Poll: The Future of Alabama Basketball

[Ldlane]

I'm going to repost what Mystical posted in the Post game thread so we can continue:

Mystical said:

Well since it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Grant will not be back next year, who do we get to replace him? I have been a huge supporter of Coach Grant and thought this would be his year. Just not sure who we can get that will come in and get results for us. Do we get someone who has AAU ties? I don't think it can be denied that Florida has under achieved this year. They have more talent and a proven head coach. This game may propel them. To bad it will be at our expense. I am finally coming around a bit to it may be time for a change after listening to him talk last night. I just don't know who we can get that can get the recruits we need to win big here.

 

[AlexD]

Almost anyone can at least coach better fundamentals. How many schools would kill for 3 4th year players two transfers who spent a year practicing with the team 2 pretty highly recruited soph and a top 25 fresh class. If we could just have the basics down and the players looking to score instead of worrying to get benched it would make a world of difference.

 

[RTR91]

I'm going to repost what Mystical posted in the Post game thread so we can continue:

Mystical said:

Well since it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Grant will not be back next year, who do we get to replace him? I have been a huge supporter of Coach Grant and thought this would be his year. Just not sure who we can get that will come in and get results for us. Do we get someone who has AAU ties? I don't think it can be denied that Florida has under achieved this year. They have more talent and a proven head coach. This game may propel them. To bad it will be at our expense. I am finally coming around a bit to it may be time for a change after listening to him talk last night. I just don't know who we can get that can get the recruits we need to win big here.

Looking at the salaries of tournament coaches from the 2014 season, I see we can match what Anthony Bennett makes at UVA. Send Nick Saban to Charlottesville with a blank check. Bennett will succeed enough that the ROI will be worth whatever we pay him.

And yes by that list, Anthony Grant makes more than Jim Boeheim and Roy Williams. That makes no sense at all.

 

[cglaze4411]

My top three, and I don't know if we would have a real shot at them, but would be 1) Brad Stevens 2) Doug McDermott 3) Archie Miller. I think they would all be good choices...

 

[BamaMike05]

I would love to have Brad Stevens but I'm not sure he is going to come back to college. The Celtics are in rebuilding mode and I think they will give him another year.


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[Rama Jama]

Looking at the salaries of tournament coaches from the 2014 season, I see we can match what Anthony Bennett makes at UVA. Send Nick Saban to Charlottesville with a blank check. Bennett will succeed enough that the ROI will be worth whatever we pay him.

And yes by that list, Anthony Grant makes more than Jim Boeheim and Roy Williams. That makes no sense at all.

If we were to pay a name coach 2.5 million, we'd literally be in the top 15 in coaching salaries. Tell me there aren't good coaches out there who would take the job in a second facilities site unseen.

My worst nightmare is that we make win the NIT and CBB keeps Grant.

 

[ptw1961]

I just get the feeling that dealing w/ Bama basketball's many issues and Coach Grant's future is not something Bill Battle wants to deal with. It is not what he signed up for when hired. And the problems with our program run much deeper than the head coach. Would not surprise me if he steps down at the end of this semester and does nothing.

No doubt the emphasis on Football ( which I have no problem with) has hurt other men's programs. It has taken 15 years to finally get a baseball facility built to compete with the rest of the conference. Any new coach hired ( and yes, we need one badly) will always be in the football shadows- and that eliminates a great many potential candidates .

i was critical of Trevor Lacey leaving the program- but I now understand why this happened. Grant's philosophy on offense and lack of player development will not be successful.

 

[Drifter]

Battle does nothing without orders from above.

 

[rolltideface]

That's what worries me about this. BB's status as AD isn't going to last much longer, right? He's a stopgap. He'll retire this year or next so he may not want to mess with this and the coaching search, etc. I hope I am wrong but he's probably hoping for a decent run that will land us in the NIT and then Grant will get another year.

 

[ptw1961]

Also wanted to add: the marketing and ticket structure for this program needs to be blown up and completely re- structured. How many students were actually in attendance last night? An enrollment of over 30,000 and the place sounds like a morgue. Students say they do not have great seats ( and i agree that needs to be changed) but some of this is just apathy and entitlement of today's youth. I did not care where I sat in the early 80's when I was in school.

The Tide Pride points program also needs to be altered- just buying basketball tickets for the purpose of generating enough points for football tickets should be changed. But it won't. I realize this will offend some long time Tide Pride members but seeing all of the empty court side seats is embarrassing to say the least.

 

[AlexD]

How many students were actually in attendance last night? An enrollment of over 30,000 and the place sounds like a morgue. Students say they do not have great seats ( and i agree that needs to be changed) but some of this is just apathy and entitlement of today's youth. I did not care where I sat in the early 80's when I was in school.

Probably 2000 more students than season ticket holders. The attendance for season ticket holders is well below pathetic not to mention regular attendance. Plus who wants to go watch the painful game on the court. Like you said students have terrible seats and have of them are in the corner. Plus it's a late night middle of the week game against a team Grant can't beat. I went back to see the barn game and at least students filed there section but the season ticket holders didn't show up just the nose bleed seats that got to move down cause no one was at the game.

Battle should fire Grant do to the business side of things alone cause no fans mean no money. Not to mention he can't coach.

 

[Rama Jama]

Probably 2000 more students than season ticket holders. The attendance for season ticket holders is well below pathetic not to mention regular attendance. Plus who wants to go watch the painful game on the court. Like you said students have terrible seats and have of them are in the corner. Plus it's a late night middle of the week game against a team Grant can't beat. I went back to see the barn game and at least students filed there section but the season ticket holders didn't show up just the nose bleed seats that got to move down cause no one was at the game.

Battle should fire Grant do to the business side of things alone cause no fans mean no money. Not to mention he can't coach.

A couple of things about what is being discussed. The tide pride program gives points for football priority to basketball season ticket holders many of whom almost never show up. This need to change. You can make them give a donation instead of taking up a seat which will be in all likelihood empty most of the time. Students are not showing up because of bad seats, they are staying away because we Grant lost the support of the students years ago and has never done anything to woo them back. Plus we are just not very good.
My impression Bill Battle is that he would not back away from making hard decisions if they need to be made. I think he'll stay for a while and he has grown to love the job from what I hear. I do think that there are some on the BOT who will insist that there be a change made.

 

[RTR91]

That's what worries me about this. BB's status as AD isn't going to last much longer, right? He's a stopgap. He'll retire this year or next so he may not want to mess with this and the coaching search, etc.

If this is the case, I doubt anything happens this year, and if it does, what coach wants to come to Bama knowing a new AD is coming into town a year later?

 

[Bama Reb]

If this is the case, I doubt anything happens this year, and if it does, what coach wants to come to Bama knowing a new AD is coming into town a year later?

I'll answer that, but not in the manner you think. Coaching has nothing to do with the University, it's administration or the AD for that matter. It has everything to do with the job, because that's all it is - a job.
If I'm a supervisor at any job, civilian or otherwise, I'm not going to be worried about who may replace my own supervisor if that should become necessary. I'm going to worry about getting the job, then pleasing my present supervisor. Who knows? If I do my job well enough and please those above me, I just may become the supervisor to the person who is next in line for my present job!
Thus I'm not concerned about hiring a coach to replace one who has shown an inability to perform on the job. The ladder above that will be arranged of it's own accord.

 

[AlexD]

This whole situation is why I said we needed a change two years ago much less last year. Indecision and just the hope that it would get better lead to worse problems.

 

[imauafan]

There are two areas of concern, 1) we are looking for a new president for the university, and, 2) Battle is not a long-term AD. However, I think having Dr. Whitt as the chancellor then concern #1 is not a problem, and, hopefully if we are smart then a plan is already in place to groom Battle's replacement when he does decide to hang it up. If we go out and hire the absolute best coaches for each sport and provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs and stay out of their way, then the athletic department will mostly take care of itself.

 

[MikeD]

Grant must go. I've never seen such poorly coached teams. His offense is the most unaggressive I've seen. Even the announcers mentioned that last night. On several series we did not even pass the ball inside the three point line. Painful to watch.

Lets get a coach who will reach out to the fans, look for innovative ways to improve the program, and run an aggressive style of play.

Im done with basketball until a change is made.

 

[Bama Reb]

Grant must go. I've never seen such poorly coached teams. His offense is the most unaggressive I've seen. Even the announcers mentioned that last night. On several series we did not even pass the ball inside the three point line. Painful to watch.

Lets get a coach who will reach out to the fans, look for innovative ways to improve the program, and run an aggressive style of play.
Im done with basketball until a change is made.

Not me, and imho, neither should anyone who truly cares about the University or any UA sport. To say "I'm done with xxxx(sport) until a change is made" is actually insulting to the team and the University as a whole. I don't approve of CAG's coaching any more than you, but I'm not going to punish the team, the program in general or the school just because of a situation that I cannot control. Until a change is actually made, I'll continue to watch and support the team, even as painful as that may be.

 

[BamaMoon]

I'm going to repost what Mystical posted in the Post game thread so we can continue:

Mystical said:

Well since it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Grant will not be back next year, who do we get to replace him? I have been a huge supporter of Coach Grant and thought this would be his year. Just not sure who we can get that will come in and get results for us. Do we get someone who has AAU ties? I don't think it can be denied that Florida has under achieved this year. They have more talent and a proven head coach. This game may propel them. To bad it will be at our expense. I am finally coming around a bit to it may be time for a change after listening to him talk last night. I just don't know who we can get that can get the recruits we need to win big here.

Mystical, who does "the foregone conclusion" refer to? BOD, Battle, or fan's opinions?

FWIW, put me in the circle of fans that believes CAG is done. Listening to his halftime interview and then when they miked him during a timeout confirms what I've seen for the last several years. He doesn't care/know/believe that offense wins games and puts butts in seats in basketball.

I grew up with Showtime; Magic, James Worthy, Byron Scott and company playing an exciting brand of basketball. I know we can't expect to see that, but a brand of basketball that is exiting to watch will revive Bama basketball!!!

As for the future coach, I agree with the post above that you don't worry about that right now.

 

[pchil86]

My top three, and I don't know if we would have a real shot at them, but would be 1) Brad Stevens 2) Doug McDermott 3) Archie Miller. I think they would all be good choices...

My top 3 would be (in no particular order) :

Michael White: coaches at Louisiana Tech and used to play and coach at ole miss so he knows the region as far as recruiting.....he's young and coaches with energy and enthusiasm

Archie Miller: has had a ton of success at Dayton. Teams play good defense and seem to attack offensively. Concerns would be, can he go into schools in the south and recruit the area with some of the other head sec coaches

Shaka Smart: I think this is a long shot as I don't think he would leave VCU for Alabama if he wouldn't leave VCU for UCLA.....great scheme at VCU with havoc defense and he knows the region as he used to be assistant to billy donovan at Florida