Bama basketball recruiting - Part 2

Bama has landed some excellent insider players...

Newest Big man on campus

     We know that Bama landed the bling. Who did they get who can step into the ring? The Tide did just fine, thank you. Don't think for a minute that the Crimson treasure chest stopped with the instate three. The aircraft carriers in the middle, as Al McGuirre used to tell us, is where you ultimately win or lose.

Nick Jacobs - 6-8 power forward from Atlanta, Georgia.  Almost overlooked by many Tide fans this strong worker could fight for a starting position by the start of the SEC. Why? He is a perfect fit for Grant's system. He's been playing in a very similiar system similiar to Bama's while in high school. He is fourth Alabama player who was ranked in the top 100. Like Cooper, Nick is highy underrated. When I made the I-20 trip from Birmingham I had no idea what to expect. On the way back home it was one happy trip. Jacobs loves to play with his back to the basket and does a tremendous job getting his hip around the defender to shoot a lot of lay ups. He also has a soft running baby hook, and by the way he is another left handed shooter. The night I watched his South Atlanta team play he was dominating. I finally had to ask one of his family members if he was left or right handed. He loves shooting hook shots with either hand. You can't overplay him. That's big. He averaged 25 and 13 boards for the season. A late season injury hurt him in the Mr. Basketball race in Georgia. 

If Bama continues to play Green in the post then you can expect to see a lot of Jacobs early on. I'd rate him 9/10.  Strenght -  great all around game. Strong as an ox. Long as a rainbow. This kid is going to be radioactive before he is through in Tuscaloosa. Weakness - I can't really think of a thing.  Listen closely to what Coach Grant says in early camp. If the coach talks about him a good bit he's fit at the four.

Long and a streak of mean on the floor

Moussa Gueye - The big 7 foot center was considered to be the odds on favorite for JUCO 1st team All-American. The he suffered a stress fracture. That turned out to be good for Bama. Gueye, who is from Senegal, had originally committed Valpo but after the injury he reopened his recruting. Final Three?  Bama, Texas, and USC in that order. What does that tell you? He is already a defensive force inside. He needs to improve his offense but who better to work against than Green. This was a really big time recruit for Bama and one who could potentially change the entire complexion of Bama's half court game. He's not a bad guy to have at the bottom of the diamond on Bama's full court press either.

Strenghts -  He is big and strong. He is an excellent shot blocker with good timing on when to committ to the block. High energy. He's a leader. Weakness - He had a really serious fracture in a support bone in his foot. His recovery had not been easy, and needs some more time to heal? Redshirt? 8/10 but would be higher if you knew he would be fine physically.

Retin Ojomah - 6-2 guard from Antwerp, Belgium... Hard to get a lot of information on him. Here's my take - Grant didn't have to use that scholorship. He could have quit at five but thought enough about Retin to offer. I finally got a couple of people to give me some of their personal insight on him. I was told he was a winner and a very, very intelligent player. Great ball handler and has an explosive first step off the dribble. His team is really into East German explosiveness training. At 6-2 he's very muscular and strong. He is a solid 205. The best thing I heard about him was that "he never seems to make a mistake."

Hard to say what a recruiting service would rank him. He also had offers from two Big East schools and a  bevy of smaller NCAA teams. He turned down the chance to play professionally. I suspect he'd be a four star but that would just be a guess.

     The football fans like to talk about Nick Saban's process. It is exactly the same for Grant except he really can't afford to miss on many players due to scholorship limits. Let me say it this way. - I bet I'm as happy to have Grant (as you all know) as football fans are having Saban.

    

Bama recruiting review...

The Tide enjoys top five class...

     When any team has the success that Alabama has had signing great players expectations are going to be sky high. Let's all take a deep breath and think about Grant's recruits and put them into perspective.  Let's talk about them as individuals and then speculate how coach can plug them into his team for next season. We should all remember that all the recruits have never played Divison 1 basketball.

1. I cannot provide you any information about our latest recruit. I've tried. I even called a couple of my clients who play ball in Europe. Sorry to not be able to tell you more.

Trevor Lacey: This is the public bell cow of the class. The 6-3 combo guard out of Butler High School garnered his fifth star in Rivals, but stayed a four in Scout. It is hard to think of a shooting guard that is better than Trevor anywhere in the Country. He is two-time Mr. Basketball. Last player to do that? Ronald Steele was the man, and Trevor is certainly in his category. So what does he do best? He can knock down more three pointers than the entire Alabama team made last season. The implies he can learn to play defense so he has a chance to shoot them under Grant's strict system. He will. He has a good work ethic, and has outstanding character. Jack Doss who is the best high school coach I've ever seen calls him the best player he has ever coached. Imagine a 55% three point shooter playing with Releford. That is going to be drive and dish marathon this upcoming season for Alabama. He will play early, might start, and could be one of the most memorable scorers to ever be recruited. He is strong. He has court sense. Great court sense.  I'd score him a 10/10 and not blink an eye. Strong point - Great shooter with unlimited range. Great offensive talent who can also drive to the basket. Question to be answered:  This is a new offensive scheme for Lacey. It will be interesting to see if Grant tries to install more outside picks to free him up. Bama's motion offense is based on getting the outside shooter open with ball movement.

Levi Randolph: Here is the question of the year in Huntsville? Who's better - Lacey or Randolph.  I don't know. They are that close. Randolph is a better all around player than Lacey and that says a lot. Whether he can have an instant impact like I expect Lacey to do is a good question. He's 6-5 and is long. He does everything very well. He has no weak points in his game. He can jump over the rim. He can knock down threes, and slash to the basket. Honestly, he has no apparent problems other than where to play him? I think he'll be a two, but can also play the small forward as well. Yes, he can play the point as well. I rate him 10/10 and believe he has more upside than Lacey. If he were a golfer I'd compare him with Nicklaus. He isn't the greatest player at anything, but he does everything so well, the sum of his game is outstanding. He has court sense, and is very intelligent.  His work ethic is good. He and Lacey are good friends. They will give one another an instant support group. He is as impressive as an all around player we will see.  If you were playing half court and got first pick you'd probably take Randolph over Lacey.  That is a lot to say: Strenght: Has no  real weakness. Is a winner. He's go to guy, and he is going to be a great defensive basketball player.  Question to be answered: His all around talent may keep him out of the starting lineup. What a great problem for Grant to have.

Rodney Cooper:  The Rodney Dangerfield of the Class. Rodney may very well get the last laugh. He is 6-6 and plays long. He is the best outside shooter I've ever seen. He has no conscious in shooting.  Any shot he takes is a good one. He is also going to be a great defensive player. You have to man up with him on the perimeter, and then he'll beat you to the basket. He probably improved more in one season than any player I have ever personally seen. He is the absolute steal of the nation. Finally got some recognition at the very end of the season. He is calm and collected. Would be a great player to take a final shot to win a game. Like Randolph,  he deserved to ranked higher. If he weighed a little more he'd be a five. If he was stronger he'd weigh more. The weight room might make him an All-American. I can't imagein he won't be an All-SEC player. Plug him and Lacey into the same line up and JayMicheal Green is going to shoot a lot of layups and Releford will get 10 assists a game. When Cooper is on the floor there will never be any defensive balance. That is quite a compliment for a kid that started out with three stars. I'm telling you this kid is going to bloom. 9/10. Strenghts:  He's a deadly shooter with unlimited range. Question to be answered: How quickly can he gain weight and bulk up?

Part two latet this week.

    

An apology overdue...

Sorry Trevor I misunderstood you...

     I grew up in Blount County, Alabama. My parents, Big Bill and Carolyn Ellis, taught all of their children at an early age that when you are wrong about something you apologize. Trevor, I wrote this article which suggested you may have been a prima dona. I feel pretty certain that Jack Doss has already made you learn what that phrase means if he still does the word a day drill.

     You are certainly not a prima dona. You are a solid citizen and I've heard that from about a million emails after I wrote my blog wondering if you eating up the glory. I now understand you were having a really tough time in deciding what you really wanted to do. I've been in the your shoes (not the basketball ones) many times. Sometimes it takes a lot of praying and thinking about what you should do.. Some things are easy, like writing this public apology. Son, I was wrong about you and I hope you will accept my sincere apology.

    I hope that my error will serve as a example to you that even adults, old adults, can make some pretty stupid mistakes. That article ranks right up there at the top of dumb things I've done and things I'm not proud of doing. People who know me will tell you that you will not have a bigger fan in the BamaNation than me. Had you gone to Kentucky I would have been a big fan as well. If you had gone to Auburn I'm not so sure. Only kidding. Remember this - this difference between class and ass is only two letters. That's not much. I hope you understand. Roll Tide and don't be afraid to shoot even when the coaches get mad. Shooters have to shoot. And you, young man, are a shooter, and a class act from every source I've spoken with.

Holy three-pointer Batman - 'Bama gets Lacey

No decision until this morning...

     When Trevor Lacey  went to bed last night he was down to Alabama and Kentucky but still wasn't sure what he was going to do. Early Wednesday morning I got several calls from people I know who said, "We got him"?  They were a little vague on how they knew, but it was clear they thought they knew. I made two calls. I knew we had him.  So as it turned out Lacey was not a much closed mouthed about where he was going as he was undecided. My fear that he was a Prima Dona was wrong. Sorry Trevor. He just didn't know. His close friend Levi Randolph always thought he'd end up as his teammate at Alabama. 


     I thought Kentucky would get him. It must have hard to turn down the Wildcats who offered the young man everything he said was important to him. Please pass me the salt and pepper. I need a little flavor to eat crow.  I've  never been  happier to be wrong. Alabama's signing class went from very, very good to exceptional. If you take the highest ratings that any service ranked the class Alabama signed two five stars in Randolph and Lacey, the Pre-Season number one Juco player who would be a five, a four star power forward who was almost a five star, and Rodney Cooper who ended up a four because the national ranking services were probably embarrassed to misjudge a player so badly. People ask me all the time which of the recruiting services I think is more accurate. Here's what I tell them. Rivals is probably closer to where a player is the day they ranked him. Scout is invariably better in factoring in up side of players. The one most important to me is the one my own eyes tell me. We did better than good. This is the best class since Gottfried's first class. 


    Alabama shut out every D-1 program in the state in getting the best players. Then to win a highly publicized battle with Kansas and Kentucky for Mr. Basketball in Alabama was icing on the cake. More than that it shows Tide fans and the nation that Anthony Grant is not just talking about winning a national championship he is quietly building a team that could do it. That is just what he did at Florida when he was the big dog pulling in all those great players who did win a national championship. 


Lacey's signature is more important than just his skills...


     The signing of Trevor Lacey is a lot more that the how good he plays. It is who Alabama beat to get him. Let me also say this. Had Cooper and Randolph waited until the last tick of the clock to sign the excitement over them would have been every bit as great. In Cooper and Randolph the Tide as two superior players who can shoot and defend.  It never hurts to have a third one. Now Lacey has to beat out those two to win a starting position. As Lacey knows all to well that is not a given. That is how good this signing class really is. Lacey is like a microwave. Instant offense from the perimeter. He is also splendid in coming off the pick and shooting. Lacey and Cooper will use their lenght to accomplish the same thing. In Huntsville the argument persisted for five years about who was the top player in Huntsville. Both camps are right. The players are hard to compare. Each is great in his own way. And then there is Cooper, who one day is going to cause a lot of comparisons. Remember Keith Wilkes? After all that hoopla let's remember Bama has done as well inside the paint  as well as they did outside the perimeter. Guys, this is uncharted waters for the Tide. I can't wait. 

Back to the Boards with Tider Insider Here

Lacey reportedly eliminates Kansas and Auburn

According to a source close to the family of Trevor Lacey it appears that Kansas and Auburn have been eliminated in the grand finale of the late NCAA signing period.  I respect this source and don't take his information lightly. As we all know many have felt it was Kentucky or Alabama that was likely to land the signature of the Butler High School Star.

I know this. If this is true it means that Alabama must still be in the running for Lacey. But guys, I'm still of the opinion that Kentucky is the leader. And as I've said before it would not surprise me if he signed with Kansas. In other words, nothing would surprise me even if Lacey announced he was going to Europe or the Middle East. Well, probably not that but I still believe that Kentucky is the leader but stay tuned we still have until 2:15 tomorrow afternoon to speculate.

Many analysts believe that Lacey is the best player this state has produced in a decade. I know he's very, very good and he can score.  A player with Lacey's shooting ability coupled with Bama's great point play and the inside presence of two All-SEC forwards would make Alabama a national player and a pre-season favorite to win the SEC West or the league title.

For those who have not read Tuesday's regular blog you can access it below by looking in May.

Final Answer?

The long wait is over...

    You remember that game show where the contestant was trying to win a million dollars. The contestants were given four choices. Once they picked on the host would try to get them tor change their minds. In the end he always asked, "Final answer"? So it goes with Trevor Lacey. The gifted high school player is finally ready to let the world know what goes in the mind of an 18 kid being courted like royalty.

I think that Alabama, Kentucky, and Kansas are the finalists. Auburn and two of those three will be bridesmaids. I have a pretty good idea (finally) who he is going to pick. And even then I'm not 100% sure.

Experts consulted...
     I've done all I could to get some information from Lacey short of asking him at the point of a Glock pistol. I don't know what he is going to do tomorrow but after his basketball career the CIA is a good bet. This kid keeps his mouth shut. So does his family, and I have too much respect to ask Jack Doss. Although I bet he doesn't know for sure.
    

     I have had long email exchanges with five guys who I believe are the best recruiting experts in the nation. They all say words or words to effect, "this has been really bizarre". All sorts of rumors regarding grades and eligibility are out there. I bet he is eligible. While all five of my friends explained why he should go to one of the three above but final answer when it came down to two school it was either Kentucky or Kansas. As one guy put it "if Anthony Grant gets Lacey he will eventually win a national championship at Alabama." I asked him if he thought Lacey was that good. "He's good all right, but what I mean is if Anthony can overcome Kentucky and Kansas he can get enough good players to eventually win it all"?  Good point.

UCONN is eliminated...

     As predicted Lacey cut UConn. Too far, too cold, and too many questions regarding what is going on in the program right now with the NCAA. He hasn't eliminated Auburn in public but in private I understand he isn't going to the Plains. Not enough juice to do anything nationally is what I heard he said. So that leaves  the big three.

So who is it going to be?

     Let me start this by saying I believe I know but am not a 100% sure. I've talked with friends, people who are close to the high school, and a couple of AAU people who claim to know something. I think tomorrow Lacey is going to pull a hat which says KENTUCKY. I've never wanted to be wrong more. But this kid wants to play offense for one season and then turn pro. Whether he likes it or not he'll have to do a lot more at Bama.



    

Spring is here and golf awaits us all

Just a change of pace...

     As soon as the late signing period is over I start some serious thinking about golf. The Master's kicks it off for most Southern boys. Last Thrusday I had a chance to play at Farmlinks which is almost in the middle of nowhere. It is very a very attractive course, and with four sets of tees you can find the ones that suit your handicap best. The course was perfect. We played it down and the greens were perfect. I have to say that having 18 different types of grass was a little odd, but what ever the kind they rolled true.

The fairways are as wide open as the Texas plains. Miss a fairway at Farmlinks and you have hit something nowhere in your game plan. The traps were well maintained, and the practice area is outstanding. The cost is 135-150 for a round, but that includes lunch, snacks, the practice tee, and god forbid - mango scented towels on the course. I might rethink that one. 


It was a fun place to play. The par threes are all memorable. The par five are not two shot greens for most of us. The par fours are the heart of the course however. The address is nominally Sylacauga but it seems more like 10 minutes outside of Childersburg. You get rewarded for good shots, but expect to pay for the really bad ones. It was my first time on the course and I enjoyed it immensely. At that cost it won't be but a once a year trip for me.


The Best Courses in the State...


     We all have our favorite courses. That doesn't make them good tracks however.  In no particular order I think the best courses in our State are Pine Tree, Kiva Dunes, RTJ in Gadsden, Goose Pond Colony, Limestone Springs, the Wharf, the Senator, and Cambrian Ridge.  Courses I think are overrated are Ross Bridge, and those two horrible rock pits in Oxmoor Valley, and a few more come to mind. I generally find the RTJ courses overrated although two nines, one in Gadsden and one in Greenville are great nines. 


What are your favorite courses?


     Be sure to post your favorites. I'm always looking for new places to play. I've always thought it would be nice if Rodney had a TiderInsider Golf Tour. Combine a little golf with a little recruiting. If you like that idea let's let the world's best recruiting guru know. On the 18th I have a tee time and then I think I'll drop by Butler High School to catch a little of the action.

Is Lacey Tide bound?

Kentucky fans don't  sound positive he's a Wildcat...

Nation's eyes turn to Huntsville on Sunday

     The recruitment of Trevor Lacey has taken a life of its own. Every fan board you read seems to imply he is going somewhere else other than their home school. Today, it was Kentucky's day to sing the blues. (sorry).

     Common wisdom or the lack thereof has him a Wildcat, a Crimson  Tider, or a JayHawk. The kid couldn't go wrong with any of those choices.  Two great programs, one program ascendng like a rocket and three great head coaches. Trevor's recruitment had already taken on urban myth levels and then he got his fifth star. He now has entered the levels of Greek Mythology. For four schools the recruitment will end like a Greecian tragedy. Every day I get calls from all over the Deep South asking me "where" or "what do you think". I don't really know.

     Over the years I have developed relationships with lots of coaches, players, sources, agents, and bagmen for AAU coaches. I can't get anyone to say where they think the young man is going. Like me, they have no idea. Well, that may not be exactly true, but I can honestly say I don't absolutely know. The other day Trevor himself said he likely wouldn't know until he picked up the hat of choice. Good grief, this is sounds more like bingo night down at the lodge hall rather than an annoucement ceremony.  I can give you great reasons why he can pick any of the five remaining contenders and all make sense. Making sense isn't one the hightest criteria for signing with a school for some kids.

     I have an ex-wife, good lady and great mother of our daughter. She voted for Richard Nixon one year because she like the ties that Sprio Agnew wore. My own daughter won a lot of money at the track one night using her Bama theory. She always picked the horse whose stable colors where closest to Crimson and White. That included one horse named Bengal who won despite the strong ties to either LSU or Auburn.

     That is the level of choice some recruits use it seems. Lacey has given this long and considered thought. Like Mary in the Bible he has pondered these things. One of the hard things about any of us making a realistic pick is that all five schools have immediate playing time for a gifted two guard. That's not a coincident. Lacey knows that very well, and he's weighed his options carefully. I do believe he has made his choice and has known since the first of the month. After talking with people who know him they describe him as careful and thoughful. He is not impulsive.

     I believe he has eliminated schools one by one and got stuck on three schools. Each had their own opportunities to get his name on the line. I also know he wanted to take another ACT Test to improve his chances for being cleared by the NCAA, and I understand he's made it happen. Good for him. All this is just conjecture but... I think AU bit the dust first, and unless some odd things happen he won't be a Tiger. If you are an Aubie think Cam Newton because anything is possible. Probably UConn was the next to go because of distance and Trevor had a good understanding about how the community felf about Stanley Robinison when he went yankee.  He also must have some questions about what is going tohappen with Jim Calhoun as well.

     I lot of fans think that Lacey is one and done. I don't. He may be two and through but he's got show someone he can play defense as well as score in buckets. I've felt that Alabama, Kansas, and Kentucky were his serious choices. He had a love affair with Bill Self. After Selby annouced he was gone to the league Self stepped back in and sprinkled magical recruiting dust on the Lacey family and they all but became Self groupies. I guess we'll find out if is is really love or just a summer fling so to speak.

     All the advantages go to Kentucky. Go Big Blue, tradition, and those intangibles that surround their program. They are the Alabama for college basketball. The Tide now has a coach that can make Alabama the Alabama of college basketball. Some kids are warriors. If Lacey is a true warrior he'll have to give Alabama a strong look. He knows what his presence at the Capstone will mean to him now and in the long term. He'll be in the league one way or the other. If the kid is only interested in the NBA he is likely to join the "come on down and it's been nice to know you" recruiting policy of Calipari. All this coming and going will cause UK players and fans to get lost in the shuffle. Okay, now get ready to laugh - I think Lacey would actually have a better chance of being on a national championship team at Bama than Kentucky. I know you are thinking he's lost his mind.

    If anyone thinks that Calipair is going to win a national championship with group after group of one and dones they are crazy. Unless one is as good as Labron James is now it isn't likely to happen. Come Sunday we'll know unless Trevor re-ups for another extended tour or recruiting. I can't bring myself to say it is Alabama. All great players fare well when they stay in State. It's just a rule of life. He'll have an almost cult like following at Alabama. At Kentucky he'll be attending a cult of sign 'em, dine 'em, and resign 'em after a season or two. As much as my heart wants me to say Alabama I just can't.

     But you know I can't bring myself to say Kentucky or Kansas either.


AN ASIDE: We will have a few more blogs about basketball before summer, then it is going to watch kids play across the nation. I would  like to personally thank the 263,198 fans who have  read this blog since January 2011. If anyone out there would like to sponser this site for next year let me know. Baby needs a new pair of shoes.



   

go back to tider insider     

Sweet Home Alabama

Two words that mean a lot...

     Anthony Grant has done a lot to endear himself with Alabama fans. But when Coach Grant started the
Sweet Home Alabama program to assist Alabama tornado victims his popularity went even higher. But in that heartfelt message Grant used two small words which firmly cemented him to the Bama Nation. 

      Grant was describing the horror that fell from the sky, and misery that thousands now suffer on the ground. But when he referred to Alabama as "our State" my heart swelled with pride. Coach doesn't say much. When he does he is eloquent. He spoke to the people of Alabama that day from his heart and from a man who has endured personal loss. What a role model this fine young man is to the children of our State. In that one moment I understood how he can motivate his team to run through walls.

      That's all I wanted to say. Every once in a while a person comes along who reminds you that kindness and goodness still exist. That it came with soft words from a hard taskmaster made it more impressive. That he is our basketball coach makes me proud.

     

Well, excuse me...

The response to my last blog was about 3 to 1 in favor of what I wrote. Some of the readers think Lacey is playing Alabama, which is what I think. Or because of the overly sensitive readers perhaps Trevor wants to tell Coach Grant and the friends goodbye.  I've been told by a sports writer that I need to proof read. He is correct. When I was a junior at Birmingham-Southern I learned that my poor reading skills were caused by dyslexia. I'm still that way. I have my own way of reading things. It's kind of like my own little private language. It does from time to time cause me problems, and I know you guys have to put up with it, or not.

When someone writes me and tells me he "covers sports in Huntsville" my legal mind, unencumbered by my disability, tells me it probably isn't true. See, if he was a real sportswriter he would send me an email and say - Bill you need to proof read your work, and I think your article about Lacey was a bit harsh. Besides, a real sports writer doesn't give a tinker's damn about what a non-professional blogger writes. If he does I hope he doesn't tell his publisher he's doing research.

Trevor Lacey might be the an absolutely wonderful human being. He probably is just that, but the manner in which is recruiting is being handled isn't good.  It is likely he's very good kid who is getting attention and  is eating it up. That's not necessarily a character flaw. I went over my Lacey article and it might be a bit harsh. To those whose sensibilities are such they were offended I'm sorry. I guess I could have written an article about a continuing struggle to get eligible, and things like that. By the way I don't know if it is true or not. So he could have a 4.0 and made 30 on his ACT Test.  I've always shied away from that because it just doesn't seem like a very nice thing to do. It's kinda like calling a kid either lazy or stupid. It could imply a bad attitude toward responsibility. It could imply a lot of bad things, but generally it is probably a kid just being a kid and not having been pushed to understand how important getting an education is to most people Trevor Lacey is not most people. He is a five star rated basketball prospect who has thousands of little kids looking up to him and thinking the way he acts is super cool.

Too cool for school so to speak. Trevor if what I wrote offended you please accept my most sincere apology. It must be super cool to have basketball coaches banging on your door. I personally hope what was written about you is wrong. I hope you are not a prima donna. If you go to Kansas I've watch you play. If you go to Kentucky I'll get to see you play. I would have been disappointed if you went to UConn because everyone who keeps up with basketball recruiting knows what Calhoun does to get some players, and people will aways wonder why you went up there. Trevor, if you go to Auburn you are not as smart as I thought. Auburn is the grave yard of  coaches and players. But every school has an exception and at Auburn his name is Charles Barkley. This old man thinks Barkley is really cool now that he no longer spits on people

Here's how I see it for anyone who is in your position:

1. Alabama and Auburn are in state schools and your fans would love to see you play all the time. I bet your family would rather drive to Tuscaloosa than Conn. Or Kansas. Lexington is a long way but that's doable for most people.

2. How could you not consider two of the most storied programs in college basketball history? Because of Calhoun you will never get me to elevate them to Big Blue and Rock Chalk however.

3.  You go to Alabama and might become the best player Alabama has ever had. Assuming you are that good. People will always know you, will always remember you, and you could be a key part in making Alabama something very special. Alabama fans are loyal. Fans remember every player who every stepped on the Court for the Tide. Bama has fans who weren't even alive when Leon Douglas and Charles Cleveland  played at Alabama yet know who they are? Do you know who Cotton Nash played for and what he did in college? Do you know who Phogg Allen was in Kansas history? If you went to Kansas this weekend you probably do now.

4. You go to Auburn and you'll have a couple of thousand people watching you play and commenting what a good corner-back you'd make. Don't go to Auburn.

Color me ho-hum regarding Lacey...

Prima Donna doesn't  fit Grants style of play...

     I'm not sure what Trevor Lacey's signing day ceremony will be like. It it involved some type of coronation and a crown I wouldn't be surprised. Surely, someone like Larry King will be there to interview the young  man. "So tell us Trevor, when did you first decide you thought your blood was blue and your head was swelled by picking the Wildcats"?


    I personally don't care if Lacey goes to Kansas or Cambodia to play basketball anymore. The tail is now wagging the dog. Color me no longer interested in where he goes. I'd be happy if he came to play at Alabama, but I can't help wondering just how a kid like him would fit into a system where all parts are considered equal. At Alabama it is all about team. It is all about buying into a system that wears an opponent down to sawdust. For some reason I just can't see Lacey as that type of player. If this kid has made five official visits and he is still saying he "won't know until I pick up the hat" isn't exactly the type player I want holding the ball for a winning shot in the waning moments of a championship game. I'd take my chances with the ones we've signed already and keep that grant-in-aid for next season. If you think that Levi or Rodney wouldn't love to win or lose a game at the end then you don't know them.


     Lacey is a great player and would be a good addition to any team, but you can put your five best players on the floor and not have your best team playing. If the adulation and immaturity of holding out until the 18th is all that important let him go. When the tornado ravaged people of Tuscaloosa started picking up the pieces of their lives, Lacey could have made a statement about his love of this state by picking Alabama. That simple act would have lifted the spirits of a lot of down on their luck fans. Nope. Play the game and ride it out to the end. I'm not intimating that Lacey should have changed his mind if wasn't coming to 'Bama. I am saying that in not picking Alabama during that time you can forget him coming to 'Bama. He isn't coming, and Coach Grant really doesn't need that type of childish self-centered behavior from anyone on his team. In Nashville one year James Robinson made the All-Tournament team. With 13,000 people chanting the name Gary Waites, who did not make the team, James walked over and handed Gary his medal. There is a big difference in having character and being a character. I've always thought that Alabama avoided that  type of player. Maybe I have completely misjudged this kid. Maybe not. The moniker prima donna is appropriate in this case. 


    If he comes I'll be happy. He is doesn't come I'll be just as happy. The fundamental character of any basketball team is no better that the most selfish person on your team. I may be wrong, but I just don't sense that Lacey is about anyone other than Lacey. It's almost like you can hear the announcer saying, "The Kansas starting five featuring Trevor Lacey". Is it me or does that seem very unlike any Crimson Tide sports team  you've ever seen.