Marshall has had plenty of time to think this over. I'm sure, almost as soon as there was an opening, his agent was talking to Alabama and in turn his agent would have been talking to him. He's sad things before, and since then that indicate Alabama could offer him what he wants. This isn't hasty at all, all indications are that Alabama patiently waited for him. Also, I don't think Marshall mishandled this, he was honest without doing either the dreaded "I'm leaving" or "I won't leave", both of which put you in an impossible situation.
Seeing his statements only made me feel more encouraged about the possibility of his coming to Alabama. He wants resources, and Alabama has those in abundance. Alabama has talent, they have money, what have they been missing? They've missed having someone who put those resources to good use, they've missed having a coach that has actually produced a contender. Marshall's demands align perfectly, and even if the Koch brothers can match the spending, they can't match the exposure and recruiting advantage he would have at Alabama. This is a chance for both Marshall and Alabama to take the next step forward, to go somewhere neither have been before.
I feel really good about this because the stakes are not as high as in football. In football, a good coach at Alabama isn't enough. They need to be a good recruiter to, but let's not kid ourselves, we can't expect to compete with Kentucky. All we can hope is that Marshall puts Alabama in their rightful place as #2 in the SEC, and perhaps they will contend now and then. It's hard to imagine a scenario in which Marshall can't succeed at Alabama, he beat Alabama 75% of the time with inferior athletes, it seems there's only room for improvement. But... it isn't Marshall or bust, it's just that he's the closest thing Alabama has had to a sure thing in basketball, well.... ever.
Seeing his statements only made me feel more encouraged about the possibility of his coming to Alabama. He wants resources, and Alabama has those in abundance. Alabama has talent, they have money, what have they been missing? They've missed having someone who put those resources to good use, they've missed having a coach that has actually produced a contender. Marshall's demands align perfectly, and even if the Koch brothers can match the spending, they can't match the exposure and recruiting advantage he would have at Alabama. This is a chance for both Marshall and Alabama to take the next step forward, to go somewhere neither have been before.
I feel really good about this because the stakes are not as high as in football. In football, a good coach at Alabama isn't enough. They need to be a good recruiter to, but let's not kid ourselves, we can't expect to compete with Kentucky. All we can hope is that Marshall puts Alabama in their rightful place as #2 in the SEC, and perhaps they will contend now and then. It's hard to imagine a scenario in which Marshall can't succeed at Alabama, he beat Alabama 75% of the time with inferior athletes, it seems there's only room for improvement. But... it isn't Marshall or bust, it's just that he's the closest thing Alabama has had to a sure thing in basketball, well.... ever.
