QUESTIONS ABOUND FOR BAMA BASKETBALL...
Time for fans to act like true fans...

 

One thing I´ve learned over the decades of writing about Bama hoops it is much easier to do when the team is winning. The last few seasons have been a misery in a lot of ways given that standard.  The truth is that from a win-loss record Johnson isn´t doing much better than Anthony Grant. Thatś just a fact. Hereś a few things to remember:

1. Alabama wasn´t scoring under Grant and don´t score much now do they?
2. Both coaches hang their wins on great defense and a hot offensive night is an unexpected bonus.
3. Some Alabama basketball fans are unable to put things into proper perspective. One night they love the team and the next game they are ready to hang someone.
4. I don´t think a lot of Alabama really understand much about basketball. I am happy to say some know a great deal about hoops. 
5. A lot of Alabama fans don´t love Alabama basketball. A lot openly admit they don´t care about basketball. That doesn´t stop them from criticizing the basketball program. Some live to write bad things in my opinion.This hurts the program in a major way. If you start a post off with, ¨I don´t really keep up with basketball, but...¨ Do us all favor and quit typing. 
6. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Hatred toward the team is not an opinion. It is a mental problem. It also makes the players job that much harder. 
7. We tend for forget the positive things past coaches have done. Mark Gottfried needed to be fired but he did a good job in a lot of ways.
8. Anthony Grant had the unfortunate job of having to reign in some personality problems with his team. Team leaders got suspended, and Grant had the character to do what was needed. He may not have left Johnson a lot to work with but he left a team full of kids that play hard and rarely cause problems. Kudos to both coaches for putting trouble makers on the pine to whine as opposed to doing so on the floor.
9. I found Anthony Grant to be one of the most genuine human beings I have ever known. Granted, he would not win a lot of extroversion awards. He was a great X and Oś coach. I wish we had him on our staff under Johnson. 
10. Coach Johnson came into the program with no college experience but went to work from day one. I mean that literally and not figuratively. Ask John Petty if that was true.  

    If you think coaching at a predominate football school as head basketball coach is as easy,  think again. Ask the Kentucky football coach how that works? Avery Johnson is not just trying to have a better team. He is trying to build a culture unique to Alabama hoop. Alabama or LSU have historically had the second best basketball program in the SEC. Johnson really believes in the power of positive thinking. He might tell us that if you can imagine it you can do it. 

     I think it is time for all of us to acknowledge some things: We love Alabama basketball but we are not patient and act like petulant children. Each of those things is becoming counter-productive. It is time for all us to quick expecting more than any coach or our current players can do. I am very happy with the progress our program is making right now. We are lucky to have found the ¨little general¨ to be our coach. He is not as lucky to have some impatient fans. The season is not over. The fat lady has not yet sung. Letś wait to find out how the season ends before criticizing our team. Fans can criticize or they can critic. The former is fine and latter is not necessary for this coach given his very limited time at the Capstone.

 

   And for those of you who criticize Key and Ingram, what the heck do you want? You want two freshmen to play like seniors.  That is not going to happen, yet. Look at the progress Davis and Hall have made this season. Look at maturity of Norris. His shot has left him like an unfaithful spouse. He puts on that hard hat and contributes in so many meaningful ways. Remember we lost Nick King. We also have lost Shannon Hale which is a real head scratcher. 

 

Things are getting better. We are very competitive with limited talent. How good can we be with better talent? We will find out next season with a recruiting class that has been ranked as high as #4 by some publications. We are what we are. Thatś all the team can be. As fans, we can help them a lot more than we do. Iḿ not pointing fingers but our negative fans know who they are. Ignore them. Don´t reward their petty trolls. For the remainder of the season,  I hope we let our coach and players know who much we appreciate their effort. I was looking back at my prognostication for the year. I said predicted we wouldn't win as many games as last season. 

  You don´t get many single seasons like Retin gave us last year. Some seniors step across that mental line and become stars. This team drives me crazy. If you love thrill rides at Six Flags you will love this team. Roll Tide my Crimson brothers and sisters. I will now step off my soap box.