New coach search...

[imauafan]

I don't see why Stevens would want to leave the NBA. He is starting to turn around one of the most prestigious teams in the league in a terrible Eastern Conference. I feel like Boston would do whatever it takes to keep him

The same statement could have been made about Saban. The theory is that most college coaches who jump to the NBA eventually come back to college. I have no idea if Stevens is interested in leaving the Celtics or not but if he is then he would trump Marshall IMHO.

Having said that, I would put the chances of Stevens coming back to college this year at less than 50/50 and so Marshall is the top available coach right now. I haven't see anything other than Forde's yahoo sports article and some Texas hack that has said that Marshall has told Bama not to bother. Maybe I'm delusional but my gut feeling is that Marshall is still in play and the Texas folks are working hard to keep the public perception skewed in their favor as much as possible.

 

[Alasippi]

We don't need a splash. We just need someone that can coach, recruit, and promote.

AB-SO-LUTELY...there was a time when Coach K wasn't considered a "splashy" hire. Performance over time makes you splashy. I'd love to go after Hurley. Great recruiting contacts in the Northeast. Great leadership and knowledge.
The young players today still remember him as a great player. And most of all.......hungry!

 

[BigA]

Smart money is on Richard Pitino or Steve Prohm now. Texas coming open hurt any chances with Marshall.

 

[CB4]

AB-SO-LUTELY...there was a time when Coach K wasn't considered a "splashy" hire. Performance over time makes you splashy. I'd love to go after Hurley. Great recruiting contacts in the Northeast. Great leadership and knowledge.
The young players today still remember him as a great player. And most of all.......hungry!

Only thing going for Coach K when he landed at Duke was that he coached and played for Bobby Knight at Army. People tend to forget that he nearly was run out of Durham on a rail in the early 1980's. But the university president took a stand for him and the rest is history. Energy, enthusiasm, strong recruiting and, above all, winning tend to create the "splash". Let's face it. The first two we never saw with CAG in his six years.

 

[Tide1986]

Sounds like the beginning of a gentle let down...

From what? Not hiring Marshall? If Battle makes a hire that revives our basketball culture and doesn't just put the first warm body behind the podium, I don't see where the letdown is.

Good article by Cecil, especially for those with their hair on fire.

 

[JTBama]

Smart money is on Richard Pitino or Steve Prohm now. Texas coming open hurt any chances with Marshall.

I think Marshall is still in the running but I wouldn't think Pitino is seriously being considered.I believe Prohm could be someone Tennessee looks at (from reading around online) but Bama may pass. Just my two cents. These things go from zero to fast in a hurry. Heck...Battle may even be thinking of someone who we haven't even mentioned.

 

[KrAzY3]

Smart money is on Richard Pitino or Steve Prohm now. Texas coming open hurt any chances with Marshall.

Absolutely terrible options, horrible... they combine for 1 NCAA appearance, and 1 NCAA win. That's pretty darn far from proven. Alabama desperately needs to bring in someone that's proven he knows what he's doing. There are/where options available that in the least had guys who proved they could recruit and get more than an automatic bid. Those two guys? Nothing better than a gamble. Pitino though reeks of Mike Shula...

If Alabama passed up a proven coach to do that (especially one that is old enough that a replacement would be in the foreseeable future), they're not even trying... Letting Howland/Pearl/Barnes (and yes I understand there were reasons to hesitate with all of those) go to gamble on some unproven kid is ridiculous.

 

[Rama Jama]

My impression is we thought there was an agreement with Marshall. He heard the ultimatum Barnes was given at Texas and made it know to them he be interested if they had an opening. Texas thinking have a shot at him do exactly that and tell Barnes his career there is over. I'd never want to go there because you answer to so many masters. Too many boosters think they own the program like it is their own NBA franchise. But then the fact is they have a much larger base to recruit from which I think Marshall sees as a positive. Also, he'd have to rebuild our program. There is OK talent at Bama, but no NBA lottery picks either. I don't think we have given up quite yet on Marshall and this could simply be a ploy to drive up the price and get us to bid against UTw.

I do think if we are going to change the basketball culture at Alabama, we need a game changer as our coach. I think someone like Avery Johnson, Shaka Smart, or Brad Stevens would fit the bill. None would be easy pulls, but all could do the job I think. If we drop down to the lower mid major guys, we just have to get lucky and hope one of them will produce now that the training wheels are off. As far as Barnes, he is 60 and he is about at the end of his shelf life. Can a man at that age relate to recruits and rebuild a program? Maybe, but he is not a long term solution.

 

[KrAzY3]

As far as Barnes, he is 60 and he is about at the end of his shelf life. Can a man at that age relate to recruits and rebuild a program? Maybe, but he is not a long term solution.

That to me is exactly what makes him viable. People, and really Alabama, have become locked in on trying to hire a lifelong coach, a long-term coach. So, what have they done? They've gone for assistants, unproven coaches, and that produced erratic results.

Alabama has the money, they have the talent to compete in the SEC. All they need is someone competent. Now, if Alabama whiffs on Marshall and finds options dwindling, why dip down to a gamble? Barnes would be a punt, he'd require a bit of swallowed pride, but a guy that has proven he can recruit, and go to the NCAA tournament (remember, before he arrived Texas was hardly a basketball power), what's wrong with that? And the downsides? The no championships, the abrasive personality, etc...? Well, as you said he won't last long. He'd give the new AD a chance to look for a top tier coach, for a Brad Stevens, a Gregg Marshall again in a few years.

He's a great plan B, vs. another 6 years of mediocrity that a gamble could very well produce. If Barnes does even a little of what he did at Texas, he'd put Alabama on the right path. I'd still prefer Marshall, Stevens (long shot) and probably Smart. But Prohm? Pitino? Crean? No contest... Barnes is much, much more proven and consistent than any of those guys.

 

[Roll Tide 00]

It's too bad Marshall turned us down.Oh well.More years of mediocrity for us.

 

[JTBama]

It's too bad Marshall turned us down.Oh well.More years of mediocrity for us.[/QUOTE

Meeting is still scheduled for Monday as far as I understand. Nothing has been determined

 

[MOAN]

If I was coach Battle I would be calling UConn womens coach Geno Auriemma's agent and gauging his interest!!

 

[Ldlane]

Different animal.

If I was coach Battle I would be calling UConn womens coach Geno Auriemma's agent and gauging his interest!!

 

[Crimson1967]

Gino Auriemma

Wouldn't be the worst choice in the world.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Athens-LA-Tide]

I'd still call Mike Anderson. My throw in name is Keith Askins. If we're gonna take a "chance" coach, I'd like to talk with him as well.

 

[TitleWave]

If I was coach Battle I would be calling UConn womens coach Geno Auriemma's agent and gauging his interest!!

I didn't put Gino in blue font for saracasm but for UConn blue - yes, it's a different animal in the women's game but he's got coaching presence and poise, whatever sideline he would be working.

Barnes on the other hand - sure he got into the Dance (almost) every season at Tejas, all that proves is he could consistently have a team among the top 67 or 68 in the country. Unfortunately, his other measure of consistency is getting less out of more talent than probably any D1 coach in the country. Well, maybe Gottfraud's right there with him, but that's somebody else's problem now, not 'Bama's. Just have to hope there's more sense on the hiring end than bringing in a retread like Barnes to take up where Gottfraud left off...

 

[KrAzY3]

It's too bad Marshall turned us down.Oh well.More years of mediocrity for us.

That's not necessarily the case, but if for petty reasons Alabama chooses to take a gamble vs. a proven coach Alabama could be in for the worst period in decades.

Auburn got Pearl, Miss. State got Howland. In the least, those are two coaches who have proven they can recruit, and have proven they can make an impact in the NCAA tournament. If Alabama goes with a coach who hasn't proven either of those things, it could get really, really bad. Alabama can get in the NCAA tournament on the in-state talent alone, and they can contend for SEC titles/make a run in the tournament if they pick up regional prospects as well (primarily Mississippi). If they let Pearl/Howland get the edge of them, then there's nowhere to go but down.

That's the main reason Alabama just can't afford to gamble with this hire. There are proven coaches available, and while I'd prefer Marshall/Smart/Stevens, it would be the height of stupidity to take a huge gamble when there's someone available that's has demonstrated in the very least they can recruit/compete at the level of Pearl and Howland. I don't see mediocrity coming of that... sometimes the worst thing you can do is go for it on fourth down when you can just punt the ball.

 

[Bamaboda1]

Go get Chris Mullin (before St John's does). Pay him whatever you have to...the guy ain't nothin but a winner. Be done with all the Brylcream dudes.

 

[Bamaboda1]

For you youngsters:

"Brylcreem, a little dab'l do ya
Brylcreem you look so debonaire
Brylcreem, the girls will all pursue ya
Simply rub a little in your hair!"

 

[Bamaboda1]

What's the deal with Murray Bartow? Is he not up to par?