Green finishes strong to lead Tide

AUBURN ALMOST PULLS STUNNER...
Green's strong second half saves Tide
    

     Well, I said Auburn better get ready for a bad night. Wrong. Well, wrong unless you come so close someone jerks your still beating heart out of your body when it looked like you might upset Alabama. That was probably pretty bad if you wear orange and blue. The final score was 55-49. On Senior night our lone senior JayMychal Green got out of the doghouse and finished his home career standing in the Penthouse. It was Green's strong play in the last 8:15  of the second half that gave Alabama the win. For the night Green had 15 points and 8 rebounds. One of those rebounds was an offensive put back  to put Alabama up 51-47 off a miss by Trevor Lacey 33 seconds left in the game. It gave the Tide a little breathing room and forced the Tigers into some bad shots when only 4 points separated the teams. Bama hit 6-8 free throws down the stretch to ensure the win.


Auburn gamble almost works...  
  Auburn decided to gamble on Alabama missing from the outside and shut down Green. It worked defensively. Bama's outside game was only 3-12 and was a mere 30.4% from the floor. How can you win a game by shooting only 30%? The answer is you only allow Auburn score 49 points. Alabama had 6 less field goals than Auburn who shot a very respectable 45%  for the game. Auburn was playing hard physical defense all night and their pushing and shoving style of play stymied the Tide except at the free throw line. Alabama was 24-32 to Auburn's 5-12. I'll say it was one of the most horrible officiated games I've seen in long time. Obvious fouls were not whistled while some were called when no contact was made. I think the officiating hurt both teams from finding an offensive flow.


    Now that Alabama has established just how bad a team can play at home and still win they will turn their sights to Oxford, Mississippi. Bama closes the regular season against Ole Miss who came from 15 down to beat Arkansas by 2 on Tuesday night on Henry's 3 point basket with 8 seconds left in Bud Walton Arena. The Rebs came storming back from 15 down in the second half to keep their very slim NCAA hopes alive. 


Tennesse wins big road game against LSU to keep the fight for 4th alive...


    Mississippi State avoided a complete late season meltdown and six straight losses by beating Carolina by a bucket in overtime 69-69 in Columbia. State's Brian Bryant hit a final second shot of an inbounds pass to save the Dogs. Tennessee and LSU fought down to the wire in Baton Rouge where the Vols and Bengals fought to a 60 all tie and played an overtime. The Vols pulled out a big win on the road in the Maravich Assembly Center 74-69. Tennessee  and Bama are now tied for 4th in the SEC. Bama has that tough road game with Ole Miss on Saturday, while the Vols hosts arch rival Vanderbilt.  If the two teams tie at the end of the regular season Alabama gets the bye due to beating Tennessee in Tuscaloosa earlier this year.


     This game was as poorly played by Bama as any game all season. Yet, they dug down and found a way to win. Green, Randolph, Lacey, and Steele all made big plays down the stretch when Bama needed them most. Missing in Action was Releford who had a rare bad game. His ball handling was fine but he was unable to penetrate or provide the spark he has done so many times in the last two years. He looks tired. Maybe the minutes are adding up. There is no rest for the weary as Alabama will begin to prepare for Ole Miss who has an extra day of preparation because they played the SEC Big Tuesday game. By moves to 20-9 and 9-6 in the SEC. A Tide win assures Alabama of a 4th place finish in the SEC. The Tide doesn't need to back into a 4th place finish. They need a win over Ole Miss and at least one win in the SEC to get out of the DOA 8th or 9th seed. I think a win in Oxford and one win in the SEC might get Bama to a 7 seed. It should be higher with their RPI of 25 and SOC of 13. None of that matters unless we beat Ole Miss. The only place worse to finish a season would be in hell. It will take the Tide's best game to win. We don't match up well with Ole Miss who will have the home court advantage and all the zebra calls they need. 
    

Alabama is 21-6 since Green's turnaround...

JaMicheal Green has proven he belongs...

Green has an edge...

     It was a long time ago when Anthony Green benched the best player on the Crimson Tide team. That tells you a lot about Anthony Grant. It has a been a long time since Green came back and that says a lot about JaMichael Green. The two came to a fork in the road. Only one got to choose the direction he would allow. The other wasn't sure that was the correct direction for him. After a few days of thinking things over JaMicheal Green decided to return to the team, and Anthony Grant was glad to have him back.

     This was never one of those situations where Green was openly defiant to Grant. Grant was never hounding or harassing Green for no reasons. Two very proud men simply had a difference of opinion. One had to consider what was in the best interest of the program. The other didn't disregard the best interest of his teammates but had strong ideas of what was best for him. The return of Green marked the return of Alabama basketball to the national scene. The hiring of Grant marked the road to greatness for JaMichael Green. Both men are lucky to have each other. Green did not cave in to Coach Grants demands. He simply began to understand how Grant's rules and philosophy would make him a great player. Grant, a young man himself, began to better understand the needs of a budding star like Green.

     It would be easy to say that Green had an epiphany.  JaMichael did not a  have moment like Saul on the road to Damascus. Instead, he went through a well defined decision making process by using his family, his friends, and God to determine what was best for him. What happened to Green was that he had a realization of what was best for him, and whose ideas were correct. The only difference was that it was something he "felt" was the right thing for him to do for his future. He was not put under any pressure or time line to make a decision of whether he would be allowed to return to Alabama's team. Grant told him that he was welcome to come back, but he wanted him to reflect on what was actually best for him. Grant would not have stood in JM's way to transfer. He was not suspended in the traditional sense. Sure, there had been a flare up at a practice. It was not one done by disrespect from a player to his coach. It was an accumulation of small things which began to take on a life of their own, and as all men are inclined to do the situation reached critical mass.

Big Teddy Bear?

    Such as situation is not solved by one man inflicting his will in an overbearing manner. Grant was once a budding star himself. He, better than anyone, including Green understood what JaMichael was going through. The only way to resolve the situation was put decision of whether he was going to play Grant Ball or not in the hands of the player. Not to use a pun but it was if the two had been going back and forth and finally said to Green that the ball is in your court now. Don't throw it back over here again. Walk over here and hand me the ball or I'll help you find a new home.

    I'm not sure if most Alabama fans will understand the tremendous maturity it took for Grant to handle his star in a difficult personal time. What I do understand is that Anthony Grant put the future of JaMichael Green on the same level of what was best for his team. Grant knew the true nature of Green who is one of the kindest people you might ever meet. To his teammates, Green was a big old teddy bear. He was was a teddy bear with an edge. It was a sharp edge at that. The point was that Grant was an absolute perfect fit for Green. He was a man, and not just a coach, who could guide his player through a hard time, and at the same time make him a great player. In order for that to happen Green had to have that epiphany and you can't  explain to anyone how to have an epiphany. You have to come to an understanding based upon what your heart might tell you as well as your head It is indeed an almost spiritual thing. Green did that. He understood. He also understood that Anthony Grant for all his scowling and Wimp - like behavior loved him as a person and not just a player.

    The best coaching job that Grant did this season was allowing Green to make a decision to become a great player. The best play that Green made all season was making that decision. To the public it seemed like a hot headed young man was pouting and the coach had to discipline him. That was not the case. It was far more complicated than what it appeared. It took two mature men to find common ground. We could say luckily they did. But luck had nothing to do with it. Respect for each other and their respective positions did. As a result Grant has elevated the his personal stature and status of the team  to a higher level. As a further result JaMichael Green will become a rich man, and didn't just elevate his game, he played his way into the heart of the Bama nation. The photo above is one of my personal favorites. It shows JM in the face of an opponent. You can tell there was no love lost between the two at the moment the camera snapped. That picture is the edge of Green. When Green returned to the team progress was made. The team played better and better. They had found an edge. Wonder where that came from?


Bama is 1.5 point dog to W. State. Hard to disagree the way they have been playing...




Bill responds to chronic negative posters on previous blog below




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