Former Alabama men’s basketball and NBA player Jim Farmer has kept in touch with the Crimson Tide’s men’s basketball program since he left Tuscaloosa as a player in 1987. On Monday morning, Farmer spoke with BOL to give his thoughts on the program’s firing of head coach Anthony Grant on Sunday afternoon.
“I obviously read what Bill Battle wrote last night. That is to the T what everybody feels,” Farmer said in a phone interview. “I think his former players that I’ve talked to -- everybody thinks that Anthony’s just a class-act, a great guy, a good coach. I mean, is he getting enough talent in there? I question that, whether we’re recruiting enough talented guys. Obviously that shows on the floor.
“But he’s a great guy, and at the end of the day, it’s about wins and losses. And we just -- Alabama wasn’t bad, but we weren’t good. And I think with the reputation -- Alabama’s right behind Kentucky in SEC with the most wins and we want to continue that and it just wasn’t getting done.
“I hate it for Anthony’s family because I really like him. He treated me so well when I visited and went to games, just a super guy. I hate that it happened, but he knows this is a business and it’s about wins and losses and there weren’t enough wins and weren’t enough NCAA appearances.”