I hate to say I told you, but I told you so...

Cooper jumps to #40 recruit in nation...

     Okay, we all get a little satisfaction being the little guy who trumps the big guy on occasion. Rodney Cooper has soared to number 40 according to Rivals.Com. Ahem...I told you so. Let me add one thing to that - its still to low.  His career at Alabama will prove me correct.

     So Bama has 3 recruits in the top 100. That number would be higher if JuCo prospects were added in the list. 'Bama may get Trevor Lacey as well, but I'm glad to see someone put all these Tide recruits in proper perspective.  I honestly think that Lacey, Cooper, and Randolph could be 5 stars. Let's say they are 4.5 right now.

     A lot of well respected recruiting analysts say that Bama's incoming human skyscraper, Moussa Gueye, 7-1 (2 or 3) was the preseason concensus Juco Player of the Year. Here's what MidStateHoops.com has to say about him.  Moussa Gueye 7’1” C Lake Land Junior College – "Gueye came to America as a Valparaiso commit but opened his recruitment after a stellar freshman season.  He’s the best prospect in the class due to his combination of athleticism, size, length, mobility, and skill.  He is a great shot blocker and rebounder and can score it from just about anywhere.  He also handles the ball pretty well for his size. He also has shown shooting touch outside the three point line."

     The top Juco player in the nation, and 3 of the top high school players makes this a steller class. In fact, I'd move us ahead of Arkansas as the #2 class in the SEC. Had Gueye been healthy this season all the talk would be about him coming in with Green, Releford, and Mitchell. What I'm trying to say is that with or without Lacey we have a stud glass. Perhaps the problem that Lacey has is thinking about having to fight Randolph and Cooper for the two guard position. Lacey has seen Randolph and Cooper up close and personal. Perhaps he's made his own personal evaluation which might tell us even more about this class.

   To all the "what happens if we don't get Lacey" cult here is what will happen. Nothing. Lacey is perhaps marginally a better player at this date, but he's 6-2. That is not short for a two guard, but he doesn't bring the lenght as Cooper and Randolph. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have Lacey. He's a shooter. But Cooper and Randolph are also great shooters. Lacey might be a little better on offense, but Cooper and Randolph will more than make up for that with defense.

    I'm not saying that 'Bama reinvented the wheel with this class. What I am saying is that this class ain't too shabby...

   


    

Bama has sights on another "Oh My" shooting guard...

Earlier this week I told you Bama was still recruiting...
     Another basketball player and that we'd have more information when we got it. We got it. Add the name of 4.5 star Joredan Adams from Oak Hill Va. Academy. Most hoop fans recognize the name Oak Hill Academy and equate it with quality and 4-5 start recruits. Adams fits that description to a T. Adam is a 6-6 swing man, probably destined to be a shooting guard if he signs with Grant. He weighs 220. Reminds me of Charles Cleveland with a better shot. He is 2012 prospect

    Adams is a who's who player and can play anywhere he wants to play. Here's the big deal for Tide fans. Adams was set to announce this weekend but pushed his signing date back because he wanted to take a trip to Tuscaloosa and Alabama. This is a wow moment in Tide recruting whether he signs or not. Here are a few of the schools that have offered: Syracuse, UConn, Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, Marquette, Memphis and now Bama.

I've seen the kid play one game. He is a horse, and still has plenty of upside for growth. Long and angular he is a perfect fit for Grants defensive system. Why does he like Grant. He likes the way they run and play defense. If you had ever seen Oak Hill play you'd get the idea that he is going from his prep school system to Division One and knows he is a perfect fit at 'Bama.

I'll have more on Monday at the lastest. Oh yeah, we are still recruting Lacey.

National view of Rodney Cooper laughable...

Cooper has the tools to be a great one...

     I just got finished reading another report on Tide signee Rodney Cooper. Give me a moment to pick myself off the floor from laughing. I'd bet my last dollar these so called experts have never seen him play. He is much closer to a 5 star than a 3 star. There is always room for disagreement but the ranking of RC is laughable not laudable. 


    He got my vote for Mr. Basketball this season. I have no problem with Trevor Lacey winning the award, nor would you have gotten a beef from me if Levi Randolph got the nod. No school in the nation has signed a better pair of guards that Cooper or Randolph. They can play all three guard positions if need arises, and their size 6/5 - 6/6 will make them defensive terrors under Grants pressing defense. It is easy to envision those quick hands and long arms stealing and deflecting passes. 


     It is also easy to envision both guards posting up smaller players down low and shooting over the zone. One additional observation is that each can shoot coming off the screen and create their own shots off the dribble. They also can slash to the baskets, and you'll see that a lot because you can't overlook their excellent outside shooting. 


Lacey or not?...
    Don't get me wrong. I'd love to get Lacey. But he plays a position where Bama has loaded up already, and that fact gets overlooked in his recruitment. It may well be a reason why Lacey is looking elsewhere. I think we all overlook that. Lacey has gotten all the publicity because he is one of the few good recruits left out there. Let me reassure all of the readers that whether we get Lacey or not the Tide has rung the proverbial bell at the guard position. Have three guards who can shoot is one of Grant's methods of equalizing talent and enhancing his press. You will see all three on the floor (assuming Lacey comes to Bama) with Releford handing out assists like he's throw Mardi Gras beads. Regardless, the Tide can go big or small next season. They can also go in between. I want to go on record in April and say that next season is going to be special if the chemistry comes together. How special? As good as it's been in Tuscaloosa in a long, long time. Sweet Sixteen? Yep. Elite Eight, just might happen. Final Four? Not out of the picture. Stranger things have happened. 
     

Time for NCAA to end one and done...

And two and I'm through...

Time for College Sports to grow up

     The time has arrived. All bad things must come to an end. I fully recognize that everyone has a Constitutional right to make a living. I don't think the NCAA has the right to say to a freshman you can't sign with the NBA. What the NCAA can do is put some type of sanction on schools that recruit one and done kids. Everyone knows discussions of this nature are about Kentucky. But a lot of schools have freshman leaving school every single year. 


     I recognize there are times when a college player may have to leave college because of a higher need to support his family. Here's what the NCAA  should do - when a freshman plays one year, has not completed his classroom work, the school that signs those players lose two scholarships the next season. If the school has freshmen that leave in successive seasons they lose four scholarships. If a college has a player that leaves after year two the school will lose a scholarship for each departure. 


     It is a pretty simple problem to correct. The NCAA and its member institutions are either in the business of education and playing sports, or they are in the business of playing sports and then educating.  Apparently, the NCAA just can't bring itself to acknowledge that they should have more in common with Socrates than Josh Selby and John Wall. The real villians are University Presidents who allow this to happen. 


     These men aren't really educators as much as they are accountants. They are not in the business of cum laude when an athlete graduates than they are in thank laude when a five star prospect signs his letter of intent. It must be hard in to balance the building of a Mecca to sports as well as highly regarded educational institution. I suspect that most of us would rather a dozen All-Americans than Rhodes Scholars. There is plenty of blame to go around if any of this is troubling to you. I bet most of this caused no lost sleep or bouts of conscious. We'd rather have a running back who could run over  State U. than a running back who might run State University one day. 


     Schools like Kentucky are not running sports programs. They are merely buying players under the cover of education. All of us should be pretty ashamed of our support for such a system. So what would be wrong with awarding a program for graduating players. Let's say that a college basketball team graduates one hundred percent of their players. Give them an extra grant in aid next season. Give them extra on campus visits, or have a special recruiting period for those schools. No dead period if you  graduate all your players. Let's assume a school graduates all their players for a four year period. Give them even more scholarships or some type of reward. 


     There are ways to put the education back into college sports if anyone really cares. My gut feeling is that people want to talk about education but really are interested only in the revenue generated. No doubt that revenue might help the Universities overall education status. It still stinks because schools are using non-scholars. It isn't unlike Plantation owners used slaves to make their own lives better. 

Lacey Kansas bound ?

Never count out Bill Self...

Self is an extraordinarily impressive coach

    I said it before and it bears repeating - never count out Kansas and Bill Self in any recruiting battle. Reports out of Huntsville are that Lacey and his father were almost giddy over Self's visit. Bottom line was that Lacey and his father have now scheduled a visit to Kansas to visit Dorothy and Toto. Expect him to commit. 


Let's be honest about something...


    I think it is possible that Lacey might yet come to 'Bama.  But somethings just can't be overlooked - Jack Doss has never been Bama's best friend in Huntsville (and he has reason to not be). But the main thing is this - If Lacey wanted to commit to Alabama he would have already done so. That is the nagging problem which has bothered me from day one. My friend in Huntsville told me today that Lacey was going to Kansas regardless of what Patrick Lamb does. By the way he announced he was staying at Kentucky another year. 


I tend to put a lot of credibility in what my source tells me. He has been wrong before but he seldom misses anything this big. I know Bill Self. He is a very impressive man. He is not more impressive than our coach but he has a lot to offer. Bill will also tell Lacey he will be his starting guard next season, which is something that Grant just won't do. Coach Grant may talk around the subject to the extent that only the village idiot would not catch on that he is starting.  But no outright promises. Lacey could have watched the Tide play this season, which he did 12 times, and know he would have started if he could walked down to the dressing room and suited up.


Family was very impressed with Self...


When a father uses terms like "awesome, wonderful, impressive, and honest," someone just hit one out of the park. Having been to Kansas many times I will tell you that Lacey will be overwhelmed by Jay Hawk support and tradition. But the problem Kansas has is that they are located in Kansas, and that's a long way from home. Not only is an impossible one day drive the airfare is very expensive. Not cheap way to Kansas or back.

aLnow or never. Self is recruiting a couple of more than average kids at shooting guard already. It may be Lacey's father who is not sold on Alabama. That's the feeling I've had since the start of this season. 

Lamb stays at Kentucky but it may not matter...

When Lacey return from Kansas and he has yet to make a decision Tide fans had better hope he does wait until the final day of signing to commit. In my opinion Bama has always been his second choice. The theory is that he would attend Alabama unless he found something better because his heart wasn't in line with common sense.  I hope I am wrong. This has been a wishy washy deal from the start. You might waffle with Auburn or Alabama. You don't waffle with Kansas. The top three schools in this nation in terms of historical importance are UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas. Sorry UConn fans you are good come lately.

I have no doubt that Lacey would fit well with Bama. And I have no doubt that Anthony Grant is is a better coach than Bill Self. When I was growing up my father, Big Bill, drew me aside in that odd way of his and said, "let me give you some advice" - never marry the first woman you sleep with. Lacey may be ready to do that in a week. No shotgun will be needed...

Hate this time of year...

Down to one prospect...

    All anyone wants to know is what is that last recruit going to do. What if I told you that Bama might be on one more kid? I'll update tomorrow. Back to Lacey. Here's today's handicap:

1. Bama - family was surprisingly impressed at A-Game with all the people who came to  their son for autographs, and photgraphs. Even a couple of kisses were thrown in I understand. Trevor loves Bama.

2. What is Patrick Lamb going to do? That is the main question on his mind. If Lamb stays Lacey will play, but it will be off the bench. I'm not sure how he will respond to
findind himself not being the man. Lamb is key.

3.  Kansas is coming in to make a big push in lieu of Selby going to the league. The family is not all that hot on Kansas because of where the school is located. Plus, they backed off of him when Selby told Self he was returning. Do not rule out Self who can charm the green off the Irish.

4.  UConn seems to have lost some ground in the last few days. Lingering questions about    the multiple offender statute and Calhoun have been discussed. And for the first time Calhoun's age was questioned.

5. Auburn - god don't get me started on Barbee and the Tigers. LOL. I know I say that but they are the wildest wild card of all. He could go to AU.

I talked with another recruting expert who has know Lacey since he was an eight grader and he said the guard was a tough one to get a read on. He thinks Bama or Kentucky with Lamb being a big deal.

Here is the deal of Durant and Carter. They were not told they wouldn't be renewed. Both had separately asked to have a meeting with Grant. Grant was honest about their future. He is helping them relocate. I can't help wonder if Durant thinks Lacey is on board.

Lacey is getting all the pub because he is the last holdout, but if anyone thinks he is key to a good class think again. Cooper has really stepped up his game from last season and is a star, and Randolph is second fiddle to no one.  Lacey would be another jewel in the crown of a great recruiting but not the only one.

Need some help...

Usually I'm giving out information but tonight I want some information. Actually advice. Many of you may recall that several weeks ago we offered our home in Hawaii to a Bama basketball fan for free for seven nights. The only thing we asked for was some feedback about what we needed to do for the home for people who will stay in the future when we rent as a vacation home.  We found a couple from Louisiana who accepted. They couldn't believe that anyone would do such a thing, and at first thought it was some gimmick. Of course it wasn't. We suggested a date to insure the work on the home was completed and no workers were around. Because of their schedule they insisted on a particular date. Earlier than we suggested, and that the work wouldn't bother them. We pushed our workers to finish up but a few things remained to be done. We told them they could use the upstairs of our home but the basement was not finished and was off limits for their safety. We called them on three occasions to see if all was well. No complaints. One problem about gaining interent access but that was because the wife didn't know how to use her connectivity to hit our wireless so I walked her through that.

Nothing after they left. No feedback, no thank you, zip, nada. After three weeks passed I sent them an email asking them for the feedback. Their response was to post on the rental website and complain about the home not being finished downstairs, dogs barking, no air conditionging (although we told them no one has air conditioning on the northern coast where our home was located before they left on the trip, nor does anyone have air conditioning) They even made some serious allegations about parts of the home being dangerous. By the way that was the area we told them they had no access. Not only did they rip us about what we had told them to avoid, they just made up a bunch of stuff that was lies. We have no idea why they would do this. Still don't. Luckily, the rental company did not print their review since we were not members of their site when they stayed.  We suspect we shamed them and they retaliated for failing to give us the feedback. Did I say 7 free nights in Hawaii for free???? What kind of people would do that type thing? We have decided they are low class rednecks or secret corndogs.

So here here is my question. What would you do in our situation? I have foregone the softball bat remedy in fear that their heads would break the bat. What kind of human beings would do such a thing?  Do you forget it and move on? Do you sue them for libel? I need some ideas. Worst of all is they claim to be Alabama fans. That is sick. Suggestions? Should I print their name for the world to see?

Thanks,

Bill

You have to wonder about Gottfried...

Knew the day would come, but...

Gottfried sets his sights on Lacy

     I guess we all knew that one day someone would hire Mark Gottfried. And, I suppose we all knew that he would recruit Alabama players. Is it just me or does it seem kind of disloyal for Gottfried to recruit Trevor Lacey?  Gottfried left Alabama either by resigning or being forced to resign (pick either). Ten years of taking money from the Capstone and about five of those were literally just taking it with no quid pro quo. 
          It seems to me that Gottfried is taking the remaining good will he has remaining with his University and is throwing it away.  You'd think he'd have the decency to wait a while.  He has known Lacey since the young man was an eight grader. Perhaps he will finally be able to recruit an Alabama player out of Huntsville, Alabama.


 Gottfried's future on Tobacco Road...
     At least he's not in the same league as the Heat and the Lakers. That's the good news. The bad news is that his team is on par with the Clippers about now. Not that North Carolina State is chopped liver. David Thompson and Jimmie V and all that is pretty good. Any ACC team is either good, really good, or great. State falls into the first category and they are hoping that Gottfried can take the to the next two levels. I wish him good luck because he is going to need it to succeed against North Carolina and Duke. Those other ACC teams are pretty good, even if the term overrated as a league come to my mind.


So how will 'Bama fans react to Gottfried recruiting in State... 
     I guess that was a pretty dumb question. Gottfried's already low admiration level is about to hit a new low. Not many people thought that was possible. Okay, Paul Finebaum thought it possible. I've already been hearing fans talk about just how bad recruiting Alabama in states kids will be to his reputation. I wish him good luck at State and I wish him no luck ever with any Alabama kid. 
     Mark recently said that his two years as a media talking head had made him a better coach. He mentioned Steve Lavin. Television kept Mark Gottfried from becoming irrelevant. I hope Mark does well. I'd like to see the man in the red jacket do well. I hope he's learned a lot in those two years. What he needed to learn had nothing to with basketball. Nope, not one thing to do with basketball. I listened to him accepting the NC State job. I heard a lot of coach speak. Didn't hear much about other types of lessons though. Perhaps it wasn't the venue. 

     I don't like the fact that he is turning his back on Alabama by recruiting Lacey. I know he is doing so to let the Wolkpack fan base know he's finished in Alabama. Perhaps someone should tell him that perhaps he should let a couple of seasons pass before dipping into Alabama. People are really forgiving in America. This won't help him here. He probably doesn't care or he hasn't given it any thought whatsoever. I think it is important for all of us to know he is finished in Alabama as well. Good Luck despite our differences...




Just a quick Lacey update:  Lacey will receive in home visits in the next 10 days from Kentucky, Kansas, NCState, Auburn, and perhaps UCONN (could not nail that one down)
Coach Grant and one other staff person (I do not know which one) this weekend and the visit went very well. No doubt Bama is in the picture. 


click to go back to TI
     
     
     

Josh Selby announces for NBA...

Kansas becomes player for Lacey signature with Selby's departure...

Selby tells Rock Chalk adeau

     This is where Anthony Grant's recruiting top players the University of Alabama becomes really tough. When Josh Selby the frosh guard from Kansas let the world know he had enjoyed his one year at Kansas every eye in the Jayhawk state looked South to Alabama.


    So here is what Grant is facing right now - UConn the national champion, Kentucky, a Final Four team, and Kansas, the team that most think should have won the national title are standing in line for Lacey's signature.  As I wrote in yesterday's post the top two Kentucky guards are set to test the NBA (without an agent) to help John Calipari lure Lacey to the Blue Grass State. UConn is losing the national player of the year who is a guard, and now Selby makes it an unholy trinity for Grant overcome. We better all hope that Lacey likes Grant and Alabama as much as I've been told. 


    Think about this logically - will Lacey say no to perhaps the top three programs in America to come to Alabama? If I was the Lacey family what would I think. Setting aside my feelings for Alabama I could honestly tell my son he's got to give some serious consideration to Kansas and Kentucky. I'll tell him that Calhoun is almost 69 years of age, going on probation and now is being investigated again. I could also say sooner or later Calipari is going to do to Kentucky what he did his last two schools, and that he is looking at the NBA the same way naval enlisted man looks at hookers after a duty posting at sea for six months. 


     But what do I tell him about Kansas? I can't tell him that Bill Self is a crook. I can't tell him that Kansas is Auburn except it's flatter. It is a great program where basketball is treated like the Hope Diamond, and Kansas players are special. You can start that list with Wilt Chamberlain. You can't tell them they can't contend. You can't say one word negative about Kansas except it's hard to get there from here. Or anywhere. 


     Of course, I could tell my son that Anthony Grant is building something special at Alabama and that you will be in the center of it all. You could tell him that his shooting ability will make him a household word in this State now and forever more, world without end, amen. That would be true. You could tell him he might be the greatest player in the history of Alabama basketball, at least potentially, and that wouldn't be a lie. You could tell him to look at Trevor Releford feeding him the ball and think about 20+ points per game, AND the NBA knows that Grant will have you ready. You can honestly tell him all those things and look him directly in the eye. 


     Here's the real problem for Grant. He is not going to badmouth Calipari or Calhoun. It's not his style. He will tell Lacey that Kansas is a great program. He could also tell him that it is in the middle of nowhere and surely you would like for your friends and family want to see you play every home game. That is a dangerous game to play with a kid, and Grant won't do anything that would harm Lacey. The best thing he can tell is Lacey is that the other schools really want him. Alabama needs to play and star immediately. He could tell him he will not be one of the stars of those teams,  he might be the super nova of Alabama basketball. He might say he needs him but he will not tell him he'll be the star. The star of an Anthony Grant team is the team, just as it is with other great coaches who have proceeded him at Alabama. He could also remind the young man that Kansas quit recruiting him when Selby told them he wasn't leaving. That would be truthful. He could tell Lacey that he is not a piece of a puzzle. He is the cornerstone of building. Grant's got some tough things to overcome, the least of which is his admirable character in this instance. 


    Alabama has an awful lot to offer Lacey. So do the other schools. Each has things to offer Lacey that Alabama can't offer him. On the other hand Alabama can offer Lacey a unique chance that the other schools can't do. I hope his mother and father are open minded enough to understand that. I hope they are not just looking at the short route to the league. Lacey can find the short route to the league at Bama just as well, and have so much more.


     What Grant can offer is Grant himself. He doesn't deal in sleaze or corruption. He deals in facts and honesty. I'm not sure that is the going to get you the top recruits in today's world. I'm not saying that Lacey would be subject to easy targeting for sleaze. I'm saying he's a kid. 


     And I don't even won't to talk about what Auburn might do. At least not today.return to tider insider

A new low for Calipari...

Calipari and Calhoun the captains
of sleaze and cheat are on Lacey
again. 

Lacey the center of Wildcat recruiting tactics...

     I suppose in a perfect world perfect things happen. In an imperfect world John Calipari happens. Calipari has been telling Trevor Lacey that his two top studs are planning on turning pro and will soon announce for the draft. That would be fair to Lacey except for one thing it is not true...

    The status of Brandon Knight and Terrance Knight are the subject of much speculation, but the best bet seems to be that neihter are going to be first rounds pick and have been advised that one more year will help best. Calipari is pushing the pair to announce and come back. Who knows?  It might be fair to say they could leave, but it isn't fair to say they are going to leave. Especially, to then come back merely to get a recruit or two.  Here is how bad, and such apparent cheats Calipari and Calhoun are. My basketball group of friends were laughing when UConn and Kentucky played in the NCAA Tournament. It was the only game that I've ever seen that there was an over/under on recruting violations. Calipari has had two teams vacate entire seasons because of his cheating, and Calhoun got caught again, and now appears to have lied ot the NCAA after they caught him. Yes sir, that's where I want my kid to play basketball. Well maybe if you are going to be a politician or wall street big wig. Calhoun and Calipari are the perfect example of what is wrong with college basketball. The NCAA is why they get to keep coaching. They are good coaches. They rank among the best coaches in America - I think. If they didn't cheat to get good players you have to wonder how good their coaching would actually be. None of this is good news for a program like Alabama who will not cheat.  I have long maintained that the only three current coaches I have never seen cheat in the SEC are Donovan, Pelphry, and now Grant. They have experienced a things that have put their own lives into perspective and I respect each of them for the kind of men they remain to be.

Calipari and Calhous, Cheaters...

    Trevor Lacey, who seemed pretty certain where he was going to attend, is suddenly being torn from Conneticut to Kansas. I feel sorry for Anthony Grant. He's done everything right to land Lacey. And more importantly he has done it honestly. Look at Grant's situation. He is facing recruiting avalanches from Barbee, Calhoun, and Calipari. None of those names exactly rank high on the recruiting mountain of ethics. While Barbee has never been directly linked with any major events but he he worked for Calipari. You have to wonder if the apple falls far from the tree. Calipari is a cheat, and Kentucky knew it when they hired him. They sold their basketball soul to the devil. I bet CM Newton threw up. Calhoun is one of the biggest cheats in college basketball history.

    He cheated so bad that the NCAA gave him three game suspension. I've had enough of the cheating in the NCAA. I've had enough of the NCAA winking and looking the other way. I'm very tired of honest men like Anthony Grant, Billy D, and John Pelphry trying to do their job within the lines, while other men are allowed to run roughshod by the NCAA.

    If Alabama doesn't land Trevor Lacey he won't be because Lacey doesn't want to attend Alabama. He does. It may yet attend the University. If not, it may be for other reasons that 18 year old kids can't yet put into proper perspective. Perhaps they can't because grown don't always do the right thing. I hope as Alabama fans we can all remember that honesty is its own reward. It may not seem like it in the short run but in the long run truth prevails.  If I sound down about Lacey it is because I sense something about to happen that we probably won't like. I could be wrong. Perhaps Lacey and his family are above all the hype and cheating. I'll tell you that Alabama and Kansas won't cheat. Bill Self, who watched the Kansas come up dry from the arc might be tempted. So could Grant who had only one shooter and now he's gone. But he will not cheat. This is one reason why we should all be very proud of Grant. He is a good man on so many levels.

Self 

   We are not just lucky to have Grant. We are blessed to have Grant. Yesterday I turned 64 years old. You have a lot of looking back when you are 64. You tend to remember the mistakes and not the better judgement at times. I don't think Grant will have a lot of looking back. I do know that at 34 winning seemed important regardless of how you did it. After all everyone cheats, right? At  age 64 I've concluded winning by cheating isn't fair, nor is it morally correct. It isn't even winning. I still maintain all this cheating started with coaches started wearing Armani and not crew neck sweaters. I'm just saying...

Rating Tide basketball recruits...

So how well has Grant done with the ink pen?

Randolph picked Bama over Butler

     We know the man can coach. Can he recruit as well as he can coach? The two go hand and hand. Great recruits can make good coaches. So exactly where does the Tide stand with its recruiting class heading around the turn and into the stretch run. Most publications have 'Bama in the top 18 or so. Nationally,  that is very respectable. It would be higher if people knew just how good Rodney Cooper really plays the game.  Here's how I see them and how I rate them. I do not personally rate players by the star systems for coaches. I will today to give you some comparison to other ranking services.


1. Rodney Cooper - may be the most underrated player in the Deep South. His days of flying under the radar is over. He was recently named a Parade High School All-American. This young man can score from anywhere and has a deadly outside shot. Take heart Tide fans here comes a down town Freddie Brown. The southpaw is equally adept at taking it inside. He needs to get stronger and put some bulk on his 6-5 200 lb. frame. Hmm... more like one 190 tops. His top game of the season was 53 and 16 rebounds through only 3 1/2 quarters. Keep in mind that high school games are 8 minute quarters. A couple of well known services rate him as 3 star player. I'm writing this from Mars if he is a three. Let's say a solid 4 stars with tremendous upside.  He may be the best player that Grant signed. Put it another way, he may end up being the best player in a great class. Will contribute early particularly against zones. He is a good defensive player and will get some minutes due to his work ethic and length. He loves the Tide's hard defensive ethic and run til you die game.



2. Levi Randolph - Levi is the best known Tide recruit.  He was selected at the Class 6A Player of the Year. That is no small honor for a high school senior. Levi is a great ball handler and can swing between the small forward and two guard. He is the most versatile of the Tide recruits. I bet Anthony Grant salivates over his defensive potential. He is long and lanky yet has power packed into his 6-5 200 pound build. The season long debate regarding Randolph was whether or not he or Lacey were the top dogs in Huntsville. Each had their supporters. Lacey might have the most immediate impact, but Randolph has so much upside it is scary. 4 stars at a minimum. Top 75 national player. Will contribute early.  Randolph will tell anyone that Anthony Grant's style of hard nose defense and running game swung him to the Capstone. This may be one of the hardest working superstars I've ever seen.

3. Nick Jacobs - is 6-8 and weighs 250 pounds, easily. The Atlanta South big man was one of three D1 prospects on his team. Nick broke a hand late in the season and knocked him out of the Mr. Georgia Basketball race. I suspect his signing with Bama hurt him more though. Think a little Reggie King when you visualize Nick. I'm not saying he is another Mule. He's got the tools. He was First Team All-Georgia on the AJC list. He was also top 75 national player. Will contribute very early. He is easily a 4 star player. Jacobs will fit into the grab the ball off the glass and fly offense, but will do just as well looking for the rock on the block

4. Moussa Gueye - 7 feet and 275 lbs of "you can't move me from the lane." Without a doubt Bama's most intriguing player. Has three years left to play. Was on the Juco All-American pre-season team and then got hurt. Moussa will allow Green to abuse other power forwards next season rather than post players. Gueye will almost make it impossible to seriously double down on any Bama inside player and will allow Green to increase his shooting range. Green will not pick up as many fouls. I've spent some time talking about how he will help Green. How will he help Alabama? If it is airborne he will block it. If it bounces off the rim he can claim it. He is going to alter more shots than Health South Accountant adjusts profits and losses. 4 stars and you have to wonder what he might have been had he not been injured.

This is the best class since Mark's first season at Bama. If Bama adds Lacey it will be a top 7 class easily. Regardless, the Tide has rung the proverbial bell by signing four gifted kids. Right now the Tide has 2 of 3 of Alabama's best player. One of the top 3 kids from Georgia, and the best interior player from the Juco ranks. Can he recruit? Ask anyone who played VCU in the NCAA field. 

Anything less that a bid and a couple of wins in the NCAA is going to seem awfully disappointing to me. Let's assume these new players develop chemistry with the vets. "Oh, My" as Dick Enberg used to say. The question in my mind is whether any of these kids will be a junk yard dog like Old number 44. Can anyone defend like Scenario. Don't forget Carter and Durant. 

Final thought: When the 7th day of April broke light Anthony Grant was in Huntsville by 9:00 AM. How did the visit go? It went good, very good. Look for Lacey to break bread with press on the 22nd or 23rd.  Lacey was just named as a Parade High School All-American joining Rodney Cooper on that prestigious list. 


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Lacey pushes announcement date back...

State's Mr. Basketball will wait another week...

    Trevor Lacey, AAAA Player of the Year, and recently selected a second time for Mr. Basketball in Alabama was pushed his proposed April 13th date for his college selection date back a week "or so".
Lacey is considered by many a one and done type player. I'm not sure that is correct but he is one heck of player. He averaged over 30ppg this season and has received over 120 offers.

     At one point the Huntsville senior was considered a lock for the Kentucky Wildcats. While Trevor has not eliminated the Big Blue he has received a strong push for his signature by Anthony Grant's Alabama Crimson Tide.  This weekend Lacey is visiting Lee County and the Auburn Tigers. Lacey also continues to list the Kansas Jay Hawk's as well. Let' take an educated quess at where he will end up.
This list is in no particular order.

1. Kentucky - If you play basketball in the Deep South who wouldn't have to consider playing for the Wildcats. Great tradition, wonderful facilities, fervent fans, and good coaching are strong pulls. The key question in my mind about Kentucky is whether the top Wildcats are going to stay in Lexington. The concensus seems to say they'll play another year. If they stay one more year then Lacey's going to KU is headed south.

2. Alabama - no doubt the last three quarters of the Alabama season impressed Lacey. So did hearing 15,000 fans spontaneously chanting your name on seveal occasions. Grant is going to put Alabma on Kentucky level in the future according to most. If Lacey looks at what the Tide has returning and their problem with a scoring guard he knows that "instant playing time" is likely. I thought that Lacey was going to commit to Bama on the 13th.  I understand that Lacey and Releford has talked several times about coming on board at Bama.

3. Auburn - Look, when AU is involved anything can happen. Barbee is a good coach and great recruiter. He can promise the kid a starting place. Who knows what else he has been offered and by whom? A hard but realistic question. The Tigers have a new building and no stars. Lacey could be the man at Auburn. I find it hard to believe that a serious player would consider the Tigers.

4. Kansas - Never count Kansas out of anything. If you saw the bricks the JayHawks put against VCU you could understand why Lacey might think about Kansas. They have tradition to equal Kentucky and basketball is the main sport in Kansas.  Never, I repeat, never count out Kansas.

5. Someone else - Lacey has been pretty tight lipped about his choice of schools. He is getting pulled and tugged in many direction. Is it possible that a dark horse might come on strong down the stretch.

6. Junior College - I will not talk about Lacey's scholastic standing. Junior College is always a choice for some players. We'll see.

My best belief -

Without going into what I know vs. what I have been told I think Bama is slightly ahead, but I have to admit this second trip down to Lee County raised my eyebrows. Three weeks ago I never heard him mention AU.

Gottfried lands on his feet at NC State...

A good job for anyone...

    I hope that Mark does a great job at NC State. He's already got a bright red jacket to kick off next season. Even though Mark took Alabama to heights unknown before ( #1 ranking for a week, and an Elite Eight) something happened to him.

    Rumors continue to swirl about his personal life. Maybe that is what caused his career ending swoon at Bama. I don't know and really don't care. Mark really wanted the Utah job.If anyone thought that Utah, the home of Mormons, was going to hire Mark they just don't understand the religious concept of that faith and their communities. Foregiveness is not one of their strongest virtues so to speak.

    But NCState is the ACC. That is big time. State is not an insignificant program by any stretch of the imagination. They have won a national title, and have always been a contender except the last 12 years. That happens to programs. That is where Alabama was headed until public pressure forced Mal Moore to step in and start over. That is what Mark Gottfried is going to be forced to do at State.

    Maybe that makes Mark and State a good fit. I believe that Mark can coach when properly motivated. We all believe he can recruit but I'm not one of those who just say that to be the truth. I think he recruited good players but he had a lot of personality problems with his top recruits such as Gerald Wallace. But all that is history. Gottfried now embarks on a new start and I have always believed that everyone deserves a new start. Mark wasn't the first choice of State. He may have been the fourth choice but the main thing is he got a second chance. Who knows what this hire will look like in five years?

    Part of my problem with Mark was a couple of things that were personal. I don't really want to go into them. Those things made me angry but not so angry it caused me to become unobjective. The marriage of Mark and Alabama was going to end in divorce one way or the other. It might have been ugly or it might have been uncontested. In the long run Mark did the right thing for his family and the Bama Nation. I hope he is sucessful. Being stuck dead in the middle between North Carolina and Duke isn't easy. Roy and Mike showed they are human after all by stumbling in the NCAA, and a new wind is blowing on tobacco road today. Mark had his problems in Tuscaloosa but you can bet your last dollar that the ACC will take notice that he is on the bench. People often make the best of a second chance. For Gottfried this is also a final chance.

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Grant's not leaving to go anywhere ...

BAMA COACH STAYING IN TUSCALOOSA...

    

Sweet Home Alabama
for Antony Grant

     I keep hearing Bama fans expressing fear that Grant is leaving Alabama. Now, the school de jour is Miami. Anthony Grant is going to be the first basketball coaching in Alabama history to make more than 2.5 million and the cabinets are loaded for the future seasons. You might have to use duct tape and throw him in the backseat to make him leave.

     Miami is a dead end job. No one has succeeded there. It is the Auburn of the ACC. I'm not saying that Miami is never going to have a good program. Same for Auburn. From time to time both schools will do well for short stretches of time.  Long term prognosis for both? The patient is terminal. Alabama has more money to throw at basketball than Anthony Grant could ever spend. Grant can use that private jet to bring any recruit from anyplace in the world, that's right world, not just the USA, to recruit.

     He can show the recruits the absolute best dressing room in the SEC, maybe the entire NCAA. Bama's strenght area (old time weight room) is the best in the NCAA. Bama's strenght coach is the tops in his profession and he has both the athletes and attitude to prove that. Bama's arena is a great arena and some of the seating changes have made it a pit. It's not a modern arena until you get inside. Then it will rank with anyone. Maybe Bud Walton Arena is better. Lexington has more people but has no adavantage in fan support when the two arenas are sold out. At least that's true in decibels per fan.

     Grant also has a AD who will back him in anything he wants short of paying cash to recruits. I wondered if Vegas has set an over/under on recruiting violations for the next UConn and Kentucky game as far as coaches are concerned. I get the feeling that Bama won't cheat because Grant won't allow it. Any coach that has ties with John Calipari is subject to scrutiny whether fair or not. It is just a matter of time before Kentucky gets in trouble. They can't claim no mea culpa because Kentucky was warned by the NCAA about Calipari for past gigs at UMass and Memphis. The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior. Are you listening AU? Aubie better be careful. When you hire a cheat it also says something about the value system in which you believe.

     Bottom line is that Alabama is going to be one of the most coveted jobs in the NCAA in the next five yeaers. Grant's next move won't be lateral. When you are near the top it is harder to find a better job.

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Tide remarkable season is just the beginning...

'Bama's future is looking good...

     Got a response from a reader who said that my optimistic outlook on Bama basketball caused this blog to lose credibility.  What planet is that guy living on? How can you look at next season and not think great things? Sure, things have to fall into place.

     You start with a great player in JaMichael Green. Then, let's add a rapidly improving Tony Mitchell. Trevor Releford is the other returning starter. How can a freshman be that good a point? How good is he going to be when he has a better jumper and three point shot. He also has a full season under his belt to learn the motion offense and his players.

    Now, to that mix add a seven foot pre-season JUCO All-American, Nick Jacobs who is a real player. I mean this kid can play immediately. After that throw in a little ball handling and long range bombing from Levi Randolph. Rodney Cooper was just named First Team Parade All-American. In my find he is more that steal for Bama. Chances are looking better that Trevor Lacey will attend Alabama. I think he'll be a Tider if Kentucky's two starting guards return, and he might be a Tider anyway. Auburn is offering him a lot, and you take that anyway you want too.

     After that throw in capable and steady back up Ben Eblen. Eblen may not beat you but he won't get you beat either. Who knows how much the big Swede will improve. I'll take Coach Grant's opinion of him over mine or yours for that matter. Kendall Durant is a good player. So is Carter. Early season injuries gave them a redshirt season I predict.

     I want everyone keep this in mind. The Tide did this without Knox who transferred to North Carolina. Demetrius Jemison transferred out. And we always forget about Avery Jukes. That kid going to Butler is the real cinderalla story, and look at his off court contributions to Africa.

     Despite Andrew Steele's two injuries and all the stuff mentioned above we won 25 games. Is that great coaching or what? More than that he has done on the court he has done honestly and ethically. And it may be unfashionable to say this but he has done so from the moral high ground. He makes me proud to be an Alabama fan. I've seen over 1000 Alabama games. That doesn't make me an expert but it does me a unique historical prespective. So to whoever it was that talked about the lack of credibility because I wrote about my firm belief of what is going to happen in the next few years in Tide hoops - nuts to you. If you can't see that you are blind as the fourth blind mouse.

Is it jus tme or does the Butler Bulldog, Blue, have a striking resemblance to my man Barkley. Hey, Charles I think they are scumbags also.


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