ingram and Jones at the same time unless you have a lead and are trying to lock down a team defensively. They are both good defensively and very good rebounders, but neither is a good scorer. I would play a lot more of Mack and Reese with Lewis, Petty, Jones and Hall. I would substitute so that we don't put too many players who have trouble shooting and scoring on the floor at the same time.
I think we will still have a good season, we'll see. I hope so, but everyone else in the SEC is improving too.