http://alabama.247sports.com/Article/Avery-Johnson-on-Alabama-Crimson-Tide-Basketball -we-Havent-arriv-5146882
Link: Coach Johnson on the past, present, and future of the program
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I loved reading all that and I love CAJ.
He pulled NO punches and with not a hint of vague or clichéd 'coach-speak'. He put a spotlight on every issue and sent a wake up call to the impatient fans AND his own current players about their sporadic contributions and lack of attention to details, awareness, and general ball security.
I mean he covered everything. I have huge respect for people with that kind of straight forward truth and honesty. I love a straight shooter - Pun Intended!
He pulled NO punches and with not a hint of vague or clichéd 'coach-speak'. He put a spotlight on every issue and sent a wake up call to the impatient fans AND his own current players about their sporadic contributions and lack of attention to details, awareness, and general ball security.
I mean he covered everything. I have huge respect for people with that kind of straight forward truth and honesty. I love a straight shooter - Pun Intended!
It's not rocket science; it's just basketball. Identifying the problems isn't the tough part; anyone who knows anything about the game can do that. The big question will be, can he correct the problems? I hope he can because I really like his energy and the way he represents our program. So, c'mon, Coach Johnson, keep solving problems one at a time until we are back in the big dance on a yearly basis. Roll Tide!
My only gripe is he seems content to wait until next year when he has better players. That is sort of a NBA free agency type mentality. You may or may not always be able to do that. You have obligation as a college coach to put the players you have in the best chance to win. He is upgrading the roster for sure I hope he is upgrading his coaching along the way as well.
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Our upperclassmen have less talent than any major college basketball team I've ever seen. They have great difficulty shooting shots, free throws, layups. They have difficulty dribbling, passing and the very basic fundamentals of basketball.
The only players with true ability on this team are the freshmen Avery has signed.
Grant left a complete and total train wreck as far as a basketball team.
I realize it's ultimately the coach's responsibility to develop players but if part of that development is teaching them how to shoot and dribble then the coach doesn't have much of a prayer.
That type of development should be taught when they're six or seven years old, not when they're juniors and seniors on an SEC basketball roster.
The talent level is being built and Avery will get it done.
But you can have the most dedicated mule in the world. And that mule can work harder than any horse or the planet. But he ain't gonna beat the thouroughbreds in the Kentucky Derby no matter what he does.
You have to have talent to look like a great coach in this era.
Personally I think Avery has overachieved to have won as many as he has.
Just my opinion.
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Agreed - and I think the rotation at the end of the UGA game was an attempt to get Key and Davis going as their ceiling is much higher than that of Norris.
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Agreed. You have to have the Jimmy and Joe's and we don't have that yet (Key is the only one I would consider a J&J). We will be bringing in more next year and we will see a difference.
Coach Johnson has made a lot of good moves during various games. It is still up to the players' ability and execution to be successful. One example is in the Georgia game when Bama started to double-team Frazier out high when he had the ball. This forced the ball out of his hands; the big exception late in the game was when Bama defenders allowed him to split them and drew Ingram's 5th foul.
Another example that I love is the isolation of a guard or wing player down low when there is a mis-match. Ingram, Key and Norris have all been used for this. Ingram is a big guard and when he is playing point against a man-defense he is often covered by a smaller player.
I like most of what I've seen and I think Coach Johnson is still learning. One fear that comes with an NBA coach moving to the college level is that the coach may discover that he does not enjoy coaching college players; I get the impression that Coach Johnson likes it.
Another example that I love is the isolation of a guard or wing player down low when there is a mis-match. Ingram, Key and Norris have all been used for this. Ingram is a big guard and when he is playing point against a man-defense he is often covered by a smaller player.
I like most of what I've seen and I think Coach Johnson is still learning. One fear that comes with an NBA coach moving to the college level is that the coach may discover that he does not enjoy coaching college players; I get the impression that Coach Johnson likes it.
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Right now we've got a bunch of decent role players masquerading as starters. Imagine Mike Miller and Birdman as nightly starters for the Heat - wouldn't have been nearly as successful.
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I believe we have to win the next 2 to get in. They have made it harder for power 5's to get in with the new rules. Specifically, if you get upset in the your conference tournament and win the regular season title, it is an automatic bid to the NIT so it somewhat depends on the things outside our control.
I agree. With the new rule there are only about 20-25 'At-Large bids' out of the 32 team field. Those Conference Title Upsets and 1st 4-8 out NCAA bubble teams eat up some spots. We HAVE to win the next two and get to 18-14 (11-7) to lock down an NIT spot.
That would be the same overall record as last year with a better SEC conference record. Any SEC Tournament win will help too. But drop even ONE game at 17-15 (10-8) and it's dicey.....lose both 16-16 (9-9) and it's getting ready for next season time.
Of course after our last 2 losses the ONLY path to the NCAA is to miraculously win the SEC Tournament.
We need to root for the regular season champs in all the bottom feeder leagues.
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Allowing myself a flight of fancy - as I've seen no evidence during the season that such a path is remotely possible - but wouldn't such an occurrence constitute the most miraculous moment in program history? Dreaming on it can't hurt anything...
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