First half of Auburn and Florida convince me...

Battles must make a change to save program

 

 

Good man in a bad position for him and supporters

Once again it was a tale of two halves. This time the come-back fell short. Earlier in the week I said that if Florida got off to a quick start they had too much talent for us to come back. For a few minutes it seemed my prediction was wrong. Alabama fought back to 47-47. I was impressed with their effort. The problem is that basketball has only one score in the end. The Tide lost a heart breaker 52-50, primarily because we looked like the worst basketball team in the history of bad basketball teams in the first half.

The game was essentially over when Jimmy Taylor go two earlier charging fouls. By the way if you look at the replays of those calls it is unmistakably that blocking should have been called. The same official made three horrendous calls in the first half. The two charges on Taylor, and the foul called on Levi Randolph which gave Florida three foul shots. The review wasn’t about whether there was foul. It was about whether the player got 2 or 3 freebies. All in all it was not a good way to start a game you could have won. Grant seemed to be clueless about how to attack the Florida zone. If the SEC gave an award for useless passing on the perimeter we would be an unfortunate lock.

I have tried really hard to find some middle ground this season regarding Coach Grant. I’m finished supporting him now. . The first half was the most horrid basketball coaching I’ve ever seen. We played a little better the second half, but honestly our defense caused some turnovers to let us get back in the game. Our offense was still ham-fisted. In other words, we stunk up the joint. At least the crowd was small and the embarrassment was reduced. I’m well aware that we have lost several close games. And if you want to do time travel math we could easily be 17-4. But then there is nothing such as time travel math. What we are left with is a free falling span of 4 losses in the last 5 games. Not only could we have won those four games, I’d argue we should have won 3 of them. Now we get to go to Lexington. Talk about salt in the wound. I’m also aware we have improved in some areas. You can’t overlook the fact that the SEC is a weak league, however. Predictably, there are going to be a lot of close game. Here is why having a great coach in basketball is key. In hoops you have a great coach and some talent you can win big. If you have an average coach and some talent you’re dead. Last season, Florida is an example. This season, Florida will still be an example now that the team has assimilated four new starters.

I don’t know how you feel, but what we should do and what we end up doing, is getting to be a time-worn phrase. How long do we have to listen to press conferences all sound the same? As we say in the country – that dog just don’t hunt. None of remarks are directed at our fine young men who play for our team. I know most of them personally and they are fine individuals. What I do feel for them and for the Bama Nation having to live with this mediocrity. Also, we have to live with the dispassionate attitude of the coach. Grant showed a little emotion when the Levi Randolph foul was called. That would have been a perfect time to insure your team that you weren’t going to take such nonsense. I’m talking about a full Bobby Knight. Instead, Grant made a verbal protest, showed his displeasure and turned back into his usual self. We were playing so poorly what difference would it had made? Of course, Grant would argue that could have turned into a 8 point play when the dust cleared. I don’t think the officials respect Grant. We can’t even get calls on our home floor. How does that happen? I’ll tell you how. It means the refs don’t respect the coach and the home crowd just isn’t going to go “throw paper on the floor” ballistic. Who knows what would have happened if Grant got tossed? I guess that would be time travel thinking?

What we watched in the first half of the Auburn and Florida was just a future glimpse of what we’ll see in the future of Alabama basketball. That is my biggest concern. We have three decent recruits coming in. I think two of them are underrated. Hall is now 6-10 according to his high school coach. That would give the Tide three decent inside players if they can get stronger and meaner. I wish they played with the intensity of Riley Norris under the boards. That kid is has the mentality missing with our post players. I think he may very well have the mentality missing in our head coach. None of this means that Grant can’t get things turned around. I just don’t think we have 40 years to wander around trying to find the Promised Land.

In one game the cameras panned Wimp Sanderson. You didn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to see what was on his mind. Honestly, Grant has reached a point where fans just have given up on him. As much as I love Alabama basketball it is getting to painful to even watch. We had 11 turnovers in an eight minute stretch against a team playing a zone defense. Hoover High School would have had less. I’ll say this – if the shot clock is eliminated and we can run the four corners offense we set to go right now. Humiliating, excruciating, embarrassing, mortifying, or demeaning would all sound about right. Mr. Battles, if you have any love for you fans and your players it is time to put an end to all this nonsense. I am not fluent in coach speak but I am very fluent in fed up talk. We are going to win some more games and then the talk about giving another season or two, or letting him work out his contract will start all over. When the Kentucky game is over, assuming they don’t have a mercy rule, you will have the greatest opportunity to end the pain and misery. I have to think all of this is uncomfortable for Coach Grant at well.

Roll Tide Roll

So I’m a fan who did over 200 radio shows promoting Grant in place of Gottfried. I’m stunned we are where we are. I never saw this coming. Now, six years later I can tell you exactly what’s coming – the absolute collapse of Tide Hoops. We are on the edge of collapse of the program for a long time.  Ask LSU and Arkansas if that can happen. This program has reached the point of critical mass. Are we going to make the needed change or have a “China Syndrome” meltdown?