An interesting question...
Conventional wisdom would tell us that Alabama is a football school and will never become a great basketball power. The problem with that answer is that there nothing conventional about wisdom. Wisdom is rare and hard earned. On the other hand, it would be easy to make a statement that the Tide can do so, and national prominence is just around the corner. Neither is true...
Here's what I believe. Given enough time, money, and support Tide basketball can become a national power. By that I don't mean we go to the Final Four every year. I would define basketball success as reaching the Sweet Sixteen almost every season. Alabama has an athletic director who hopes to be remembered as the man who returned the basketball program to prominence.That is important to Mal Moore. He's told me that. He has taken the steps to make that happen. Alabama has the money. They have loads of money, and because basketball only deals with 13 or so players it is less expensive to run a great basketball program. More importantly, Alabama has a coach in place that is as good as any coach in the nation.
Let me put it this way - If Florida and LSU can be national powers in hoops there is no reason why Alabama cannot do the same thing. Will Alabama ever be a UCLA? A better question would be can anyone ever be another UCLA? If Boise State can make if from being a junior college to being a prominent national football contender Alabama can do the same in hoops. I think the greatest impediment to Bama's basketball success is assuring football fans such a rise in prominence will not be at the expense of the football program.
There is no logical reason why a highly successful basketball program would do anything but enhance the football program. Success breeds success in my opinion. Great players like to associate themselves with other great athletes. If you have ever seen Green, Mitchell, and company they are elite athletes who are just as good as our football players. Bama just needs more of them. Grant and Saban are a lot alike. They are are detail oriented, highly motivated, and understand the key to having a great program is to find great players. No coach, regardless of how well he can coach, will consistently win with inferior players.
I always get amused when Butler is called a Cinderalla story. They have great coaching, great players, and find exactly the type of great player to fit there system. Going to the Final Four last season didn't occur by having a magic wand waved by some mystical power. I don't know whether Coach Saban is a great x's and o's coach. I do know that he has great players and a great system which allows Alabama to succeed. How much coaching goes into handing the ball to Trent? The same is true in hoops. How great does a coach have to be when he has a penetrating point guard and someone like Green inside? I don't care how good a coach is they become better with great players. I have to admit that understanding what a basketball coach does while a game is being played is much easier for me to understand than football. In basketball the action rarely slows down and you don't have a huddle before every play. Your players have to play offense and defense. That means you have to find great players to do that. Bama is carefully finding those type players who are also good citizens. Anyone can recruit a thug. At 'Bama we don't recruit thugs and we still manage to find good players. Sometimes we find great players as this past season's recruiting class will show the SEC.
So can the Tide be as good in basketball as they are in football? I equate Alabama football and UCLA basketball programs as excellent models. I think we can come close, and being close in that regard is better than anyone else in the SEC at present. Kentucky is in a land where only round things make sense. I think we can compete with anyone in the future if we continue to follow the three needed to get there. And that means you, Big Blue.
Here's what I believe. Given enough time, money, and support Tide basketball can become a national power. By that I don't mean we go to the Final Four every year. I would define basketball success as reaching the Sweet Sixteen almost every season. Alabama has an athletic director who hopes to be remembered as the man who returned the basketball program to prominence.That is important to Mal Moore. He's told me that. He has taken the steps to make that happen. Alabama has the money. They have loads of money, and because basketball only deals with 13 or so players it is less expensive to run a great basketball program. More importantly, Alabama has a coach in place that is as good as any coach in the nation.
Let me put it this way - If Florida and LSU can be national powers in hoops there is no reason why Alabama cannot do the same thing. Will Alabama ever be a UCLA? A better question would be can anyone ever be another UCLA? If Boise State can make if from being a junior college to being a prominent national football contender Alabama can do the same in hoops. I think the greatest impediment to Bama's basketball success is assuring football fans such a rise in prominence will not be at the expense of the football program.
There is no logical reason why a highly successful basketball program would do anything but enhance the football program. Success breeds success in my opinion. Great players like to associate themselves with other great athletes. If you have ever seen Green, Mitchell, and company they are elite athletes who are just as good as our football players. Bama just needs more of them. Grant and Saban are a lot alike. They are are detail oriented, highly motivated, and understand the key to having a great program is to find great players. No coach, regardless of how well he can coach, will consistently win with inferior players.
I always get amused when Butler is called a Cinderalla story. They have great coaching, great players, and find exactly the type of great player to fit there system. Going to the Final Four last season didn't occur by having a magic wand waved by some mystical power. I don't know whether Coach Saban is a great x's and o's coach. I do know that he has great players and a great system which allows Alabama to succeed. How much coaching goes into handing the ball to Trent? The same is true in hoops. How great does a coach have to be when he has a penetrating point guard and someone like Green inside? I don't care how good a coach is they become better with great players. I have to admit that understanding what a basketball coach does while a game is being played is much easier for me to understand than football. In basketball the action rarely slows down and you don't have a huddle before every play. Your players have to play offense and defense. That means you have to find great players to do that. Bama is carefully finding those type players who are also good citizens. Anyone can recruit a thug. At 'Bama we don't recruit thugs and we still manage to find good players. Sometimes we find great players as this past season's recruiting class will show the SEC.
So can the Tide be as good in basketball as they are in football? I equate Alabama football and UCLA basketball programs as excellent models. I think we can come close, and being close in that regard is better than anyone else in the SEC at present. Kentucky is in a land where only round things make sense. I think we can compete with anyone in the future if we continue to follow the three needed to get there. And that means you, Big Blue.
No comments:
Post a Comment