Alabama needs outside shooting...

Good Tournament teams have something in common...

     If you have watching both the NIT and NCAA Tournaments the separation between good and very good is outside shooting. It is the one thing that is a glaring weakness for Alabama. I'm not knocking Charvez Davis. When he's hot no one is better. Tony Mitchell has come on. Releford makes a few. But what I am talking about is a couple of ice in their veins downtown bombers. I'm talking shooters with no conscious. Remember Astronaut  Jones, in the Dan Jenkins' books?  AJ was open at half court. AJ came out of the locker room shooting. And that, is what Bama is missing. When the Tide is on from the outside we beat everyone. And we beat them badly.

     Bama is undefeated at home. 19-0 is quite a feat. Davis his hitting around 42% at home. He is shooting 17% on the road. How many road games did 'Bama win this season? After the SEC the Tide was competitive in every game they played and in case we forget were tied with Elite Eight Florida at the half. With better outside shooting they would have been truly great. Give Grant a lot of credit for winning on one leg.

An old Jack Nicklaus saying is appropriate here...

     It goes without saying that Jack Nicklaus is still the greatest golfer who ever lived. One favorite saying that I heard Nicklaus say was "A good putter covers up a multitude of sins."  Outside shooting is what allowed VCU to go the Final Four from the 11 hole. Remember all the talk about VCU even getting an invitation in the first place. It's hard not to notice they play defense like the devil is about foot behind them. Good shooting covers up multitude of sins as well.

     Except for questionable in outside shooting the Alabama Crimson Tide has no real weakness. I guess if you are being really picky you can say a lack of depth.  For just a moment imagine Grant's charges with Releford, Davis, and Mitchell all being 40% outside shooters.  I think a couple of provisos are in order here. One, I doubt that any team which extends so much energy on the defensive end will ever have great outside shooting. Shooting threes is about technique and legs. When the legs go the technique goes as well. I can't tell you how many times I've had high school coaches as me to look at video and tell me what is wrong with there outside shooting. I always tell the coach to do me a favor before I look. Can you break down your shooting percentages by quarters. You invariably see a couple of things. First quarter shooting after the first minute is always higher than the second quarter. The second is almost always better than the third. The first half of the fourth quarter is generally pretty bad. Only in the last half of the fourth quarter when the adrenalin  is really pumping does shooting pick up again.

Future Bama Star Rodney Cooper

What's a coach to do? 

    The answer to the coach is almost always the same. You've got to get another player or two in rotation. Your players need to be in better shooting shape. By that I mean they need to work to make their legs stronger. Check their technique. Ironically, you see a lot better technique in high school than you do in college where athletic ability outweighs everything else.  That's not so important in high school. Same reason why outside shooting is generally better with teams like VCU and Butler. They don't always get the superstar. So they groom good players who are great shooters to muscle up and work hard. There is no way that VCU can beat Kansas. Absolutely no way the Jayhawks could be beaten by an 11 seed. What's a coach to do? Recruit pure shooters. Work on them like they are a Maserati, and let them start gunning and you'll have great outside shooters. Remember this - outside shooters can do their damage in short periods off the bench.

How VCU beat Kansas... 

Huntsville Star Trevor Lacey

12-25 from the three point line killed the Jayhawks. Imagine what Alabama could have been with 12-25 shooting from the outside this season. Tony Mitchell, Chris Hines, and JaMichael would have run wild inside. Those guys would be shooting lay ups all season. But the key is getting three or four of those shooters.I think Releford will get much better with some  work on his technique. Same for Mitchell. So what happens when you throw in Cooper, Randolph, and perhaps Lacey. Cooper is going to be the best player the Tide has recruited this season.

Randolph can fill it up

Lacey is coming to Alabama if the recruiting fields are level. Lacey is convinced that Lamb and Knight are coming back. He knows he can be more than a role player at Alabama. He is also considering AU.  If those are his final two choices I like our chances. Provided that all other things are equal Lacey is Alabama if he has eliminated Kentucky. I know after the Miami game he sure acted like he loved Bama. He acted like it while the game was going on as well.

 Hope to see many of you in NYC. I'll probably opt for a sports coat this year. Underneath that facade is the young man with hair down to his shoulders, red and white striped bell bottoms, and red patent leather boots. Oh yeah, I found those boots. Hmm....