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
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
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