Coaching Search

CoachPAW’s Short List

I would love nothing more than for UA to make a real run against the rest of the SEC schedule and make the NCAA tourney.  I will be rooting for them to do so at every remaining home game at Coleman Coliseum.  However, barring an 8-3 or better finish in the league, Anthony Grant’s tenure at Alabama is done.  So what now?  I believe that Alabama will be willing to pay up to 2.5 million to hire the right coach, but who is that right coach?  First, these are the things that Crimson Tide hoops fans desire most in a new coach:

1.       Accessibility to the media

Of all of Grant’s negative characteristics, his utter abhorrence for promoting the Alabama basketball brand has to be the worst.  How are fans supposed to be excited about the program without at least the appearance that their head coach is excited as well?  Bama fans want a dynamic personality that will be willing to meet with the media on a consistent basis.  Coach Grant has been about as easy to interview as Marshawn Lynch.  This needs to be changed with a new coach, especially when recruiting in a state that includes a personality like Bruce Pearl.

2.       An offensive mind

Every game, I hear the overwhelming moans and groans of fans who absolute despise our current offensive philosophy.  We run some false motion, do a ton of handoffs, and traditionally wait until too deep in the shot clock to get a quality look.  A new offense that provides a little more freedom would ignite the crowds and be a big time help in recruiting as well.

3.       A proven track record of winning close games.

We have ZERO wins against the top 25 under Grant.  There’s a familiar storyline in each game too.  We fight hard, close the gap and tie the game late, then lose in the last minute.  Grant’s tenure is marred with moral victory after moral victory but we never can get over the hump, especially on the road.  We literally went a whole season without winning a road game last year.

A Beginning List of Coaches

  

Would Walk to Tuscaloosa Coaches

Archie Miller-Dayton (79-41, final four appearance last year)

Current Salary: $450,000

                Miller, the brother of more widely-known Arizona coach Sean Miller, made a name for his own self at last year’s NCAA tourney by making a run to the final four with Dayton.  The Flyers beat us in our own gym a couple of years ago.  They currently score 68 points a game while giving up 59. Coach Miller did well on the television and radio circuit during his run in the tourney last season.  He will be a hot coach again this year as his team looks to be a lock for the tourney again.

Ben Jacobson-Northern Iowa (184-103, 2 NCAA tourney appearances)

Current Salary: $550,000

                Ben Jacobson’s Panthers are ranked #18 and the country.  They score 65 points a game while giving up 55.  He’s had a long 9 year tenure at Northern Iowa and may be the type that’s comfortable there.  He wouldn’t be the big name Bama fans are looking for, but he’s certainly a viable option.

Within the Realm of Possibility Coaches

Josh Pastner-Memphis (141-50, 4 NCAA appearances)

Current Salary: 2,650,000

                Pastner personally admits that he was lucky when he got the Memphis job in 2009.  Other high profile coaches turned the job down when the then 32-year old Pastner was tabbed to replace John Calipari.  He’s had the Tigers in the NCAA tournament every year since though.  His team scores 68 points a game this year while giving up 62.  Pastner makes a good deal of money, but his seat is getting hot in Memphis during his worse year yet.  He may not leave Memphis willingly, but they may run him on down to Tuscaloosa.  I think he could provide the youthful energy needed at Alabama as he is a tireless recruiter. 

Probably Not Coming But We Should Try

Jay Wright- Villanova (422-235, 11 NCAA tournament appearances)

Current Salary: $2,500,000

Mark Few- Gonzaga (423-101, 15 NCAA tourney appearances)

Current Salary: $1,180,000

Gregg Marshall- Wichita State (382-156, 10 NCAA tourney appearances)

Current Salary: $1,750,000

Alabama Roster Breakdown

#1   Freshman: 6'7 190 SF Riley Norris

      Ranked the 93rd best player in the nation by ESPN, Norris is known for his 3 point shooting. He also averaged over 14 boards a game as a senior, showing his ability to rebound despite his relatively thin frame. Norris's combination of size and shooting ability should land him some quality minutes as a freshman, much in the same way it did Shannon Hale last season.

#2  Junior: 6'2 190 lbs PG Ricky Tarrant

    Tarrant comes into this season as the likely starting point guard after sitting out last season as a transfer from Tulane. During his freshman and sophomore seasons at Tulane, Tarrant showed an ability to score at will.  Tarrant averaged close to 15 points and was named all Conference USA. The new pg will be filling the enormous shoes of the departed Trevor Releford, who was the all-time steals leader at Bama.  I think Tarrant will find a way to replace some of the offensive production of Releford, but it will be difficult to replace him as the team leader and defensive stopper.  *Tarrant also served as the team's #1 wildest cheerleader last season haha.

#3 Sophomore: 6'9 215 PF Michael Kessens

      Kessens, who had some impressive games as a freshman at Longwood University, is billed as a rebounder. I hope so because Bama struggled against teams with quality big men like Kentucky and Tennessee.  Kessens averaged almost 9 rebounds a game at Longwood in his only season of college basketball.  9 rebounds per game would be over 3 rebounds more than any Bama player averaged last season. Kessens was named Big South Freshman of the year by one publication and had a career high 36 points and 16 rebounds in his final game in the Big South tournament.

#4 Freshman: 6'7 210 SF Jeff Garrett

       Garrett was a late addition to the Tide for the 2014-2015 season.  He's originally from Gadsden.  After looking at some of his highlights, it's clear he has some high-flying capabilities.  Almost every single highlight is a dunk.  To be honest, I don't know much about Garrett but it would seem to me that if his skills do not include much more than leaping, then he's probably headed for a redshirt season.

#5 Freshman 5'10 155 PG Justin Coleman

      Coleman is without a doubt one of the most hyped players in Alabama high school basketball history. He was a part of state championships with Wenonah. I watched Justin play as an 8th grader at John Carroll High School. As a 14 year old point guard, he played the whole game without a turnover against 5A competition. He dribbles the ball like it is on a string and will be perfectly capable of running the show immediately.   He has a unique ability to hit a full speed mid-range jumper when in the open court. Will likely play at least 10-15 minutes a game as he spells Ricky Tarrant.

#10 Sophomore 6'10 240 C Jimmie Taylor

      Taylor certainly was billed as a defensive specialist coming out of Greensboro High School.  He backed that up last season, leading the team with 40 blocks and doing a good job of patrolling the rim in his 18 starts.  However, he also looked pretty solid with his back to the basket late in the year, utilizing his soft left hand.  I look for Taylor to be improved on the offensive end and to be a consistent starter this season.

#11 Sophomore 6'8 220 F Shannon Hale
      To the surprise of many, Hale came on as an offensive presence during the SEC slate last season.  His ability to stretch the floor by shooting the 3 was evident early in the year.  Hale never had a timid nature as it seems many freshmen have had in the past (see Trevor Lacey, Levi Randolph), but asserted himself from the start.  Shannon has a nice game and can get buckets in a variety of ways.  Hopefully his rebounding and defensive statistics improve in his second year at the Capstone.

#13 Senior 6'3 175 G Christophe Varidel
       The "Swiss Assassin" shot almost 50% from the 3 last year in the 5 games he played at Chaminade last season.  This included a 42(!!!) point outburst against Baylor.  The ability to really shoot the 3 from somewhere other than the point guard position has harmed  UA the last 2 seasons.  There were too many minutes with both Retin and Algie Key on the floor last season.  Defenses clearly did not defend them outside and it hurt our offense.  It was even worse before Levi Randolph asserted himself offensively late in the year. Christophe fills this void.

#20 Senior 6'5 205 G Levi Randolph
     Personally, I think Randolph has had a solid career at Alabama that goes well beyond the statistics.  The recent UA grad looked rusty at times early last season.  Something clicked late in the season however as he had scoring barrages of 33 and 24 against Mizzou and Auburn.  I look for Levi to continue to be a consistent, reliable player who will likely continue to start and contribute each game.

#21 Senior 6'6 215 F Rodney Cooper
      Cooper led the team in rebounding last season with a not-so-astounding 4.9 a game.  I think that's a good number for Cooper, just not for the team leader.  Cooper has often been asked to do too much for UA, including guarding 7 footers when the Crimson Tide is in foul trouble (and sometimes even when they are not).  However, with the addition of Kessens this year, hopefully Cooper can get back to being terrific on defense and having streaky games shooting the 3 pointer.

#23 Freshman 6'3 175 G Devin Mitchell
     Mitchell is another Tide freshman that is billed as a shooter.  His highlights are filled with a variety of shot making abilities.  It seems to me that we are stacked at his position, so even with his talent, I think it will be hard for him to see quality minutes this year, especially as he becomes familiar with his responsibilities within the Tide defense.  I hope he is humble enough to wait for his opportunities and I hope he's prepared for them when they come.

#32 RS Junior 6'1 205 G Retin Obasohan
      Retin has some unique basketball abilities to be certain.  His super leaping ability gives him opportunities at making plays that seem inhuman for a young man that's only 6'1.  Game after game, highlights were filled with blocks and dunks that showed off Retin's bounce.  His quick hands and chiseled frame helped him be close to the league lead in steals as well.  I look for Retin to have improved his shooting this season and continue to play quality minutes, even if he doesn't start.  I think Coach Grant really likes him as evidenced by the number of times he took Retin to interviews last season.

#35 Senior 6'6 215 Dakota Slaughter
     Slaughter is probably more known for his DJ and rapping abilities than his basketball game. Still, I can appreciate the hard work he puts in year by year with limited playing time as a reward.  Coach Grant did see it fit to give him a scholarship last season, and after years of working with the team, I'd say he deserves it.