Commentary: UA basketball faces tough decisions [CMG / Bama hoops analysis by JessN]

[Blanda's Shoes]

A great point guard can make a chimpanzee look like a good coach.

That, sir, is an insult to chimpanzees.

Jess's commentary rests on one big 'if' and I fear we've cemented our status as a football-only school, which is a shame.

Just look at the women's team sometime--those players aren't just losing, they're getting embarrassed nightly. Over his tenure, CMG's most consistent attribute is to find innovative ways to disappoint. If the ADept accepts the status quo, then be prepared for a further lowering of the standards.

What would Ernest "Snake" Brown say about this!?!

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

After 10 years, what do we expect to happen in an 11th?
Miraculous turn-arounds cannot be expected from a coach who has recruited and taught a decade's worth of players and put virtually the same product on the floor year after year.

It boils down to a simple question. Is that product good enough?

Who are we kidding?

 

[Jref]

After 10 years, what do we expect to happen in an 11th?
Miraculous turn-arounds cannot be expected from a coach who has recruited and taught a decade's worth of players and put virtually the same product on the floor year after year.

It boils down to a simple question. Is that product good enough?

Who are we kidding?

My thoughts as well. Is the Alabama basketball program better than (or even as good as) it was, say, five years ago? Three years ago?

If the current coach is not taking the program forward, why would a few dollars difference influence the timing of an obvious decision?

I respect CMG's personal integrity. We have not the had off-the-court problems that other programs have had. But he simply must hire (and keep) some capable assistant coaches who aren't afraid to speak up to the head coach when need be.

 

[Bama 3:16]

These numbers speak for themselves, as well as the crowds of less then 5,000, at the last two home games, about the overall direction energy of the program.

SEC Record

2005 11-5
2006 10-6
2007 7-9
2008 4-12/5-11/6-10 does it really make a difference??

 

[bamadp]

Some Bama BB facts over the last ten years under CMG.

Overall ( including this year...so far)...196-122
NCAA Tournament ...5 trips....5-5
NIT Tournament...3 trips...3-3
SEC...80-78
SEC Tournament...9 trips....6-9

In the SEC Tourney we've lost our first game 4 times, our second game 4 times, and made it to the championship game once...where we lost.
In the "big dance" we've been knocked out in the first round twice, the second round twice, and fourth round once ( our "Elite Eight" run in 2004).

It appears we do alright until we play anyone with equal talent...then we are at best mediocre.

This is not an indictment of CMG, as I've stated before, it doesn't matter who does it...but somebody needs to do something. To paraphrase that old saying...people are entitled to their own opinion about CMG, but they're not entitled to their own facts about the state of Bama BB. After ten years, I think fans have been more than patient and as edwd58 pointed out in another thread...we ain't gettin no younger.

 

[cmmiller711]

Am I the only one in the world who is of the opinion that instead of "giving CMG one more year with his best players", we should see ALL that talent as an opportunity to get someone in there who can ACTUALLY coach it??? I mean, why waste 2 mcdonalds all-americans and an AP all-american on some guy who we know is an average at best x's and o's guy. I mean every year we have these great athletes and every year we play SO undisciplined. Our basketball program is what LSU's football program was before nick saban got there.... Or Florida's football program the last year or two under Zook. You guys saw what happened to them once they got guys who could actually coach the talent they had.

 

[PattheCatinSaudi]

The teams that historically do well in post season tournaments (SEC & NCAA) have two things in common: they play good defense and they take care of the basketball. CMG's teams have never done a good job of either.

 

[Hoot30]

The teams that historically do well in post season tournaments (SEC & NCAA) have two things in common: they play good defense and they take care of the basketball. CMG's teams have never done a good job of either.

Sounds like the strategy CWS used. It was a pretty successful strategy I would say. For a guy to have played and coached under 2 tough-minded coaches, and to not implement that into his own coaching is puzzling.:conf2:

 

[uncle john]

Look at Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky; these are traditional "football" schools

The only time Kentucky was a "football" school was when Coach Bryant was there.

There are too many other good comments to quote here. I agree with Jess' assessment and if I was in charge I would be going after Mike Davis who seems to push his players much harder than CMG. I have always thought Gottfried was a much better recruiter than coach and even though we have dominated in-state picking up great talent they never seem to live up to their potential in our "system". When I watch our teams, they seem to be playing streetball. We just try to outrun the other team and our ball control is the sloppiest in the league. There is no reason for us to ever lose to the Mississippi schools or Auburn, IMO. LSU and Arky have recruited well in the last ten years but we should be beating them too.

I know with all of the attention on rebuilding football into a national power there is probably less focus than ever on B-ball, but I am sick of mediocre football seasons being followed by mediocre basketball. I used to look forward to spanking Auburn on the hardwood after another disappointing Iron Bowl. Now that is not a sure thing anymore, which sickens me since that "cow college" is at the bottom of the SEC! One of my favorite experiences as a Bama fan was going to Coleman with my brother and watching the Tide ROLL all over the Barn. That was 2003. Since then I thought we were on the rise going to the Elite Eight but CMG continues to look confused on the sideline and All-American talent flounders on the court. I sincerely hope the return of Steele makes us serious contenders in '08-'09 but I don't expect CMG's coaching style (or lack thereof) to change. I like him. He's an alum and a good man, but so was Shula. I don't care if we are a "football" school, we have the ability to be a great basketball school too. If we don't do something about it soon we can forget about McDonald's All-Americans wanting to come here.

 

[bamaflyfisher]

I just don't see this being a tough decision........

In reading stories from across the web it really seems as if this whole state sees this as a no brainer.....

 

[TRU]

I think that the fact that last January the drink cups that were being served at the basketball games had the football schedule from the previous season printed on them says a lot about where basketball stands in the hearts and minds of the powers that be in the AD. Perhaps if Bear had coached both football AND basketball things would be different.

 

[bamaga]

Ron Steele's return next year will result in a much, much better performance in the 2008-09 season. You can bank on it.

A player with that kind of talent at point guard absolutely transforms a five man basketball team. It goes from being Ok to being phenomenal.

If you doubt the impact that an exceptional point guard can have on a team's performance, go back to the 1989 NBA Finalls. The LA Lakers had dominated the league for two years. Magic Johnson has just claimed his second league MVP award. In practice before Game One of the Finals, Byron Scott pulled a hamstring as the Pistons went up 1-0 in a blowout. In Game Two, Johnson re-injured an earlier hamstring pull, and Isaiah Thomas' Pistons went on to sweep the Lakers for their first title.

With Johnson (and the nearly as well performing Byron Scott) off the court, the Lakers were just another basketball team. They still had AC Green, Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Kareem. They still shot poorly, played lousy defense, committed stupid fouls and gave up easy baskets. Sound familiar?

This truth of Steele's impact next year is a double-edged sword. What he will do next year will hide all of the ugly stuff the team is doing now. The bad fundamentals and questionable strategy decisions will not magically go away.

He'll make the team play better just by making better decisions with the ball, and the quality of the team's performance will be good enough to put them in serious contention for the west, if not an outright league title. But when Steele is gone and the team can't rely on such exceptional talent at point, all the ugly stuff will come right back to the surface. This time two years hence, we will be having this discussion again. It's a stone cold lock.

thats all great, 'cept byron scott wasn't a point guard, he played the 2

 

[mailman]

The guys played hard for C.M.G. but the season didn't pann out. No N.C.A.A. and no N.I.T..... oh well, there's always baseball to look forward to..... oh well, there's always football to look forward to.... oh well,ROLL TIDE ROLL ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mailman]

In "God and Man at Yale," the late William F. Buckley, Jr., outlined a central theme: that Yale (a private university) belonged not to the faculty and administration of Yale but to the students and alumni.

To extend that thesis, the University of Alabama belongs to the students, alumni, and taxpayers of Alabama, and NOT to those whose jobs entail teaching, research, service, administration, or coaching. The University is MY University. It belongs to me (in part). As such, I'm not merely a stakeholder but a shareholder with ownership of the institution defined by time spent, degrees earned, support given, etc. To that end, it is not only reasonable but essential that I and others like me assert ourselves to ensure that OUR University is managed properly.

This means that I'll criticize whomever I feel is at fault for issues such as malfeasance, which, I believe, is at the heart of our recent problems in football and, in a different way, at the heart of our current issues in basketball and baseball. There's no reason the basketball program shouldn't be on a consistent upward trend over time, even if there are year-to-year variations in that general upward progression.

To suggest that "well-mannered alumni" should do no more than sit by and watch as a valuable asset of our university is squandered is beyond ridiculous; it is irrational. Being a strong, silent follower is neither a character building nor character revealing process. Demanding consistent, tangible improvement is difficult and reveals character, because it requires one to consistently achieve and it requires one to consistently expect others to achieve.

John F. Kennedy once wrote that "the Greeks defined Greatness as the full use of one's powers along the lines of excellence." Exactly what is noble about supporting mediocrity?

I'm not advocating firing Gottfried. I am supporting the statement made by JessN (and myself, and others) that there must be tangible goals set for 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11, and Gottfried must achieve them to attain another contract. Otherwise, let him test the market and establish his market value as a coach.

Probably the best comments I have heard yet! Mismanagement and poor hiring decisions [SEE BOBBY BOWDEN FIASCO] have reduced our atheletic program to also ran status for years.