planomateo
Member
I've said this a few times...Avery Johnson and Plano West High School.
Some Aggies were pissed that we landed Avery, they actually wanted Kennedy fired and Avery hired. That didn't play out, now imagine if this plays out.
I don't know this writer at all, he's probably a Longhorn stirring the pot a bit, but he certainly did some homework on some of this article.
I'll tell you this, if he disrupts TAMU's class I'm gonna laugh my ass off.
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http://www.expressnews.com/sports/c...268542.php?t=0e34da5451&cmpid=twitter-premium
The rest of college basketball isnāt worried about Avery Johnson yet.
But Billy Kennedy is.
Heās said so privately, though his concerns seem far-fetched. Even if Texas A&Mās prized recruits want to follow Johnson to Alabama, would they sacrifice a year to do so?
Still, Kennedy knows how influential Johnson can be, and he knows his nature. He knows what the Spurs know, that AJ can project a wholesome, upbeat image while getting things done behind the scenes with an edge.
All of which suggests this:
Johnson might be made for college basketball.
For now Johnson is doing the image stuff. He started with an energetic introductory press conference last month (āBuckle your seat beltā), and he hasnāt stopped driving since.
When he hasnāt been throwing out the first pitch at Alabama baseball games, heās been playing in a celebrity pro-am. Rotary Club appearances give way to autographs and handshakes. In a few weeks the Avery Johnson Basketball Camp will debut in Tuscaloosa.
Johnson wanted to do the same in Austin. His agent put out feelers, but Johnsonās candidacy never got much further than that. Texas locked in early on Shaka Smart.
Maybe Johnson wasnāt the perfect fit for Texas. But he looks like one for Alabama, and even those who question his credentials say so. Johnson is a son of the Deep South, and he has a personality that can stand up next to Nick Sabanās. Johnson said as much.
āCoach Saban with his personality and all of his success, that doesnāt scare me,ā Johnson said last month. āItās like a magnet for me.ā
His predecessor at Alabama, Anthony Grant, was less personable and more experienced. He arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2009 after taking the traditional path of a college coach. Heād worked for Billy Donovan at Florida, as Smart did, before having success at VCU, as Smart also did.
Grant fell short at Alabama. So how can a college novice such as Johnson do better?
Kennedy has been worried about this answer. He was worried even before Avery Johnson Jr. announced he was leaving the Aggies to join his father in Tuscaloosa.
At first glance, this isnāt much of a loss for A&M. Avery Jr. averaged 1.4 points last season as a freshman in only 13 games. He wasnāt highly recruited, and the Aggies have other point guards.
Still, Avery Jr. was the first step toward Kennedy landing maybe the best recruiting class in A&Mās history. Avery Jr. knew the four-star recruits, and he played with two of them both in high school and on AAU teams.
Ever present, with the kind of currency that impresses teenagers, was Johnson. And watching up close was Avery Jr.ās AAU coach, Scott Pospichal.
āWherever Avery Johnson goes, all the best players on the other teams are like, āThatās Avery Johnson. Hey, coach. Hey, coach,āā Pospichal told an Alabama web site last week. āWhat do these kids want? They want to play in college, and they want to go to the NBA. What kid doesnāt want to be coached by an NBA coach?ā
Pospichal also marveled at Johnsonās charisma, and others say this: Johnson might have been more vital to A&M signing this heralded recruiting class than Kennedy himself.
Still, Johnson has more than personality and NBA cachet. He also has cunning that will be useful in a conference that includes coaches such as John Calipari.
The Spurs also saw it. Johnson could sometimes charm and sometimes bully and sometimes manipulate.
Given this, could Johnson prove to be better on a campus than he was as a pro? That would be something for someone who was once an NBA coach of the year.
Johnson canāt do much about the transfer rules. Thatās why it is unlikely the A&M recruits would leave for Alabama.
But maybe Kennedy worries only because he knows Johnson, and he knows Johnson sees every angle ā in a sport in which the best do.
Some Aggies were pissed that we landed Avery, they actually wanted Kennedy fired and Avery hired. That didn't play out, now imagine if this plays out.
I don't know this writer at all, he's probably a Longhorn stirring the pot a bit, but he certainly did some homework on some of this article.
I'll tell you this, if he disrupts TAMU's class I'm gonna laugh my ass off.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.expressnews.com/sports/c...268542.php?t=0e34da5451&cmpid=twitter-premium
The rest of college basketball isnāt worried about Avery Johnson yet.
But Billy Kennedy is.
Heās said so privately, though his concerns seem far-fetched. Even if Texas A&Mās prized recruits want to follow Johnson to Alabama, would they sacrifice a year to do so?
Still, Kennedy knows how influential Johnson can be, and he knows his nature. He knows what the Spurs know, that AJ can project a wholesome, upbeat image while getting things done behind the scenes with an edge.
All of which suggests this:
Johnson might be made for college basketball.
For now Johnson is doing the image stuff. He started with an energetic introductory press conference last month (āBuckle your seat beltā), and he hasnāt stopped driving since.
When he hasnāt been throwing out the first pitch at Alabama baseball games, heās been playing in a celebrity pro-am. Rotary Club appearances give way to autographs and handshakes. In a few weeks the Avery Johnson Basketball Camp will debut in Tuscaloosa.
Johnson wanted to do the same in Austin. His agent put out feelers, but Johnsonās candidacy never got much further than that. Texas locked in early on Shaka Smart.
Maybe Johnson wasnāt the perfect fit for Texas. But he looks like one for Alabama, and even those who question his credentials say so. Johnson is a son of the Deep South, and he has a personality that can stand up next to Nick Sabanās. Johnson said as much.
āCoach Saban with his personality and all of his success, that doesnāt scare me,ā Johnson said last month. āItās like a magnet for me.ā
His predecessor at Alabama, Anthony Grant, was less personable and more experienced. He arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2009 after taking the traditional path of a college coach. Heād worked for Billy Donovan at Florida, as Smart did, before having success at VCU, as Smart also did.
Grant fell short at Alabama. So how can a college novice such as Johnson do better?
Kennedy has been worried about this answer. He was worried even before Avery Johnson Jr. announced he was leaving the Aggies to join his father in Tuscaloosa.
At first glance, this isnāt much of a loss for A&M. Avery Jr. averaged 1.4 points last season as a freshman in only 13 games. He wasnāt highly recruited, and the Aggies have other point guards.
Still, Avery Jr. was the first step toward Kennedy landing maybe the best recruiting class in A&Mās history. Avery Jr. knew the four-star recruits, and he played with two of them both in high school and on AAU teams.
Ever present, with the kind of currency that impresses teenagers, was Johnson. And watching up close was Avery Jr.ās AAU coach, Scott Pospichal.
āWherever Avery Johnson goes, all the best players on the other teams are like, āThatās Avery Johnson. Hey, coach. Hey, coach,āā Pospichal told an Alabama web site last week. āWhat do these kids want? They want to play in college, and they want to go to the NBA. What kid doesnāt want to be coached by an NBA coach?ā
Pospichal also marveled at Johnsonās charisma, and others say this: Johnson might have been more vital to A&M signing this heralded recruiting class than Kennedy himself.
Still, Johnson has more than personality and NBA cachet. He also has cunning that will be useful in a conference that includes coaches such as John Calipari.
The Spurs also saw it. Johnson could sometimes charm and sometimes bully and sometimes manipulate.
Given this, could Johnson prove to be better on a campus than he was as a pro? That would be something for someone who was once an NBA coach of the year.
Johnson canāt do much about the transfer rules. Thatās why it is unlikely the A&M recruits would leave for Alabama.
But maybe Kennedy worries only because he knows Johnson, and he knows Johnson sees every angle ā in a sport in which the best do.
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