Crimson Red Sports

Good article by Cecil Hurt. Read entire article.







https://www.tidesports.com/cecil-hurt-its-deja-vu-for-alabama-basketball/ (https://www.tidesports.com/cecil-hurt-its-deja-vu-for-alabama-basketball/)




 :popcorn2:

Cecil is basically saying, something has to change because we are stuck in the mud with tires spinning. We have to beat Auburn & Arkansas, now. Hold tight everyone.

CAJ is a good Christian man but he is not winning games as he should. I love him as a Christian but we should do what is expected of us in our profession no matter how much money is paid. I am very sad to say CAJ has let me and other BB fans of Alabama down. I do not know why but something has to change. We need something similar to a Rick Barnes or so. We just need to start winning or the off season needs to have a great search. RTR!

Cecil always has a way with words but this has gotta be one of his Top 10.  Soooo well written and soooo to the point.  Not his first words saying "this is going nowhere..."  At the same time, Cecil makes the point: No guarantee the alternative will produce better results.  We got rid of Grant and yet here we are.

Deja vu all over again...(as Yogi put it.)

The 17-12 record may be the same, but the competition has been tougher each year I believe.  I know we have a much better record against ranked teams with CAJ.  The question is really who can have us in a better position 5 years from now?  Is it CAJ if he stays, or is it the next guy?  That all depends on who the next guy is I suppose.  The odds of us actually getting another coach that is better than CAJ seem pretty low to me.

Yup.  I agree.

While I want Bama to do well in all sports, Basketball has been a very weak link for quite a while now and I would love to see that change.  However, I do take issue with your comment above (maybe that is from the link?  Not sure because I didn't read it).  The whole mindset of, "just beat Auburn" is NOT what Bama fans have ever held as far as I'm concerned and definitely not one that I want to see.  That is Auburn's mindset.  Bama's goals are and should be to win championships, not to "just beat Auburn."  Am I wrong?

I think he just meant we have to win those games to get into the tournament.  Auburn just happens to be one of the two games we have left.

If we can beat both teams then don't we have to make a good showing in the SEC Tourney though? RTR!

Auburn and Arkansas are the only two regular season games left on the schedule. HTH

Thanks for clearing that up for me...  #+

I agree with this assessment too.  I'd like to see CAJ stay for a few more years then maybe AP takes over.

That, or Bama rehires Gottfried.   :unsure:

Cecil is saying we are riding into a headwind on a flat road in Kansas where nothing changes.

(But at some point, I think change will happen.  It's inevitable.)  

Cecil's not advocating for a coaching change, at least not yet.


Only CAJ can answer the question, is his heart in it or not.

Excellent points. Grant was 0-21 against last Top 25 ranked teams he played. CAJ is like 13-13 against ranked teams. My concern is do we accept 17-12 on a regular basis or expect more. Neither Wimp or C.M Newton were considered big hires at the time for Bama. Neither was Coach K, who was coaching Army when Duke hired him. Hiring a coach is usually a gamble.



 :dog:

The comparison between Grant's teams and Johnson's teams end at the 17-12 records after 29 games in the last 5 years. As SC said the SEC as a whole is much stronger. Our SEC non conference schedule is also stronger under CAJ. Our record against ranked teams is much improved. To Grant's credit he rarely lost to a bad team but he never beat a good team. Other ways CAJ is better than Grant:

1. CAJ plays an exciting style of basketball. When we play well we are fun to watch. Grant was boring even when we won. Most wins were low scoring games like 62-58. We are a much better offensive team under CAJ.

2. CAJ has to recruit against Bruce Pearl. CAJ had to recruit against Barbee who never had a winning season.

3. CAJ promotes the program. He is on radio, TV, commercials, big screen at football games, etc. Grant was a hermit except on game day.

4. CAJ and his staff does a better job of developing players. Players under Grant never got any better than the day they showed up on campus. A few examples are Jimmy Taylor and Donta Hall developed into good (not great) big guys. An example this year is Petty. Last year he was a three point shooter. When his shot was off (and that is often) he was no help to the team. This year he is posting up smaller guards, driving the basketball and developing a two point game. He is also rebounding the ball.

5. CAJ is a better recruiter.

We have a good Atlectic Director in Greg Byrne. I hope he is putting out feelers to see if an experienced and proven home run hire is available. I do not think he will find one better than what we already have. As long as CAJ is motivated and wants to be our coach I think he will only get better. Like everyone else I want to win NOW. However, I am concerned about starting starting all over with an unproven coach.

I am still buckled up!

E-cred for your insight, pmull. You've just about got me buckled up again.  :lol2:

Adding to what you posted; we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that CAJ has a highly ranked recruiting class coming in next year.

1.  I threw away my buckle.
2.  Chasing a new coach prolly won't solve our bb problems.

(https://txm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Revolving-Door.jpg)

ecred for your great analysis.   #+


But I'm still not buckled up.  Although I enjoy and watch bb, I'll be clicking in like a fair weather fan.  Until then, I'll just keep tabs.   8)

 

There is no reason Bama can't have a quality basketball program with the right coach.  When Nevada, Gonzaga, Buffalo, Wofford, and Marquette can have teams ranked in the top 25 there is no reason Bama can't.

Reminds me of our basketball program.




             https://www.ispot.tv/ad/IZ6U/at-and-t-wireless-ok-surgeon (https://www.ispot.tv/ad/IZ6U/at-and-t-wireless-ok-surgeon)




 :dog:

 :lol: Sad, but true.

Wofford's coach has been there 17 years.

This is Marquette coach's 5th season.  He has won almost 60% of his games and been to the NCAA Tournament once in his first four years, losing in the first round.

Buffalo's coach inherited a good team and made the NCAA tournament his first season, losing in the first round.  Made it to the second round last year.  This is his 5th season, and he has a 68% winning percentage.

Nevada's coach has an impressive 77% winning percentage in his four years there.  His team has shown improvement each year, making the Sweet 16 last year.

Don't know why ya'll even bring up Gonzaga.  Head coach Mark Few has been there 20 years, and he isn't going anywhere.

Avery Johnson has a 56 % winning percentage at Alabama.  He has made either the NIT or NCAA Tournament every year.  He had a 78% winning percentage at the Dallas Mavericks and made the playoffs every season he was there, making to the Finals one season.

I didn't say go after their coaches, I said if they could have a top 25 program there is no reason Bama can't.

Maybe the recruiting will show up better next year. RTR!

I'm not disagreeing with you.  Just pointing out that it is not as easy at you made it sound.  First of all, Bama does not play in the same small conferences as the schools you named.  Bama faces much stiffer competition.

Second, of the 5 programs you listed, 2 had coaches who had been there over 15 years.  This is the opposite approach of any "instant fix" coaching change you may be suggesting.

Another of the schools, Marquette, does not appear to have a better coach than CAJ, and I think Buffalo is questionable as well. 

Only Nevada appears to be trending upwards.  However, they have only played 4 ranked teams in 3 years, going 2-2 against these teams.

So while the grass may appear to be greener, I think you're still looking through a fence.

Of course, you know much more about coaching and basketball than I do.

 :popcorn2:

Guys, think about the rollout of the capital campaign this past summer, when it was revealed about all of the improvements for the athletic facilities. The first thing mentioned? Updates to BDS. BDS does not need updating - it is one of the finest football stadiums in the country. Then, basically it was said that there would be renovations to Coleman - putting lipstick on a pig. Until the powers that be decide to put some $$$ into the BB program, we are stuck being a middle of the pack program.

This is a repeat post of another page for me::::
How does Greg Byrne make a decision on what to do for the BB program? He has a good coach but can he get the kind of talent KY has or what? I know coaches all over the country have good records but they don't play in the SEC week after week. If they did would they still win as many games as they do? RTR!

So Bama gets punished for having a good team in a tough conference while other good teams get rewarded for playing in soft conferences?  Is that what you're saying?

Totally agree. We need a NEW arena unless they are going to completely gut it and do it right. Even that may not be enough.

Mostly I was talking about coaching, and how a successful coach in a small conference might not have the same success at Bama.  (Like Anthony Grant.)

This is true because again I say these coaches don't have to play in a tough SEC schedule. That is why these so called good coaches won't come to Alabama to coach. RTR!

Yes, the end is in sight. More comment is forthcoming.



                    (http://allthingsd.com/files/2012/04/homer-end-is-near1.jpg)




 :popcorn2:

Cecil has said it again.  In his first two eloquently blunt sentences, he gets right at it.  And in his last paragraph he pointedly says what will happen one way or another.  But read the whole piece.  LOL!!

https://www.tidesports.com/cecil-hurt-sooner-or-later-things-have-to-change-for-alabama-basketball/

 :o  :tinfoil:, wash their cars? RTR!

So the question is, does anyone want to pony up $8+ million to make a coaching change at this point?  I predict folks with money are more interested in football, and they'll will be willing to ride this out another year.
 
 :think:

 :popcorn2: you know as you said if this was KY one year and they would be fired but we are a football school and I think the money people may be willing to wait another year for BB to grow. I think it might be more of the same though. RTR!

He would have been gone yesterday from Kentucky.   :lol:

Where are you getting the $8 mil buyout figure. I've seen two different numbers, $2.9 mil & $6 mil. This is a screw up I lay at the feet of AD Greg Byrne. He gave Johnson an extension in August of 2017. He got a 2 year extension thru 2023.



 :wall: