JessN: An Avery Johnson hire could have upside for the Tide

Good thoughts. In the end, what's to lose vs. all that we might gain?

In terms of the baseball analogy that stays at the hip of coaching searches, I'm unsure of how many would consider this a "home-run" hire, but it appears to be one with "grand slam potential" rather than the "seeing-eye single" feeling most of these other hires would bring. It's going to take someone with a personality/charisma the size of Avery Johnson's to compete with the veteran choices our rivals have made in anything like the short-term, and I surely don't see how anyone could be "underwhelmed" by it.

The lack of college experience is plausible, but we haven't even heard his plans for who he'd bring on board on his staff to aid in that transition, hopefully a name or two we already know. It's especially encouraging the feedback our alums have already given in support of such a move.

As some have said, Johnson could get in the living room of recruits these other candidates wouldn't even get a return call from on reputation alone, and X's and O's withstanding, I don't know of another type of college coaching style I'd want beyond a "micromanaging former point guard". Plus, as Jess has stated being a strength of AJ, someone who wouldn't run from "Hey, Coach!" like the plague who could crack a joke at a golf tournament would do wonders in and of itself.

Don't let the NBA's past decisions, namely an ill-advised exit by Dallas management and overall poor management in Brooklyn, cloud the impact this guy could have in college. I would much rather swing big with a favorable possibility of at least "good" results on the not-too-distant horizon than playing it safe and making it a crapshoot with someone who may not be able to stand up to the job's demands.

Let's get this man on campus, and in the spirit of the 2007 A-Day game, suspend people from Coleman's rafters for our first exhibition game this November and make college basketball aware that we're serious about success.

Done deal...


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