Link: Grant accepts Alabama offer - Page 4

TIDE-HSV · March 27th, 2009, 10:02 PM

Would it help if I told you Pitino regards Grant as THE outstanding up and coming young coach in the country and that he had input? ??? Nah, I didn't think it would...

Crimson Speed · March 27th, 2009, 10:07 PM

	Quote:	BamaFanNKy
	Part of one NC. He was at VCU for the second where he had his best year with Capel's players. Pelphrey was an assistant under Donovan as well and how did he do this year at Arkansas. 14 of the 34 games VCU played this year were against 200+ ranked teams. He had zero top 50 wins. Zero top 100 road wins and went 40% in the top 100. In fact his resume read like CMG's when he came from Missouri. This talk we can't get a coach that level is something Bama fans have been fed to death with and I don't buy it. I hope he makes me eat my words but, I wish people would look at the record of this guy. He has a hot name because Foley was going to replace Donovan with him. That's the only reason he's "hot." Look at LSU's coach. That was the prototype of who we should of been looking for. We just hired the basketball equal of Ron Zook.

Considering our options, I think he is a good fit. There are many attributes that make up a successful coach. Learning the game under Donovan has to be a positive for him. Considering where were were for the last few years, this has to be an improvement. He is not going to turn things around on a dime, but I am so hungry to see some player development and a return to team hustle on the court.

Bama323 · March 27th, 2009, 10:08 PM

	Quote:	TIDE-HSV
	Would it help if I told you Pitino regards Grant as THE outstanding up and coming young coach in the country and that he had input? ??? Nah, I didn't think it would...

Not to mention that Donovan must think very highly of him, considering he recommended him for the UF job when he flirted with leaving a few years back. Obviously Jeremy Foley had no reservations about hiring him. I absolutely can't believe that anyone is complaining about this hire, but I guess there is always someone...

IMO, Pitino is the best coach in the country, and Grant is basically a product of Pitino's system. Donovan played and coached under Pitno, and then Grant cut his teeth under Donovan. We have hired an excellent coach.

CrimsonSEC · March 27th, 2009, 10:10 PM

	Quote:
	Only thing is CMG didn't take over Murray State from a great coach like Capel.

In 4 years Capel won 79 games at VCU. (his first head coaching gig)

In 3 years Grant won 76 games at VCU. (his first head coaching gig)

So am I to believe that Capel is a great coach and Grant is a lucky hack in the following three years?
Why don't we reserve our judgment and wait for him to prove or disprove in our arena, the accolades he's been given. Because nothing in his career shows, so far, that he is anything but a winner.

KrAzY3 · March 27th, 2009, 10:20 PM

	Quote:	Bama323
	Tubby Smith was in a downward spiral at Kentucky before he was forced out there. His program was in a steady slow decline. He won a NC in his first year with Pitino's players, and then slowly went downhill. If he couldn't keep the program at UK going strong, what makes you think he could come in and work miracles at Alabama? I'm excited that we got a good young coach like Anthony Grant. I'm excited about Alabama basketball again, which I can truthfully say I have not been excited about it since around 2005.

Tubby's last couple of years were better than Gillespie's were they not? He left the first round of the tournament both of those years. If he was so bad Gillespie would have easily outdone him. Tubby wouldn't have had to worry about Petino, all he'd have to do was lock up the in-state talent. Tubby went to the Sweet 16 or farther 9 times with three teams. Etc, etc, etc... fact is his resume minus his Kentucky stop is as good as any coach Alabama has ever had and if you add what he did at Kentucky it blows everyone else away.

I hope Grant is the guy that can tap into the talent Alabama has available but I can't say he will because there's insufficient data. I don't think Alabama has ever had a truly great coach. I hope Grant turns out to be the guy but I would have preferred for Alabama to get someone that we know could have turned the culture around a bit and helped Alabama make the changes it needs to become a basketball power.

BamaBoots · March 27th, 2009, 10:23 PM

Roll On Coach Grant!!! Welcome and Roll Tide!!!

Bama323 · March 27th, 2009, 10:26 PM

	Quote:	KrAzY3
	Tubby's last couple of years were better than Gillespie's were they not? He left the first round of the tournament both of those years. If he was so bad Gillespie would have easily outdone him. Tubby wouldn't have had to worry about Petino, all he'd have to do was lock up the in-state talent. Tubby went to the Sweet 16 or farther 9 times with three teams. Etc, etc, etc... fact is his resume minus his Kentucky stop is as good as any coach Alabama has ever had and if you add what he did at Kentucky it blows everyone else away. I hope Grant is the guy that can tap into the talent Alabama has available but I can't say he will because there's insufficient data. I don't think Alabama has ever had a truly great coach. I hope Grant turns out to be the guy but I would have preferred for Alabama to get someone that we know could have turned the culture around a bit and helped Alabama make the changes it needs to become a basketball power.

All that about Tubby Smith is great, except he declined any interest in the Bama job. Tubby is a good coach, but he was still nevertheless guiding a program that was in slow decline. They could basically pick who they wanted at UK, and their recruiting still fell off. I think we made a better decision by going with an up and comer.

RiverCityTider · March 27th, 2009, 10:34 PM

Grant ...
Come on now... Compare the records. VCU took Duke and took Pitt to overtime last year. Maybe Grant won with Capel's players. But obviously he did a better job with them than Capel did.

This is a wonderful hire.

2006–2007 Virginia Commonwealth University 28-7 16-2 1st NCAA 2nd Round
2007-2008 Virginia Commonwealth University 24-8 15-3 1st NIT 1st Round
2008-2009 Virginia Commonwealth University 24-10 14-4 1st NCAA 1st Round
Virginia Commonwealth University: 76-25 45-9
Total: 76-25

Capel

2002-2003 VCU 18-10 12-6 T-2nd
2003-2004 VCU 23-8 14-4 1st NCAA 1st Round
2004-2005 VCU 19-13 13-5 T-2nd NIT Opening Round
2005-2006 VCU 19-10 11-7 5th
VCU: 79-41 50-22

Tsunami · March 27th, 2009, 10:42 PM

I really hope that some of us are not so naive as to believe that Coach Moore "settled' for CAG without checking into all the coaches who were available, and then checking into each one further. Earle already mentioned in another thread that one popular candidate had issues that our University couldn't risk overlooking for reasons that most will never know. These guys are carefully vetted for everything, not just W-L records. Coach Moore had plenty of highly regarded names who are connected helping with the search.

Anyway, it's pretty much over and time to get on board, regardless of who any one of us wanted.

CrimsonBleedRed · March 27th, 2009, 11:12 PM

Any coach that has Pitino and Donovan in his corner is an dang good hire, IMO. Take into account any on or off the court variable you want, but the fact is this man can coach and win. It doesn't matter if he wins with another man's players, so be it, but to win at a school like VCU is impressive.

deliveryman35 · March 27th, 2009, 11:18 PM

	Quote:	BamaFanNKy
	How can you sit there and say Mike Anderson & Sean Miller are not realistic? So basically you are saying we can only get up and coming coaches at low to mid majors. Obvious you think very little of Bama hoops.

BFKY,

I was in the Mike Anderson camp, but for reasons that I will not go into Mike was NEVER going to be hired. The hiring decision has been made and all Bama fans need to rally around our new coach, whether we thought he originally he should have gotten the job or not.

deliveryman35 · March 27th, 2009, 11:19 PM

	Quote:	TIDE-HSV
	Would it help if I told you Pitino regards Grant as THE outstanding up and coming young coach in the country and that he had input? ??? Nah, I didn't think it would...

Are you serious, Earle?? That's high praise to say the least.....

BamaFanNKy · March 27th, 2009, 11:34 PM

	Quote:	Bama323
	I agree that it is a sleeping giant, but that fact is that it has been sleeping. I saw us play when were were ranked #1, and that ranking lasted about a week or less. Alabama basketball could definitely be a national power with the right coach. I'm not saying Grant will take us to the promised land. I hope he does, but to sit there and say that Alabama could have gotten someone better at this point is stretching it a little. Maybe we could have waited around for Anderson or someone like that, but we would have been taking a HUGE chance and may have missed out on a hot young coach like Grant. Not to mention there is a strong possibility that we reached out to someone like Anderson through back door channels and he had no interest.

Waiting is not always bad. I know comparing Bama b-ball to UK b-ball is a stretch but, when UK was basically on the death Penalty they got Pitino after waiting till May.