New coach search...
- Thread starter TIDE-HSV
- Start date
The good news is that there probably won't be many NBA openings for at least a few weeks, so hopefully ours gets wrapped up before he would bolt.
Are yall under the impression Bama has made contact with Pitino or it's all coach speak speculation at this point from everyone?
We've gone the 'up and comer' route--at this point and given the condition of our BB program I really think we need someone that has experience as a successful program-builder and that has been around for a while. We've basically got a dumpster fire on our hands and I think bringing in someone that has dealt first hand with a distressed program and rebuilt it from the ground up would be a good thing if possible. Not that age would be the deciding factor, but I'm thinking someone 48-63 yr old age range that has a proven track record of getting teams to the tournament/20 win seasons with at least some regularity. Lon Kruger and Tubby Smith might be long in the tooth but I'd take either one of them right now in a New York second.
Last edited:
In that case, I say we pay Crean's ridiculous buyout. I know that's not going to happen, but it was who I wanted in the first place.
Its almost a fair comparison. I would say more like the Georgia Tech of football, but the point is Alabama isnt the bomb shell prom queen job that most of yall are acting like we are. Again, if you use our football measuring stick method of greatness, instead of going around and saying we are the second in wins in the SEC and we are alabama so we can hire anybody, then you would probably come to the conclusion that we are around 7th most successful team in the SEC (based on final fours, championships, and Tourney results). Alabama needs these top pick hires way more than they need Alabama and that is a huge problem.
And I know it's been said a few times already, but given the dead silence today, is it pretty much confirmed that Marshall was Plan A, B & C? If that weren't the case, I feel like we would be hearing rumors at the very least. We should have already made preliminary contact with our next guy through his agent while we were waiting on Marshall. At this rate, it's going to be May until we have a coach. Anyone know what the folks over at BOL are saying about our next move?
I agree somewhat. We don't have much basketball history. However, with the right coach, we have the potential to be a very solid basketball program. We have the money, the resources, and we're in a great recruiting area. I don't understand why nobody sees that potential. Maybe it's not enough for Marshall, but this would be a perfect opportunity for a guy like Archie Miller.
Agreed. This job makes a lot more sense for a coach like Miller -- not so much Smart, who I would put only a notch below Marshall. What's interesting to me is why Smart seemed off the table from the start. Anybody have any insights as to why? Do we know something that all the teams that have tried to hire him over the last two years don't?
One reason that I, much to the consternation of some other posters,kept bringing up Barnes was not because I thought he was a long term solution, not because I thought he was a perfect hire, but because he represented in more than one way what Alabama was facing.
Barnes represents unrealistic expectations (19 out of 20 NCAA tournaments, isn't good enough), a proven coach, the short term solution to a gamble on an unproven coach, what was available, and finally how fast a coach can be hired.
Alabama is now faced with the possibility that Auburn, Miss. State and Tennessee all end up with coaches that get better results. I don't think Alabama was wrong to go after Marshall, but it was too slow (I think most of us saw that and started to see things going down the drain), and far too out in the open.
This doesn't mean that Battle gets the hire wrong, but if it's "Little Pitino", he did... at best Pitino would have to learn on the job. If it's Prohm, he did (one NCAA tournament in 4 years?). Archie Miller I could stomach, at least he's been to the Elite 8...
But, Alabama desperately needs someone in there that knows what he's doing. Someone mentioned Lon Kruger and that type of coach would be great as a plan b. Someone who doesn't have to learn, someone who already knows. Someone that can put the program on the right track and not get dominated by the likes of Pearl, Barnes, and Howland. Hopefully someone comes out of the woodwork.
Barnes represents unrealistic expectations (19 out of 20 NCAA tournaments, isn't good enough), a proven coach, the short term solution to a gamble on an unproven coach, what was available, and finally how fast a coach can be hired.
Alabama is now faced with the possibility that Auburn, Miss. State and Tennessee all end up with coaches that get better results. I don't think Alabama was wrong to go after Marshall, but it was too slow (I think most of us saw that and started to see things going down the drain), and far too out in the open.
This doesn't mean that Battle gets the hire wrong, but if it's "Little Pitino", he did... at best Pitino would have to learn on the job. If it's Prohm, he did (one NCAA tournament in 4 years?). Archie Miller I could stomach, at least he's been to the Elite 8...
But, Alabama desperately needs someone in there that knows what he's doing. Someone mentioned Lon Kruger and that type of coach would be great as a plan b. Someone who doesn't have to learn, someone who already knows. Someone that can put the program on the right track and not get dominated by the likes of Pearl, Barnes, and Howland. Hopefully someone comes out of the woodwork.
I think Crean would be a great choice, I just don't see a guy leaving a roundball school like Indiana to coach at Bama. Maybe I'm wrong though...
I sincerely hope it's not because they're afraid of the fan reaction to hiring another VCU coach. Not so much on here, but in other places I've seen people saying they would be mad if we hired another coach from there after Grant. It's silly and I don't get the logic.
With the way he's been treated by the fans, I would be on the first plane to Tuscaloosa.
Cecil states that Pitino isn't a 2nd choice. Up to bat is Miller and Prohm. However, i think UT problems with Smarts buyout is intriguing.
You must admit though that just about every HC promoted from VCU in recent years to a Power 5 school has flamed out--and usually badly.
It's not really close to a fair comparison at all. Kansas has never been good in football. Ever. It's really difficult to make football/basketball comparisons anyway but while we may not be as good as some of us like to think, we are certainly not as bad as so many of us believe either. If you want to make football/basketball comparisons, look at it like this. Alabama in basketball is a lot like Florida was in football before Steve Spurrier took over. They were a decent program that had not ever really won much of consequence but they were sitting on a goldmine of potential that, when they finally got the right coach, they became a powerhouse.
That is what Alabama basketball could ​be.
Never said we wouldnt have a solid team. Im actually thinking that is what we will get out of this search. My point was that there are many here that act like Alabama is an uber great job, and they are taking the Marshall rejection a little too emotionally. I wouldve loved to have gotten marshall, but the moment Texas dropped out I knew the deck was stacked against us because Texas isnt known to back down from a bidding war for someone they want and think they can get.
I think past Miller we will be settling for a name that few have heard off, but as long as he builds a decent team I think people will get back down to earth on their perceptions. All we need to do is Hope and Wait.
Trending content
Latest threads
-
ESPN: How Diego Pavia helped Vanderbilt land the five-star QB who could replace him- Started by TideFans Reporter
- Replies: 0
-
ESPN: Reid's early NFL mock draft for next year: Which 2...
- Started by TideFans Reporter
- Replies: 0
-
-
ESPN: Under-the-radar players for every Top 25 college f...
- Started by TideFans Reporter
- Replies: 0
-
FCC goes after license of eight ABC- owned stations...- Started by TIDE-HSV
- Replies: 30
-
