Alabama will be as good as Sexton and Key...
Some thoughts on 'Bama's offense...
The Alabama Crimson Tide is coming off a pre-SEC on a down. They are not, however, down and out. I wonder where the team might have been had Key not been hurt. The reason I say that is because Key will get well, put some WD-40 on his rusty game, and become the player he was last season. That is when Tide fans will know just how good they can be. Basketball is a sport where finishing on a high note will frequently get you into the NCAA Tournament. A fast start and a poor finish can keep you out of the field however.
Clearly, the team is at a fork in the road right now. Do they continue to play average ball, or do they seek redemption and become what they would like to be. So where does the team go from here?
1. First, keep in mind that even though the Tide lost to Texas good defense held the Longhorns to only 66 points. That will win most games for Alabama.
2. Johnson now has to make a definite decision about how he wants his offense to play. Does he still try for a modified run and shoot offense, or does he slow down pace. Seriously, this team was made to run, and even though they have sputtered in a few games it seems to me this is the way to go.
3. I would turn Collin Sexton loose to score each trip down the floor. He is so gifted (ask Minnesota) he will score a lot of points. He will draw so much attention he will be able to dish the ball off and the Tide is going to get a lot of wide open looks.
4. A lot of teams are going to double team Sexton. Texas did that, but keep in mind they had Mo Bomba to pick up the mistakes the perimeter defenders make. Bomba drew a lot of praise from the media (well deserved) but it was their two guards who shut down Sexton that won the game. Of course, Collin was injured and wasn't playing at full speed.
5. The defense must become more aggressive and cause some turnovers. Fouling has been a problem in the pre-season, but this team has 10 solid players. If Johnson chooses to keep 10 players off the pine he needs to turn his defense to press.
There isn't anything to keep the Tide from improving. Now they need to have a system, identify the players, and hope the team chemistry improves. In my last post I elaborated on this. This team has at least three players who will play in the league at some point. They might have four. They have at least three other players who will play professional ball somewhere.
If Johnson decides to run all the offense through Sexton is doesn't mean that team work is out the window. It just needs to be a different type of team work. This Tide teams needs to understand the most talent won't win all their games. Great team work will win a lot more than just physicality. I have a lot of faith in Avery Johnson. When Bama was searching for a head coach I wrote letters to the AD saying, "let's step up the program" by hiring Johnson. I think we are doing that. I'm giving Alabama an incomplete grade for their season so far. The final grade can't be judged just yet. We have played a very hard schedule thus far. It doesn't get any easier from this point forward. We will see if Johnson's pre-season gamble pays off. It will in my opinion.
Roll Tide and Happy New Year.
Some thoughts on 'Bama's offense...
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| Sexton needs some shooting help from team |
Clearly, the team is at a fork in the road right now. Do they continue to play average ball, or do they seek redemption and become what they would like to be. So where does the team go from here?
1. First, keep in mind that even though the Tide lost to Texas good defense held the Longhorns to only 66 points. That will win most games for Alabama.
2. Johnson now has to make a definite decision about how he wants his offense to play. Does he still try for a modified run and shoot offense, or does he slow down pace. Seriously, this team was made to run, and even though they have sputtered in a few games it seems to me this is the way to go.
3. I would turn Collin Sexton loose to score each trip down the floor. He is so gifted (ask Minnesota) he will score a lot of points. He will draw so much attention he will be able to dish the ball off and the Tide is going to get a lot of wide open looks.
4. A lot of teams are going to double team Sexton. Texas did that, but keep in mind they had Mo Bomba to pick up the mistakes the perimeter defenders make. Bomba drew a lot of praise from the media (well deserved) but it was their two guards who shut down Sexton that won the game. Of course, Collin was injured and wasn't playing at full speed.
5. The defense must become more aggressive and cause some turnovers. Fouling has been a problem in the pre-season, but this team has 10 solid players. If Johnson chooses to keep 10 players off the pine he needs to turn his defense to press.
There isn't anything to keep the Tide from improving. Now they need to have a system, identify the players, and hope the team chemistry improves. In my last post I elaborated on this. This team has at least three players who will play in the league at some point. They might have four. They have at least three other players who will play professional ball somewhere.
If Johnson decides to run all the offense through Sexton is doesn't mean that team work is out the window. It just needs to be a different type of team work. This Tide teams needs to understand the most talent won't win all their games. Great team work will win a lot more than just physicality. I have a lot of faith in Avery Johnson. When Bama was searching for a head coach I wrote letters to the AD saying, "let's step up the program" by hiring Johnson. I think we are doing that. I'm giving Alabama an incomplete grade for their season so far. The final grade can't be judged just yet. We have played a very hard schedule thus far. It doesn't get any easier from this point forward. We will see if Johnson's pre-season gamble pays off. It will in my opinion.
Roll Tide and Happy New Year.
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