HOPE RETURNS  TO TIDE FANS...

     Nat Oats hasn't coached a game at Alabama. Let's give him credit for giving Alabama fans something to hope for in the future. Hope is an odd thing.  We often have those feelings with no basis of belief. Still, we hope. I hope our football team is successful. That hope is based on the recent past. But, hope for basketball? I guess we could say the bar is so low there is only one way to go. It is more than that isn't it. 

    The hopeful feeling I have our basketball program doesn't have much past history to believe Alabama will succeed next season. Yet, when I look at what Coach Oats is doing to get ready for year one I have reason to hope. You should too. Effort covers a lot of shortcomings. The Tide has some talent but not nearly as much as Alabama will need to win a trip to the NCAA. Wimp Sanderson told once that the most talented team doesn't always win. He quickly added it doesn't hurt though.

    Wimp has been gone for quite a while. His Plaid Palace hangs over Coleman Coliseum like a ghost. Will we ever get back to those days? Is Oats the man to do it. I think he just might be.

Impressed by Coach Oats on the recruiting trail...

       The old saying is that proof is the pudding. That's an old English expression that means a time comes when your prior efforts at success will be judged. You either pass or fail. Nate Oates hasn't taken a Tide team to the hardwood, but his work ethic is impressive. The list of young players that Oats has recruited or contacted about coming to play basketball at the Capstone is impressive. I'm betting those efforts will pay off in the future.

       The first two players that Oats got in the fold were Kira Lewis, Jr. and John Petty,  Jr. Lewis would have been a consensus five-star player if he was senior in high school this season. Petty was a five-star player in some polls as a senior. Both were in the transfer portal until Oats convinced them to stay. each of these young players had close personal relationships with Avery Johnson. There were strained feelings on the part of these young men about Johnson being fired. Despite that, Oats gained their trust. They stayed. I believe next year will show improvement by each player. So when the recruiting is over, and the top ten lists are made it is unlikely that Alabama will be found. However, you throw in the pair and they are every bit as a new player as anyone else. 

    

Time to quit recruiting one and done's 


     I have a good friend who is an NCAA coach. We talk from time to time. Today, he said something that made a lot of sense. "Recruiting kids who believe they are one and done just isn't worth it most of the time."  I agree 100%. For every kid you get like Colin Sexton there are ten times as many who just aren't worth it. Sexton was a great player, he had a great attitude, and he took his classes seriously. After he announced his intention to go pro he took the time to let everyone associated with Alabama how much he loved his time with the Tide. Too many of these kids are just prima donnas. They want to be courted and promised far too much to sign. They drag signing out to a bitter end. Notice, I didn't say the bitter end. I said a bitter end for the parents, the fans, and the school. 

    If I was a parent of Trendon Watford, I'd tell him where he could go to school. I might tell him to go to Indiana because your brother went there. You go to Memphis because you have a lot of friends there. Or, heaven's forbid, I might say if you are going to only play one year in college you go to where we get to watch you play every home game. Parents spend far too much time trying to make their kids happy as opposed to helping them make proper decisions. I'm not suggesting that all parents become helicopter mom and dad, but a big-time decision is something the parents need to make or at least help make. 

    Coaches need some incentive to quit recruiting one and done's. If you recruit a one and done, you lose a scholarship or two the next season. If you don't recruit a one and done you get an extra scholarship. Please note I said not recruit as opposed to not sign. College is supposed to be about obtaining an education. Boy, that is a joke. It is a sad joke. If the NCAA and college administrators want to help amateur basketball, then you have to make players stay in school. At the end of a players eligibility if they don't have a degree you lose a scholarship the next season. The NCAA helps colleges promote the monetary aspect of college sports. I'm not sure the fans even care in the least about the educational part of a players life. College football and basketball have become big business. 

   How many of you remember how Gonzaga became a big-time program? It's a lesson every school should be aware of how it happened. Do I want Alabama to sign five-star kids who want to play for one year and then leave? No, I don't. That is not a program, that selling your soul for a player. I'd rather have players who are less talented, who can get better through player development, and stick around to graduate. Call me old school. 

WATFORD ELIMINATES  ALALBAMA?

    I've made the telephone calls. Everyone says the same thing. Trendon Watford is not coming to Alabama. Seriously, that should come as a surprise to no one. If you are a great player like Watford thinks he is, why go to school whose past dozen years or so isn't inspiring? 

     It will take a unique personality to pick Alabama given recent history and the fact that a new basketball coach is at the helm. If Watford considered the long term impact of signing with an out of state school he might pick Alabama regardless. But 18 year old kids aren't exactly looking for who they want to be 20 years from now.  Here's an example. Would Alabama and Auburn fans pay any attention to Charles Barkley? I doubt it. Barkley chose Auburn and is much beloved in this State. 

    If Watford chooses Memphis it will be probably be a one and done deal. He will become a footnote to the people of Alabama. If he chooses LSU he will become a much hated man. I'm not saying that is acceptable to feel that way. Watford will be persona non grata to Alabama fans. To Auburn fans Watford will the "one that Alabama couldn't land" even though he grew up a 'Bama fan.

   To fans who really keep up with recruiting the reason he might go to Memphis or LSU seem obvious. He isn't going to Memphis for the coaching is he?  If he goes to LSU he'll be labeled as bought and paid even if it isn't true. I always thought that Indiana was a real possibility. Watford is doing no favors to himself by dragging out this decision. He knows where is going,  but the attention is a drug. He's a kid. It's what kids do. 

   The one thing that 'Bama fans need to stop saying is that he is critical to the Tide's future. He isn't. One year isn't going to make or break a program.  He isn't Zion Williamson or Larry Bird. He isn't even Colin Sexton. He is a very, very good play and we should all acknowledge that. Is he going to carry a team on his back? No, he isn't because he's not that good. If he somehow chooses 'Bama it will be a big deal. Is it a Kareem Abdul Jabbar moment? Is a Michael Jordon moment?  Nope. If he chooses Alabama he will be a cherished man for his entire life. He will be remembered. But he's just a kid and kid's want instant gratification. I'm sure someone has explained the long vs. short term benefits. Regardless, let's wish his good luck. He's a good kid. 

   To come to 'Bama would mean he wants to be the player who rebuilds a program. That takes a special kind of player. Long term to most players is the NBA. And that's sad for NCAA basketball. 

AUBURN FANS GO BALLISTIC, BUT...
    I didn't have a dog in the fight in the Semi-Finals of the NCAAT.  The foul that so enrages Tigers fans is understandable. I mean, a player commits a ridiculous foul which cost their team a chance to play in the National Championship game. Oh yes, it was obviously a foul. Two reasons from an officiating standpoint. First, the defender undercut the shooter, and secondly, it denied the Virginia player an unimpeded landing. The ref got it right. He was only five feet away with an angle that allowed him to see what happened. 

        Under all the pressure in the world, the kid made three free throws in a row. You can understand why Auburn fans are upset.  I can even see why they think no foul occurred. One Sir Charles Barkley admitted a foul occurred. . So a Cinderella run dies unfulfilled. Cinderella was a sweet and innocent young lady. Auburn is not so sweet, not close to innocent, and ...

       The more interesting question is exactly how Auburn assembled this team. How much did Chuck Person's money have to do with getting players to Auburn? We already know that their Bruce Pearl isn't above cheating. He's done it in the past. Did he do it for Auburn? I guess you might say that inquiring minds would like to know. 

      Person was charged with solicitation of bribery, bribery, wire fraud, and travel act conspiracy. He pled guilty to one count of bribery and is expected to spend 24-36 months in prison. He took ninety-one thousand dollars to funnel money to players families in return to sign with his business partners. The families involved got 19,000 dollars,  give or take. In one tape recording, Person warned an Auburn player not to tell anyone about the money. 

      Person paid the mothers of two AU players if press stories are correct. Each sat out a while and then returned to play. The NCAA let them return when there was no proof of player knowledge of the situation. That seems incredulous to most people. The Cam Newton Story repeated. Every time an AU player scores I wonder whether or not they got away with something which other teams did not do. LSU and Auburn have separated themselves from a lot of teams in the SEC. Yeah right, 

      Auburn hires Pearl, and LSU is offering Will Wade a path to be reinstated. It's all about winning and don't think that anything else counts. 

A hardwood junction...


 Even a cautious fan, burned from the belief that Anthony Grant or Avery Johnson would lead Alabama to the basketball promised land, has to optimistic about Nate Oats. If saying the correct things means something, the new coach has made a lot of fans happy. While his bona fides are short, they are impressive. 

   Oats seemingly wants to run a tight ship. He has done a good job of convincing John Petty to stay with the Tide. He has done all he can to do the same with Kira Lewis. I bet he will not suck up to Lewis, however. He made his pitch and then ran Lewis through some tough drills. By all accounts his squad was gassed, and this wasn't even his real conditioning drills. Oats wants to run opposing teams to death. I would think if you are a point guard this would be exactly what you want. 

  If Lewis can't adapt to this style play Oats should pat him on the back and wish him good look  wherever he lands. I think Oats is that kind of guy. He wants his type player or he doesn't need you. I'd bet there were some wide eyes at those practices. Here's the deal - that is what each of Bama's players need. If you want a future in the NBA he can get you there. If you want to play at the rec center with your buddies have at it. You don't need to be at Alabama. I like that. It isn't Oats decision. It is the players choice. For those that stick it out they will have teammates they can be proud to say we did it. 

   Oats said that he doesn't coach 1980's style basketball. His four out and one in scheme is exciting but it's still basketball. You have to shoot well and you have to defend. You have to rebound to run, and you have to protect the basketball as well. Those things never change despite they way the look to the average fan. That was true in the 1980's and is still true today. Can Oats take his Buffalo styled offense and win in SEC? That's the big question, isn't it.  One thing clear is that Oats believes in the small things. Small things are not always flashy or obvious. You win the 50-50 balls. You get extra offensive rebounds. You don't turn the ball over. If you do the small things you can do the big things. I believe Oats can instill that in his players. He may convince his players that the offense is new, but the fundamentals never change. We might even make some free throws, although tired legs sometimes kill you at the line. 

   I've been down this lane with a lot of coaches. Let's hope this one sticks around for a long time. 

Auburn does Alabama a big favor...

     The goal is set. The task is at hand. The standard has been given to Alabama's new head coach. It is definitive. If the University of Alabama wants to be a first rate basketball power in the SEC and the Nation they have to beat Auburn. If Alabama can beat Auburn they can be a national power. It's that simple.

       I know that making it to the Final Four involves some luck. Had New Mexico State made a few three throws, the Tigers would have gone home. Auburn took that gift and now are in the four teams playing for the National Championship. They are a great team.  They beat Kentucky, who had  beaten them twice this season, and did so with their arguably best player on the bench. The Tigers did it with three things. They have a great coach. Like him or not, you cannot say the man can't coach. The did it with the best player in the Tournament so far. Harper has a Doctorate in court sense. And they did it with inside play above their ability. Those are hard things are to beat. 

     If you want to know what Alabama needs, just look at Auburn. We may or may not have Lewis back. He is a good player who could end up being a great player. He now has experience. He will have better coaching it seems. (we don't know yet) Nate will no doubt, have his players stronger. Alabama has no proven big man. Fleming might be that guy. He has no experience. Oats landed Raymond Hawkins who played at Findley Prep in Las Vegas.  F. Prep is kind of like Oak Hill Academy.  Several PAC 12 teams and SEC teams wanted Hawkins. Having two tough six-nine players on the floor would be nice. 

    Bama needs another backup point guard if Lewis stays or transfers.  Alabama may bet some help for Shackleford. If Alabama could sign a JUCO or grad transfer it would help. Let's be honest. We have no Brice Brown right now, but Jaylen Forbes from Mississippi is a deadly high school shooter. Jaden Shackleford has the outside shot and the moves to create his own space. 

    Of course, Oats might use Mack or Petty. Neither are skilled ball handlers so far. Each can make the bombs, and they both showed they can take it to the paint. Petty needs more weight and strength. He might get stronger but he is an ectomorph and putting on the pounds is tough. 

    Alabama has some problems and they have some skills. This is where coaching matters. More than any sport, basketball is a game of coaching. So Auburn has done us a favor. If Auburn can make it the Final Four, Alabama can make it to the Final Four.