New coach search...

[deliveryman35]

even if he says yes, at this point you have to wonder if the family is enthusiasticly all in on the move.

 

[Tide1986]

I hope this is another report that seems to be full of crap (like the Forde one), but... I am confused that they met for so long and what there is to discuss.

Battle has 30 million a year to play around with, what could Marshall want that he couldn't say yes to? What promise can't be kept? Marshall can't ask for more than virtually unlimited funds and autonomy, so I don't see what the issue could be.

I only hope there is no issue, but... if Alabama didn't offer him free reign and a blank checkbook I can't imagine why not, Marshall knows what he's doing. What kind of thing could Marshall have asked for that Battle would have said no to?

Maybe Battle didn't show up "hat in hand". Ego is a funny thing.

 

[KrAzY3]

I wonder if he asked for a commitment on a new arena--I would have--and possibly BB couldn't give him one on that particular issue.

That's about the only thing he could have asked for on that spot that Battle might not have been empowered to promise. But, I'd think the counter would have been a commitment to allocate millions towards either renovation or a new arena. I guess at this point we can only speculate.

There's two lines of thought though I guess. The one is the nightmare scenario, in which Battle did a poor job selling Alabama and Pitino is his next choice (the Pitino idea backing up the notion he might not be going about this well).

The other is that Battle is playing this right, did all he could, we'll see, Smart will be up next and if not Smart he'll keep at it until Alabama gets a good coach. I'd like to think this is the Battle we're dealing with, he can't do more than offer Marshall everything he wants, so I'd like to think he did that and that's all that can be done.

Maybe Battle didn't show up "hat in hand". Ego is a funny thing.

All we can do is speculate, then again with the Saban situation Alabama kept him and that was that. I assume there's some way Battle could have messed that up if he was completely incompetent or arrogant. It's just that in this scenario Alabama shouldn't want any control over the program, they should want to give the funds and the control over to someone who knows better, because no one at the Alabama program really knows what it takes to build an elite team. So, I've been hoping all along Marshall asks for complete autonomy and virtually limitless funds and gets it.

 

[RTR91]

even if he says yes, at this point you have to wonder if the family is enthusiasticly all in on the move.

Have you moved or moved as a teenager? I've done it twice. Unless you don't want to be in a place, pretty difficult to say goodbye to friends and the memories made. Took me a couple of weeks to be able to handle moving from Birmingham to Mississippi.

 

[TideEngineer08]

even if he says yes, at this point you have to wonder if the family is enthusiasticly all in on the move.

That's ok. We will win them over.

 

[RTR91]

[h=1]Former coach, Gregg Marshall friend offers advice to Alabama on how to land top target[/h]

But what about the silence since the Monday meeting? Is it a good sign?

"Yeah," Greenberg said. "I would think if he hasn't said no, his family is probably in discussions. There's still a Texas job open out there and I'm not sure what they've done with Gregg."

 

[B1GTide]

Have you moved or moved as a teenager? I've done it twice. Unless you don't want to be in a place, pretty difficult to say goodbye to friends and the memories made. Took me a couple of weeks to be able to handle moving from Birmingham to Mississippi.

I agree with this thought - I turned down a huge promotion a few years ago because it would have required us move about 1,000 miles and to take our boys out of their schools. They were at a point in their lives that it simply was not worth the risk to our family.

Money isn't everything.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I wish I had a "yes" in hand, but everything I've learned to this point indicates that he is a very deliberate man and his family's feelings will definitely figure in. I don't think that events to this point mean the final answer will be "no."

 

[TrampLineman]

I wish I had a "yes" in hand, but everything I've learned to this point indicates that he is a very deliberate man and his family's feelings will definitely figure in. I don't think that events to this point mean the final answer will be "no."

Yea Marshall has always seemed like the type that he thinks things through first no matter what is thrown his way. I'm not worried one way or another at this point.

 

[deliveryman35]

Have you moved or moved as a teenager? I've done it twice. Unless you don't want to be in a place, pretty difficult to say goodbye to friends and the memories made. Took me a couple of weeks to be able to handle moving from Birmingham to Mississippi.

I have--that's why I understand it and frankly think this is probably what's in play.

 

[BamaFlum]

I wish I had a "yes" in hand, but everything I've learned to this point indicates that he is a very deliberate man and his family's feelings will definitely figure in. I don't think that events to this point mean the final answer will be "no."

As long as we have a viable #2 and Battle is already or has already begun with that:


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[GreatDanish]

It's hard to keep up. But here is what I consider pretty solid:
- he hasn't said no
- which means there is still interest
- he has all the information needed to make the decision, so there is some "pro/con" going on. Likely by his family.
- I'm pretty sure Battle didn't fly to Wichita to discuss financials. I think he flew there because Marshall needed convincing - particularly to convince Marshall that we are committed to basketball and that he can win big here. The meeting apparently didn't dissuade him. The idea "he was not impressed" with the visit is nonsense. If he wasn't impressed, we'd have heard no. Unless the family discussion is backward - his family wants him to take it but he doesn't want it. But I seriously doubt that.


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[RobK]

People forget that both times North Carolina offered Roy Williams their HC job--both after Guthridge retired when Williams ultimately stayed at Kansas and after Matt Doherty when Willams took the job--he took several days to mull it over. This isn't uncommon. It is simply more public because CBB's visit to Wichita became public.

The only question is whether we're on short decision timetable or if it stretches out until later in the week. If CBB allows it to stretch out, you have to think he has a Plan B in hand.

 

[drwho]

Just to add some reality to this discussion, here are the attendance figures from last season. Bear in mind that Alabama had a horrible year, and the Shockers went undefeated through the regular season:
"35. Alabama 17 1 82,825 10,754
36. Wichita St. 17 182,452 10,732"

So, how on earth can they argue they have better fan support?

If you consider that their arena is packed for every game and ours is about 2/3 full . . .

 

[drwho]

I would consider Pitino an unproven coach.

It would be a very risky hire (and certainly not worth the $$$ we are offering CGM).

He wouldn't get Marshall $.

 

[drwho]

You gotta say it for Hart. He wrapped UT's coaching search in a week. We are at 16 days and counting with a rudderless ship.

We do not have a rudderless ship.

 

[KittyKatKiller]

I have--that's why I understand it and frankly think this is probably what's in play.

I would say you are 100 percent correct, which is why this is the time for him to move, or else I think he will stay at WSU a long time, that is what GM is wrestling with.

The inheritance will be much larger if they move though.:cool2: But I understand it is a tough decision after so many years at one place.

 

[bamablood6]

I have--that's why I understand it and frankly think this is probably what's in play.

In my business my family and I move about every 3 years.. and a few times we have had to move 14 months later. in 23 years I have moved 11 times and that does not include me (deploying) moving those times without my family and the moves of different jobs but just the same location. Its not always fun, but we have gotten used to it--but it also can be exciting sometimes with a change. Some of those moves have been huge. Colorado to germany was a big one. Germany to California even bigger. South Carolina to Belgium, pretty big. Belgium to Germany not too bad......but this last one was huge. Germany to Hawaii. Now that was my biggest move. Alabama to Kentucky, to Indiana, to Colorado, to Wurzburg Germany to California to South Carolina to Belgium to Baumholder GM, to Kaiserslautern GM, to Wiesbaden GM to Hawaii.

Now all of that moving does not count my personal moves (long Temp duty or deployments) to Washington D.C (5 months), Bosnia (12 months), Iraq (15 and 12 months) Qatar (9 months) and Afghanistan (6 months and 12 months) .

So moving is just a thing. LOL! I get it, I am tired, but dont know how I am going to act when I retire and settle on a place to live. I will be looking around after 2-3 years and wonder why we are not moving.

 

[drwho]

You say that jokingly I assume. However, had Saban and Terry flown out and made a cameo late yesterday afternoon it could have made one of the biggest splashes ever. It would have been risky but talk about making a statement.

During spring practice? Yeah, he'd be all over that.

 

[KrAzY3]

I wish I had a "yes" in hand, but everything I've learned to this point indicates that he is a very deliberate man and his family's feelings will definitely figure in. I don't think that events to this point mean the final answer will be "no."

As long as Alabama has reason to believe they have a good shot, I think they just have to keep at it.

As long as we have a viable #2 and Battle is already or has already begun with that:

That kind of reminds me of the Rich Rod situation though. Impatience nearly cost Alabama a shot at Saban. Alabama does need to have a #2 in mind, they do need to know their options, but Gregg (or 3G is it?) needs to be the focus. They just can't do it forever, if this gets drawn out too long they have to read that as a lack of interest. I remember Billy becoming Orlando's coach and then going back to Florida, if a guy's heart isn't in it, then you need to move on sooner rather than later.

If you consider that their arena is packed for every game and ours is about 2/3 full . . .

Yeah, and they've had recent success in the NCAA tournament and Alabama hasn't. I do think that the basketball program needs more emphasis, something to excite them, more exposure, etc... however, we're talking about the 14th most valuable program, we're talking about attendance that ranges from 25th-35th, even with a lackluster product.

The fans are there, they just need to be excited, they need to be sold on the basketball product. Let me give you two examples of where Alabama has gone wrong and how far they lag behind in making basketball priority.

I think it was during the Hobbs tenure, but I remember talk about Alabama not being willing to accept a NIT invite. I was young, but it confused me, the notion that because you might lose money or it was somehow beneath the program they might not go. Even then I thought you invest in the program, you take what exposure you can get, what chances are available to help these kids mature. Then, fast forward a bit I see this Midnight Madness thing, and I think hey, why doesn't Alabama do that?

There's without question a mutual thing. The fans could be better, the support from the athletic department could be better. It isn't bad though! Attendance isn't bad, revenue isn't bad, but it could be better. If the program gets the financial support it needs, and the coach it needs, I think the other things will come. Nick Saban uses everything he can to better the football program, a great coach with proper funding will do the same for basketball.