Miracle Worker

[bama579]

So you're saying he was the biggest bargain of the vox populi's "savioral candidates" for the 'Bama job? (Gregg Marshall, Wichita State, $4.5M, Shaka Smart, UTeaSippers, $3.16M, Ricky Barnes, UTeetering, $2.2M; Pearl, All-Bran, $2.7M; Ben Howland, TippiTate, $2.05M.) Looks to be the case on results to date. But with the hunger for basketball success that 'Bama is Jonesing over, Johnson's incentives are if anything too modest, despite the tenor of the article.

Not sure I follow the tone of what you say. I say what follows believing Johnson is having a tremendous first season considering circumstances and will probably prove to be as or more successful than any on your list. That said . . .

Marshall, Barnes, Smart, Howland, and (gag) Pearl were all more successful collegiate head coaches when Johnson was hired. Based on that , probably "deserved" more $$. Personally would not want Pearl or Howland running our program and would just as soon they stay out of the building when their teams play us. Especially the slimeball Pearl.

We are paying well for Johnson and reeeeeally happy with results so far. It may be a bit too soon to start throwing more money at him, though incentives WOULD be the way to do it if Battle feels the need.

Did I miss your points?

 

[bama579]

Actually, other than being hailed as the Father of Modern 'Bama Basketball, I'm of the opinion Throckmorton (C.M.) underachieved, as tough as that might be to document from his record, while Wimp Sanderson definitely overachieved by any measure as 'Bama's coach.

Newton won SEC championships with a ton of post-integration talent, and should've won that storied matchup with undefeated IU in N'awlins, talent being essentially a toss-up, even with IU's three first-team All-Americans.

Wimp won with a great deal of undiscovered talent that he nurtured along into 'Bama's most dominant stretch of basketball.

And remember: Wimp was C.M.'s long-time assistant, but I never had the feeling after Newton's first couple of years that either of them could lead the program to a national championship, despite pulling as hard for both of them to succeed as possible. And then LSU got to the Final Four on three occasions, even Miss. State reached it, and the Barn was in reality closer than 'Bama, before finally Florida won a couple of basketball NCs while 'Bama after all this time was still on the outside looking in trying to crash the party. Just maybe...maybe the time is coming.

Indiana had three all-americans, we had ?? . . . .They were undefeated and won the NCAA tourney. How is it that we should have beaten them? Wish we had, too, but how "should have."

 

[PitMaster]

Indiana had three all-americans, we had ?? . . . .They were undefeated and won the NCAA tourney. How is it that we should have beaten them? Wish we had, too, but how "should have."

That game was in Baton Rouge

 

[DzynKingRTR]

A month ago, if you had told me that Alabama would be in this position, I would have said you need to remove your Crimson glasses. I also would have most likely said you were delusional. Alabama basketball is cool again, Roll Tide!

 

[ALA2262]

Indiana had three all-americans, we had ?? . . . .They were undefeated and won the NCAA tourney. How is it that we should have beaten them? Wish we had, too, but how "should have."

UNC had FOUR soon-to-be 1976 Olympic Basketball Gold Medalists. Bama ran them out of the gym in Dayton in order to get to BR to play Indiana. That's how.

Bama was ahead 69-67 with under two minutes to play when they got one of the worst calls in College Basketball history. Completely deflated them. Would not score again and lost by five, 69-74. They SHOULD HAVE won the game.

Edit: Quote from another board in a reply to me regarding the foul call: "I was SID at Alabama and the Tide scorekeeper for that game. When they called that charge on Leon, the Indiana SID said to me, "You just got screwed."

Many years later in the AJC, Mark Bradley would write a column titled 'The Five Worst calls in College Basketball History'. The charging call on Leon Douglas in that game was one of the five.

 

[ptw1961]

That 1976 team was the best team in Alabama basketball l history. At least 3 players on that team played in the NBA. Indiana blew everyone else out after beating Alabama. All 5 starters were from Alabama. Yep- should have won it. And would have if not for that ridiculous charging call against Leon Douglas.

Indiana had three all-americans, we had ?? . . . .They were undefeated and won the NCAA tourney. How is it that we should have beaten them? Wish we had, too, but how "should have."

 

[bama579]

That 1976 team was the best team in Alabama basketball l history. At least 3 players on that team played in the NBA. Indiana blew everyone else out after beating Alabama. All 5 starters were from Alabama. Yep- should have won it. And would have if not for that ridiculous charging call against Leon Douglas.

Thanks. Had forgotten the Kent Benson acting job to send Leon to the bench. Reginald King was a forward on that team, right? Who was the other forward? I remember Dunn and Murray at guard, but don't recall the other starting G.

 

[ALA2262]

Thanks. Had forgotten the Kent Benson acting job to send Leon to the bench. Reginald King was a forward on that team, right? Who was the other forward? I remember Dunn and Murray at guard, but don't recall the other starting G.

No, Benson is the one that should have gone to the bench. He was playing with four fouls and Douglas with but two. Douglas would be hit with his fourth foul ten seconds later on the other end of the floor. Amazing how quickly the refs evened it up with them.

Douglas may as well have gone to the bench. The refs had removed him as a factor in the game.

 

[Tidetwin]

Was it Rickey Brown?

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

Yes. Keith McCord, Tommy Bonds and Greg McElveen were the top subs.

Just to add to the indigestion this morning ....

We were called for 23 fouls; Indiana, 13. We made 7 free throws; Indiana, 16.

T.R. and Mule fouled out, two others ended up with 4.

Arghhhhh

One more thing: When our football team was still coming to grips with integration, C.M. Newton had already kicked down the door. Alabama became the first school in the Deep South (I'm excluding Texas Western) to start 5 black starters, all from the state. As I recall, every player on that '76 team was from Alabama except McElveen, who came from New Orleans. C.M. remains a significant figure in all of college basketball history, and should be.