Game Thread: ****Official Game Thread - Bama vs. VCU****

[Rama Jama]

If Tony could have adjusted his "its all about me attitude" We'd be much better.

We are not competitive with the VCU's and Dayton's of College basketball right now. We get beat on our home floor by a mid major and blown out by another one within a week and a half. Unless the SEC is absolutely terrible, a sixth place finish(Where we were picked to finish) is highly unlikely. It pains me to say this, but we are becoming an also ran in college basketball.

 

[BamaMTA06]

If Tony could have adjusted his "its all about me attitude" We'd be much better.

We are not competitive with the VCU's and Dayton's of College basketball right now. We get beat on our home floor by a mid major and blown out by another one within a week and a half. Unless the SEC is absolutely terrible, a sixth place finish(Where we were picked to finish) is highly unlikely. It pains me to say this, but we are becoming an also ran in college basketball.

When haven't we been an also ran in basketball. We were also rans when we were making the tournament under our previous coach. The only difference is the SEC would get 7-8 teams in the tournament because mid majors weren't getting at-large bids at that point.

 

[Ldlane]

If Tony could have adjusted his "its all about me attitude" We'd be much better.

We are not competitive with the VCU's and Dayton's of College basketball right now. We get beat on our home floor by a mid major and blown out by another one within a week and a half. Unless the SEC is absolutely terrible, a sixth place finish(Where we were picked to finish) is highly unlikely. It pains me to say this, but we are becoming an also ran in college basketball.

I got rid of a "Tony Mitchell" attitude today. Didn't think twice. Shame, she was a good player.

 

[Rama Jama]

Were you around for the Wimp years? CM Newton era? We were anything, but an also ran. We regularly beat Kentucky. We won the SEC tourney just about every year. We should NOT be an also ran. We are Alabama. We should aspire to win at the highest level for every sport, not just football.

We have won NC's in 4 sports. There is absolutely no reason we can't compete in basketball at the highest level - Except apathy and a defeatist attitude. Some fans seem to think that because we have a good football team, we can't have a have a championship basketball team. Those things are not mutually exclusive. Florida, Michigan, The OSU, UCLA, Texas at times, Oklahoma usually has good BB team, and Arkansas have all had successful football and bb programs.

It is time we put a decent product on the court. CAG deserves a chance to right the ship, but right now the ship is sinking. In the end it about butts in the seats and if we don't improve in a big hurry, attendance will be awful.

 

[Ldlane]

Were you around for the Wimp years? CM Newton era? We were anything, but an also ran. We regularly beat Kentucky. We won the SEC tourney just about every year. We should NOT be an also ran. We are Alabama. We should aspire to win at the highest level for every sport, not just football.

We have won NC's in 4 sports. There is absolutely no reason we can't compete in basketball at the highest level - Except apathy and a defeatist attitude. Some fans seem to think that because we have a good football team, we can't have a have a championship basketball team. Those things are not mutually exclusive. Florida, Michigan, The OSU, UCLA, Texas at times, Oklahoma usually has good BB team, and Arkansas have all had successful football and bb programs.

It is time we put a decent product on the court. CAG deserves a chance to right the ship, but right now the ship is sinking. In the end it about butts in the seats and if we don't improve in a big hurry, attendance will be awful.

I was around then. In fact, Coach Newton is one of my favs. It isn't sinking. We are 6-3. The team will Gel.

 

[JDCrimson]

We have traditionally been at our best when the state produced some talent and we poached players out of MS. The elevation of MSU's program since the mid-90s has had a direct impact on our program. The best talent has been leaving the state for years except Hendrix who would have been a terror under CAG. But more importantly, the state just hasnt been churning out as much talent as of late.

I think CAG should look to the JUCO circuit to find some more mature players - make a stronger tourney run and capitalize off the publicity to get some of the in-state guys to come over. Likewise, CAG should look at adding a well-respected AL HS coach to his roster similar to Rah-Rah to help with recruiting in Alabama. I thought this was the smartest thing CMG ever did and it paid dividends for us.

 

[BamaMTA06]

Were you around for the Wimp years? CM Newton era? We were anything, but an also ran. We regularly beat Kentucky. We won the SEC tourney just about every year. We should NOT be an also ran. We are Alabama. We should aspire to win at the highest level for every sport, not just football.

We have won NC's in 4 sports. There is absolutely no reason we can't compete in basketball at the highest level - Except apathy and a defeatist attitude. Some fans seem to think that because we have a good football team, we can't have a have a championship basketball team. Those things are not mutually exclusive. Florida, Michigan, The OSU, UCLA, Texas at times, Oklahoma usually has good BB team, and Arkansas have all had successful football and bb programs.

It is time we put a decent product on the court. CAG deserves a chance to right the ship, but right now the ship is sinking. In the end it about butts in the seats and if we don't improve in a big hurry, attendance will be awful.

I'm 29 and the recruits are a decade or more younger than me. I know who Wimp Sanderson and CM Newton are, but that ship has sailed. How is the ship sinking? I'm really confused. Are we worse off than than we were last year. He's shown improvement every year he has been here. We may dip a little this year, but next year should be a really good year for us. Sorry, but Alabama basketball sucked and was a bottom feeder when CAG took over. We are not going to turn into a dominant force in 3 years. We can fire him after 4-5 years then fire the next coach after him. We'll end up being Arkansas. How many coaches have they gone through since Richardson? How much better off are they?

On the recruiting front the thing that hurts Coach Grant the most is he doesn't play ball. Nice guys don't do well in college basketball recruiting. He is going to have tip toe the line. He doesn't play ball with AAU coaches. He doesn't call players during the dead period. Most kids don't see a nice guy. They see the guy who isn't doing what the other coaches are doing.

 

[Ldlane]

On the recruiting front the thing that hurts Coach Grant the most is he doesn't play ball. Nice guys don't do well in college basketball recruiting. He is going to have tip toe the line. He doesn't play ball with AAU coaches. He doesn't call players during the dead period. Most kids don't see a nice guy. They see the guy who isn't doing what the other coaches are doing.

I really think that many of the kids these days think the world owes them something and that they shouldn't put in hard work to reach goals. Sometimes I wonder if our school wouldn't be better with just intramurals instead of organized sports.

 

[BamaMTA06]

I really think that many of the kids these days think the world owes them something and that they shouldn't put in hard work to reach goals. Sometimes I wonder if our school wouldn't be better with just intramurals instead of organized sports.

I think we've (college fans, admins, coaches,etc) have created a monster. Now we want to put that monster back in the cage. I will never lump all AAU coaches in one pile. I know alot of guys who coach AAU with the hopes of getting a kid noticed by a DII or b/c they love it. I'm sure you are all too familiar with what can happen when you start dealing with the elite travel teams sponsored by shoe companies.

 

[Rama Jama]

You guys seem to think I want to dump CAG. That is anything but the case, but we are at the point where we need to show improvement. We are not moving forward now, we are moving backward. In the 5th year which will be next year, we need to improve or it may be time to look at other options. 5 years is more than enough time to move us forward. And in case you guys forgot, CMG got us to an elite 8 and we were a regular fixture in the tourney for about 5 years straight. We were competing with the Florida's and to some extent UK. We can not say that now. I am all for us having integrity, but you have to wonder how Donavan got all those recruits to Florida before the NC's.

If you guys are Ok with us being middle of the pack, then you need to find another sport or team, because I am anything but Ok with being an also ran. I have spent money on season tix for close to 20 years and I have to wonder how many games you some of you guys attend? I am obviously passionate about our BB team and I expect us to be competitive, but we are anything but right now.

 

[Ldlane]

You guys seem to think I want to dump CAG. That is anything but the case, but we are at the point where we need to show improvement. We are not moving forward now, we are moving backward. In the 5th year which will be next year, we need to improve or it may be time to look at other options. 5 years is more than enough time to move us forward. And in case you guys forgot, CMG got us to an elite 8 and we were a regular fixture in the tourney for about 5 years straight. We were competing with the Florida's and to some extent UK. We can not say that now. I am all for us having integrity, but you have to wonder how Donavan got all those recruits to Florida before the NC's.

If you guys are Ok with us being middle of the pack, then you need to find another sport or team, because I am anything but Ok with being an also ran. I have spent money on season tix for close to 20 years and I have to wonder how many games you some of you guys attend? I am obviously passionate about our BB team and I expect us to be competitive, but we are anything but right now.

Not at all. I just don't think we are "sinking".

 

[BamaMTA06]

You guys seem to think I want to dump CAG. That is anything but the case, but we are at the point where we need to show improvement. We are not moving forward now, we are moving backward. In the 5th year which will be next year, we need to improve or it may be time to look at other options. 5 years is more than enough time to move us forward. And in case you guys forgot, CMG got us to an elite 8 and we were a regular fixture in the tourney for about 5 years straight. We were competing with the Florida's and to some extent UK. We can not say that now. I am all for us having integrity, but you have to wonder how Donavan got all those recruits to Florida before the NC's.

If you guys are Ok with us being middle of the pack, then you need to find another sport or team, because I am anything but Ok with being an also ran. I have spent money on season tix for close to 20 years and I have to wonder how many games you some of you guys attend? I am obviously passionate about our BB team and I expect us to be competitive, but we are anything but right now.

Way to have a selective memory when it come to the CMG era. CMG first 3 years in the SEC went like this: 6-10, 6-10, 8-8. He didn't make the tournament until his 4th season. After that he got in with amazing SEC showings like 7-9 and 8-8 records in conference play. His only saving grace was the mid majors were not getting at large bids at the time. Anthony Grant's 1st 3 years, 6-10,12-4, 9-7. Grant got to the NCAA tournament in year 3. Should have been there in year 2. The only difference is Grant didn't get in with a 12-4 conference record while CMG got in with a 7-9 record. CMG had 3 winning seasons in conference play the entire time he was here. The magical Elite 8 year we sucked in the regular season and caught a favorable bracket. Again, the team has shown improvement every year. We can want our program to be great all we want. Then there are realistic expectations. Lets not compare CAG current tenure to some mythical time in the past when we were a basketball power house.

I make as many games as I can living in Atlanta and being a CPA. However, whether it be ESPN3 or my subscription to TideTV I've watched every home game in the last 3 years. I'd like to see our offense get better.

 

[Rama Jama]

You are not seeing CAG demeanor on the court. He seems less passionate this year almost like he doesn't believe himself. There are times when the coach does not match the institution. This may be one of those times. He has to believe that he can compete and right I am not sure he thinks he can. He may be better off at a mid major like VCU where he can recruit players who are tweeners. He has had some success recruiting, but doesn't seem to be able to put a cohesive team on the court.

Again, I have been a big CAG supporter until recent weeks. I do not think we will get a sniff of the tourney this year and will have to rely on 2 freshman Bigs next year. This could change, but I do not see it right now. I am extremely frustrated with our play recently. If we can't get it done in year 5, You have to wonder if we ever will. I actually hope I am wrong about this year, and if I am I will admit it, but time will tell.

BTW, historically, we have the 2nd most wins of any SEC school behind UK so don't tell me I have selective memory. We have some BB tradition and should be at least competitive.

 

[JDCrimson]

You are not seeing CAG demeanor on the court. He seems less passionate this year almost like he doesn't believe himself. There are times when the coach does not match the institution. This may be one of those times. He has to believe that he can compete and right I am not sure he thinks he can. He may be better off at a mid major like VCU where he can recruit players who are tweeners. He has had some success recruiting, but doesn't seem to be able to put a cohesive team on the court.

Again, I have been a big CAG supporter until recent weeks. I do not think we will get a sniff of the tourney this year and will have to rely on 2 freshman Bigs next year. This could change, but I do not see it right now. I am extremely frustrated with our play recently. If we can't get it done in year 5, You have to wonder if we ever will. I actually hope I am wrong about this year, and if I am I will admit it, but time will tell.

BTW, historically, we have the 2nd most wins of any SEC school behind UK so don't tell me I have selective memory. We have some BB tradition and should be at least competitive.

Some of what you say has some merit. However, I wouldnt go as far as you have in your assessment in CAG's performance. I believe he is the best coach we can possibly get in terms of reputation. I dont know of anyone better out there. But again, I am not one to purely judge a coach's capability by wins only. You sound like one of those fans that would want to show CNS the door if he went through a 3yr mediocre stretch. But we know we couldnt do any better on that front than what we got. Sometimes you just need to support your coach. That's what we need to do here.

CAG needs to rebuild the roster with Alabama boys some way some how. He hasnt been doing that. We have been at our best when we have built our roster largely around local talent which will help with fan interest. In doing so we may have to develop some players who might not blossom until their JR/SR year.

His philosophy is built around defense first - which is not a bad way to be - I like the defensive intensity. But if the defensive intensity is taking away the legs from outside shooters on the offensive end I am not sure what you really have accomplished. We have routinely held our opponents scoring in 50s while we have scored just above that. It would seem our best fit would be to score in the 70s and limit opponents to the 60s.

On the recruiting front there are guys out there that will respond to what you are selling that can play in the SEC - Vandy proves it all the time. We just need to find those guys and suit them up.