I like the out of the box hire by Bill Battle. He didn’t get his number one guy, Greg Marshall, so he tried something different. First of all, Avery Johnson is a terrific person. He’s a lot more emotional than Anthony is, and I mean that in a positive way for Avery and not negative for Anthony, and I believe he will recruit very well because he’s so likable. He had some success in the NBA as a coach. He had major success as a player. He was an outstanding point guard/leader for the San Antonio Spurs, and, along with “the Admiral”, David Robinson, and a younger Tim Duncan (who is still playing at a high level right now and is part of a team that is peaking heading into the playoffs), won the NBA title in 1999. He’s much beloved in San Antonio and throughout the NBA.
There will be no problem with his recruiting; he will recruit well. I think he’s a good strategist, too. He will most likely hire good assistants. A lot of work for him to get Bama back to playing consistently in NCAA tournaments and doing well once they get in there.
But I really like the Avery hire. Hopefully, the program will take off in the ensuing years. The Tide loses Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper, but have some good players coming back led by prolific shooting guard Ricky Tarrant, who will be returning from injury, and potential stud point guard Justin Coleman along with super athlete Retin Obahasohan along with small forward Riley Norris, and inside guys Jimmie Taylor, Shannon Hale and Michael Kessens. So there’s some foundational pieces in place for Avery. There are two signees for next year’s freshman class, high three-star power forward Donta’ Hall (6’9″, 210, 89 grade by 247 sports) and high three star small forward Brandon Austin (6’5″, 180, 88 grade by 247). I’m sure Avery will try to get back high three star small forward Dazon Ingram from Theodore as well. Ingram de-committed after Anthony was let go. Maybe a JC transfer can come aboard as well, but there are some pieces in place that can make this a very solid team next year, one that could make the tourney.
Anyway, positive stuff for Alabama basketball. I really liked Anthony Grant personally, but I guess the results weren’t as expected as it turned out. Hopefully, he can land somewhere else, maybe a mid-major, and get his resume built back up. Maybe he’ll want to stay at a smaller school for the long haul if he can excel there and just take some time away from the immense pressure of major college basketball. He’s a good man, and is an excellent role model for kids. I’m pulling for him to succeed going forward.
And these are exciting times for the Crimson Tide with Avery now at the helm.