CRIMSON HOOPS - THINGS JUST GOT HARDER FOR AVERY JOHNSON

 DAZON INGRAM OUT FOR THE SEASON

    

OUT FOR THE SEASON

   If it weren't for bad luck, the Tide basketball program would have no luck at all.  Now, that streak continues for Dazon Ingram and Avery Johnson.  Johnson saw his freshman star end his season with badly broken football suffered in practice.  Flame me if you want, but Anthony Grant had the same type bad luck last season when he lost Ricky Tarrant and  Shannon Hale down the stretch when Bama had a  chance to make the NCAA. That 19 win last season were some of the best coachings I’ve ever seen regardless of what the great unwashed masses wanted to believe.  Imagine Alabama losing Derrick Henry and Jake Coke in the span of few days and hoping to make the playoffs. It wouldn’t happen.

      Now Avery Johnson is going to face a similar situation. He loses Dazon Ingram for the season. Ingram is an outstanding prospect and was the Tide’s leading rebounder with almost six per game. That in itself should tell you about the Tide program. He’s a point Dog Grant, all you want, but I’ve talked with several SEC coaches who said what he did was the almost unbelievable job the latter part of the season.  I’m not going to argue with anyone of you whether he should have been fired. I suspect he should have. His recruiting wasn’t getting the job done, but the man could coach. He was also the best defensive coach I had seen.  I’ve been around for quite a while. I think Johnson is going to do a better job, but defense isn’t at the to of his list.  

      It’s the coaches decision, but I’d start Retin Obasashan at the point and move Norris to the shooting guard. Let’s bring Justine Coleman off the bench. Justine has started the season just short of an ice age. I’m not sure how to characterize the Southern Mississippi game? How about a playground game with next up? It was as just not good basketball by either team. The redeeming factor is the Tide won and in March, the score or sloppy play won’t matter. It is merely a win.   The Tide has a 53-50 lead and promptly saw Ingram miss two free throws. The Eagles were able to get off two good looks at the basket which could have sent the game into overtime. Both missed and Bama won the game. That puts the Tide at 5-2 and a decent RPI of 45. That’s down from 36  because Southern Mississippi is now 0-6. Unfair to lower an RPI basketball on the team you scheduled two seasons ago.

        We got not points from Jimmie Taylor in that game. Southern Miss had no one who could match up with him or Michael Kessens. That won’t work. Luckily, we made enough baskets offsetting the lack of paint presence.  I think that will come back to hurt us, and if my guess is correct, it has been a key to this weeks presence. Justine Coleman is going to play a lot more. Now is his time to shine or he might find himself forgotten. Let’s hope our fans take the negative impact of Ingram in better light than the losses of last season.