🏀 CM Newton on Grant: "leave him alone...he'll get it right."

[bama alum]

If Grant comes back next year, which I think he will, the Battle needs the axe...ASAP. He is a poor AD as it is. He may not have wanted to get into the coach-hiring business, but that's part of the job.

 

[bama alum]

From the latest Bill Battle report: http://m.rolltide.com/m/genrel/030615aae.html

Men's BasketballOverall Record: 17-13
SEC Record: 7-10
Recent Results: Feb. 28 at Vanderbilt (L, 66-73); March 3 vs. Ole Miss (L, 74-82) Up Next: at Texas A&M (Saturday, March 7); March 11-15 at SEC Tournament (Nashville, Tenn.)
The Crimson Tide will close the 2014-15 regular season tomorrow at Texas A&M. Last week, we held leads at halftime against both Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, but couldn't hold it down the stretch. Our roster has become depleted due to a spate of injuries, a reality that almost certainly was a contributing factor in those losses. Injuries have been a major factor this season as we are currently without two of our top four scorers for the remainder of the season. Ricky Tarrant (13.1 ppg - ruptured plantar fascia in left foot) and Shannon Hale (8.4 ppg - broken left foot) were vital parts of our team, and their absence removes two players who combined to score 21.5 points per game. This season, our players have missed a total of 19.5 games due to injuries (Ricky Tarrant, 11; Retin Obasohan, 3; Hale, 2.5; Michael Kessens, 2; Rodney Cooper, 1). I can't say enough good things about our senior guard, Levi Randolph, who had one of the best games of his career on Senior Night against Ole Miss, scoring 32 points (one shy of matching his career high of 33 vs. Missouri last season). In the Ole Miss game, Levi set a school record by hitting 17-of-17 free throws, the most free throws made in a game without a miss. The 17 made free throws were the second-most made in a game in Alabama history, and the last time an Alabama player made 17 or more free throws in a game was Feb, 7, 1972, when Paul Ellis hit 18 against Ole Miss. Levi joined Rodney Cooper and Dakota Slaughter as players making their final Coleman Coliseum regular season appearance on Senior Night. That trio combined for 54 of our 74 points.

 

[psychojoe]

I can't excuse this based on injuries. As in any sport they are part of the game. UK lost upperclassman/starter Alex Poythress in the pre season due to a season ending injury, and 5 star freshman Trey Lyles for a half a dozen games due to illness. Georgia has had several of their key players miss multiple games due to injuries. It is always 'next man up', and it is up to the coaches to have that next man ready to play. You could make a good argument that Obasahon has given us better point guard play than Tarrant did since he has been the starter. The depth is an issue, but Randolph and Cooper were already playing heavy duty minutes.

I will no longer make excuses for this staff, and I reject this excuse.

I am sick of the predictable bad offense that passes the ball around the perimeter for 25 seconds of the shot clock, then brings the post player up high for a ball screen that yields a contested long jump shot.

I will give the team/staff credit that our rebounding has gotten better this season, and we actually are attempting to block out on defense. I love Norris's game, his competitiveness in fighting for loose balls and rebounds.

 

[TerryP]

He is a poor AD as it is.

In your opinion, that's based upon...?

 

[bama alum]

The complete BS he's done by not allowing the players on the club sports, the non-scholly athletes, to not wear the script A. That is beyond asinine!! I talked to one of the hockey player's parents (from Maryland) a few weeks ago at the game. They're spending ~ $40K a year for their son to come to Tuscaloosa to go to school and play hockey. That's a lot of money for a kid to be discriminated against because he's not a scholarshipped athlete.

The Frozen Tide has been told it can no longer use the name Tide as it infringes upon UA's trademark. WTF?!? This was never a problem under Mal Moore's regime.

 

[TerryP]

The complete BS he's done by not allowing the players on the club sports, the non-scholly athletes, to not wear the script A. That is beyond asinine!! I talked to one of the hockey player's parents (from Maryland) a few weeks ago at the game. They're spending ~ $40K a year for their son to come to Tuscaloosa to go to school and play hockey. That's a lot of money for a kid to be discriminated against because he's not a scholarshipped athlete.

The Frozen Tide has been told it can no longer use the name Tide as it infringes upon UA's trademark. WTF?!? This was never a problem under Mal Moore's regime.

Using what you've noted this makes three things I've seen people say as evidence he could have done a better job as AD. The other two include who he suggested as reps for the CFB Playoff committee and as noted in other threads on this forum keeping Grant last year.

I don't know the story behind the hockey team and the script A other than bits and pieces I've picked up here and there. There are a few things that come to mind.

First and foremost I'm almost positive that this issue you've mentioned falls in Finus Gaston's wheelhouse. I'm not a fan of his though I respect what his father, and what he's done, to a certain extent. Considering what you've mentioned this falls into a licensing issue which brings up even more questions. IE: When they were selling jersey's a few years ago do you recall whether or not they were licensed by CLC? I don't recall seeing "official" anywhere on those advertisements: memory does fade.

It is a club sport right now. So, in a broad stroke that makes it no different from the badminton club or the kayak fishing club. To me, that seems like a slippery slope if one club is allowed to do one thing but others are curtailed or, as you mentioned, limited on what they can wear.

It brings to mind another question. The move to ACHA D1 play...does that mean it remains a "club sport?" That move is the next to last, if not the last, to NCAA divisional play.

NOW, bringing in the NCAA...they get a piece of the pie when it comes to college licensing agreements (if I'm not mistaken, at least.) I wonder if the fact it's not a "sanctioned" NCAA competitive team if that has a bearing on who or what teams wear the Script A.

Just my opinion here...

I can see reasons for frustrations on all of these points. I don't see any of them as definitive on the job he's done/doing as AD. The point he ponied up as much money as he did during the fund-raising for the new academic center for student-athletes does define his loyalty to UA. Again, on the financial side of things, the new agreements he's brokered for income avenues into the Athletic Department carry a lot of weight.

Oh, and the deal he brokered (along with Sarah Patterson and Dana Duckworth) with the BJCC was genius.

 

[rolltide69]

Does anyone really think it is going to be a better year next year if Grant stays. I don't think he is the coach for Alabama and need a change now. Basketball program is at a low point now and it is hard enough to win and make it to the Big Dance and make a run at least in the SEC.
Hope things will get right at the end of season.
ROLL TIDE ROLL

 

[Rolling Tide]

I dont know if he will get it right or not. I believe he has lost his team. I know the players do not seem to like him at all. I saw the team at Wings a couple of weeks ago in Huntsville before they played Vandy and I asked them where their coach was and three of the players said WHO CARES as long as he isnt here. I was a little shocked. Wished them luck and moved on.

 

[planomateo]

Haven't listened to this yet.

 

[UAgrad93]

@planomateo, I guess that sort of goes with what @TerryP said on another thread. Don't know how much longer Battle will remain as AD, less than a year and who knows who the president of the University will be. I imagine Battle will not make the decision since he must be leaving. For the schools sake, he may think that the new man should make the decision for a replacement.

 

[TerryP]

I'm not suggesting anything should be made of this other than a lot don't know what's going on with this situation.

 

[riz]

Sources.

 

[psychojoe]

Who in the heck is Chad Harrison. I have been listening to Tide basketball on the radio since high school days. I remember Doug Layton doing the gmes, also Paul Kennedy. Eli did it for a few years and now Chris Stewart does it. I have no recollection at all of a Chad Harrison doing play by play or commentary. Not denying that this will happen, kind of hope it does, but the tweet seems phony as a three dollar bill.

 

[UAgrad93]

I have to agree with you @psychojoe! I hope it happens but you would think that the axe would have come down in Nashville before the team left to come to the house.

 

[planomateo]

 

[UAgrad93]

That 11th hour pressure had to grow because of what Pearl has done with that bunch for the Barn.
On the other hand, LSwho must have thought Grant was coaching for them in the second half today. I saw that putrid offense from the Bengal Tigers that I have seen from Grant for the last 6 years, for guys passing it around and then jacking up a 25 footer before the shot clock expires. Coaching won that game for the Barn and coaching lost it for LSwho.

 

[TheChief]

So was Newon wrong?

 

[psychojoe]

So was Newon wrong?

C M is a man who highly values personal traits.He saw AG as a person of high integrity, but I don't think got beyond that in his evaluation of the situation. Geant's guys conducted themselves very well off the court and in the classroom, certainly a good thing. It did seem to me that over his last two seaspns his teams on the court got progressively less aggressive, Keeping him around would have mired us in mediocrity even further.

 

[TerryP]

The complete BS he's done by not allowing the players on the club sports, the non-scholly athletes, to not wear the script A. That is beyond asinine!! I talked to one of the hockey player's parents (from Maryland) a few weeks ago at the game. They're spending ~ $40K a year for their son to come to Tuscaloosa to go to school and play hockey. That's a lot of money for a kid to be discriminated against because he's not a scholarshipped athlete.

The Frozen Tide has been told it can no longer use the name Tide as it infringes upon UA's trademark. WTF?!? This was never a problem under Mal Moore's regime.

This issue seems to have been settled. It seems reasonable to me.

Club athletes are now permitted to wear the script A again as long as it is accompanied with an official UA Recreation Center patch to distinguish athletes as club team members. Additionally, club teams may only use the script A in the colors crimson, white, silver or black and the use of elephants, houndstooth, “Crimson Tide” or “Roll Tide” on uniforms is not permitted.

University releases new club sports regulations

 

[TheChief]

I've got some opinions on the whole situation I'm going to post in the next few days or so...one I'll share now.

I'm with CM when it comes to this point; "he's a good basketball coach." Now, that said, I don't believe he's doing a good job in some areas right now.

I wouldn't be a shock to me, at all, if we fired him and saw him picked up by a top program in the country immediately.

That said, I'm not surprised to see these comments from Newton. After all, he was one of the three most influential factors in Grant's hire: if not the most influential.

In my opinion, his opinion, should be considered. He's earned that right.

@TerryP I think, technically, you were right about Grant.