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The “Little General” was back in action Monday, commandeering Coleman Coliseum for a kids camp in front of nearly 200 even smaller playmakers — and some not so small.
The 5-foot-10 first-year Alabama men’s basketball head coach was back in his element Monday, out on the court leading the next generation in drills, all the while knowing there’s still work to be done to his first Crimson Tide roster.
“We’re not done with our roster,” Johnson said. “We still have to add one or two more players, and once we add those guys, hopefully for the second semester of summer school, then we’ll be able to take our whole program to the next level.”
Alabama’s roster has 12 players on it, including preferred walk-on Lawson Schaffer, of Cullman, and second-year walk-on Christian Clark, with room to add two more scholarship players.
One of those additions will be Johnson’s son, Avery Johnson Jr., a transfer from Texas A&M, who will have 3 years of eligibility remaining after he sits out a season to comply with transfer rules.
“As a father: He’s going to be around, and he wants to be here with his father,” Johnson said. “He’s going to enroll in the second summer session, so … once he enrolls in the summer session, then we’ll be able to give something official from the basketball coach.”
Once Johnson Jr. is enrolled, Alabama will have at least two transfers who won’t see the court before the 2016-17 season, including Memphis transfer Nick King. That’s in addition to the three freshman members of the 2015 signing class: three-star point guard Dazon Ingram, of Theodore, 6-5 wing Bradon Austin, of Carver-Montgomery, and 6-8 forward Donta Hall, of Luverne.
Numbers haven’t been in Alabama’s favor all offseason, with injuries and defections outweighing the additions.
Along with three graduating seniors in Levi Randolph, Rodney Cooper and Dakota Slaughter (a graduate transfer at Texas-Rio Grand Valley), the Tide lost four others from last year’s team, including three transfers: Ricky Tarrant (Memphis), Jeff Garrett (Northern Kentucky), and Devin Mitchell (Georgia State).
“Our numbers are a little bit down right now especially having a couple of guys that are injured,” Johnson said.
Among those walking wounded are rising junior Shannon Hale — who underwent foot surgery earlier this spring and is taking his time rehabbing — junior Michael Kessens (bruised knee) and sophomore Riley Norris (wrist).
“We’ve only had nine guys healthy, so we’ve been limited in some of the five-on-five work,” Johnson said.
Given Johnson’s own championship-level play in the NBA, and just a little over a decade removed from playing for the Dallas Mavericks, has the 50-year-old NBA champion point guard picked up the ball and given the Tide an extra body?
“I don’t know if he’s ready for that yet,” rising Alabama senior guard Retin Obasohan joked. “I know he played in the NBA and all, but obviously we like to keep it among the players. I’d actually look forward to it if he wants to step out onto the court. I’d probably pick him up full court if that happens.”
Youth camp
Roughly 190 boys ages 7-17 where on hand Monday for the second day of Johnson’s first kids camp as Alabama’s men’s basketball coach. The camp runs from Sunday through Wednesday. Johnson will then host several one-day play date camps for high-school aged players Friday, Saturday, next Tuesday and Wednesday.
“All of the kids, it’s been great. I love to teach,” Johnson said. “And this morning I had a chance to really teach the kids and go over some aspects of offense and defense and what they were going to go over in their stations, and just to see all of the young kids excited.”
Filling coaching staff proved ‘difficult’ for Johnson
While the roster might still need work, Avery Johnson’s first bench staff at Alabama is all but complete following last week’s hiring of longtime Texas AAU coach Scott Pospichal.
Pospichal joins longtime assistant and former Tide player Antoine Pettway, who was retained from former coach Anthony Grant’s staff, and veteran Providence assistant Bob Simon, who was named Alabama’s associate head coach.
Still, while his staff appears complete, the process of filling the positions along his bench proved “difficult” for the NBA veteran.
“Trying to put together a coaching staff in college is much more difficult than it is in the NBA,” Johnson said. “You get 10 times as many phone calls because you’re bringing in college coaches, NBA coaches that want to get into college, high school coaches, AAU coaches.”
The hiring process was long and drawn out, with Pospichal joining the staff more than two months from the day of Johnson’s own hiring, and seven weeks after Simon’s hiring was formally announced April 19.
“But I think we’ve put together a nice staff, a nice mixture of personalities and strengths, so I think I’m pretty satisfied where we are right now,” Johnson said. “We have one more position that we need to fill, which is the special assistant to the coach/assistant ops (operations) guy, and we’ll get that position filled soon.”
Decatur Daily—Continue reading...
The 5-foot-10 first-year Alabama men’s basketball head coach was back in his element Monday, out on the court leading the next generation in drills, all the while knowing there’s still work to be done to his first Crimson Tide roster.
“We’re not done with our roster,” Johnson said. “We still have to add one or two more players, and once we add those guys, hopefully for the second semester of summer school, then we’ll be able to take our whole program to the next level.”
Alabama’s roster has 12 players on it, including preferred walk-on Lawson Schaffer, of Cullman, and second-year walk-on Christian Clark, with room to add two more scholarship players.
One of those additions will be Johnson’s son, Avery Johnson Jr., a transfer from Texas A&M, who will have 3 years of eligibility remaining after he sits out a season to comply with transfer rules.
“As a father: He’s going to be around, and he wants to be here with his father,” Johnson said. “He’s going to enroll in the second summer session, so … once he enrolls in the summer session, then we’ll be able to give something official from the basketball coach.”
Once Johnson Jr. is enrolled, Alabama will have at least two transfers who won’t see the court before the 2016-17 season, including Memphis transfer Nick King. That’s in addition to the three freshman members of the 2015 signing class: three-star point guard Dazon Ingram, of Theodore, 6-5 wing Bradon Austin, of Carver-Montgomery, and 6-8 forward Donta Hall, of Luverne.
Numbers haven’t been in Alabama’s favor all offseason, with injuries and defections outweighing the additions.
Along with three graduating seniors in Levi Randolph, Rodney Cooper and Dakota Slaughter (a graduate transfer at Texas-Rio Grand Valley), the Tide lost four others from last year’s team, including three transfers: Ricky Tarrant (Memphis), Jeff Garrett (Northern Kentucky), and Devin Mitchell (Georgia State).
“Our numbers are a little bit down right now especially having a couple of guys that are injured,” Johnson said.
Among those walking wounded are rising junior Shannon Hale — who underwent foot surgery earlier this spring and is taking his time rehabbing — junior Michael Kessens (bruised knee) and sophomore Riley Norris (wrist).
“We’ve only had nine guys healthy, so we’ve been limited in some of the five-on-five work,” Johnson said.
Given Johnson’s own championship-level play in the NBA, and just a little over a decade removed from playing for the Dallas Mavericks, has the 50-year-old NBA champion point guard picked up the ball and given the Tide an extra body?
“I don’t know if he’s ready for that yet,” rising Alabama senior guard Retin Obasohan joked. “I know he played in the NBA and all, but obviously we like to keep it among the players. I’d actually look forward to it if he wants to step out onto the court. I’d probably pick him up full court if that happens.”
Youth camp
Roughly 190 boys ages 7-17 where on hand Monday for the second day of Johnson’s first kids camp as Alabama’s men’s basketball coach. The camp runs from Sunday through Wednesday. Johnson will then host several one-day play date camps for high-school aged players Friday, Saturday, next Tuesday and Wednesday.
“All of the kids, it’s been great. I love to teach,” Johnson said. “And this morning I had a chance to really teach the kids and go over some aspects of offense and defense and what they were going to go over in their stations, and just to see all of the young kids excited.”
Filling coaching staff proved ‘difficult’ for Johnson
While the roster might still need work, Avery Johnson’s first bench staff at Alabama is all but complete following last week’s hiring of longtime Texas AAU coach Scott Pospichal.
Pospichal joins longtime assistant and former Tide player Antoine Pettway, who was retained from former coach Anthony Grant’s staff, and veteran Providence assistant Bob Simon, who was named Alabama’s associate head coach.
Still, while his staff appears complete, the process of filling the positions along his bench proved “difficult” for the NBA veteran.
“Trying to put together a coaching staff in college is much more difficult than it is in the NBA,” Johnson said. “You get 10 times as many phone calls because you’re bringing in college coaches, NBA coaches that want to get into college, high school coaches, AAU coaches.”
The hiring process was long and drawn out, with Pospichal joining the staff more than two months from the day of Johnson’s own hiring, and seven weeks after Simon’s hiring was formally announced April 19.
“But I think we’ve put together a nice staff, a nice mixture of personalities and strengths, so I think I’m pretty satisfied where we are right now,” Johnson said. “We have one more position that we need to fill, which is the special assistant to the coach/assistant ops (operations) guy, and we’ll get that position filled soon.”
Decatur Daily—Continue reading...
