Time to Show Anthony Grant The Door

The Alabama basketball team takes to the court this morning to face & almost inevitably lose to No. 3 Florida.  Longtime ESPN analyst, Dick Vitale, will be sitting courtside breaking down the atrocity that has become the Crimson Tide basketball program.  When asked about what Grant could do to get the program on the right track, Vitale responded that Anthony Grant is a good coach but has limited personnel.  He went on to say, "I know Anthony Grant. He's a good person too. But limited personnel ... you've got to have players. You can't win without talent".

Captain Obvious's assessment was correct.  However, a coach making almost 2 million bucks a year for the past 5 years has absolutely zero excuses for his 'limited personnel'.  I'm fairly certain I could do a better job in recruiting than Grant has done since he's been in Tuscaloosa.  Couple that with the player attrition, & you get a program that may very well finish dead last in the SEC.  I'm not being dramatic, y'all.  It's a very real possibility that Alabama will end this year at the very bottom of the league.

Though Anthony Grant may be a man of high character, I'm afraid his inability to swallow his pride may ultimately lead to his firing.  He has limited knowledge of offensive schemes yet has refused to seek out a really good offensive minded coach.  Even the almighty Saban isn't afraid to look in the mirror & admit change is needed.  So if a 4 time national championship coach is willing to do it, what's holding Grant back?

Don't get me wrong.  I acknowledge that nobody even cares about Bama Hoops anymore.  It takes a lot for a fanbase obsessed with football to get fired up about basketball.  And with the product Grant is putting on the court, even those of us that do care have thrown in the towel.  However, think about our other programs for a moment.  Women's softball coach Pat Murphy & women's gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson have been extremely successful, both bringing home national championships.  Of course, both coaches do a phenomenal job marketing their programs.  Other than the 2 sentences Grant is forced to utter to color analyst Bryan Passink during games, I can't remember the last time I heard the man speak.  Heck, there's a 10-year waiting list for football season tickets & Nick Saban still goes on 1-2 diatribes every year bitching everyone out because of attendance.  Coleman Coliseum has become a ghost town & evidently Anthony Grant is good with that.  Of course, if I sucked that bad at my job I'm not sure I'd want any witnesses either.

This University has a tradition of winning.  Most of our programs are at the pinnacle of not just the league but the nation.  Even men's baseball is expected to be vastly improved this season.  With the revenue generated by the athletic department, hiding behind the 6 million dollar buyout as an excuse to keep Grant another year is basically the equivalent to punching the entire fanbase in the face.  Alabama is in desperate need of new blood in their basketball program.  Grant's body of work has proven that he's just not the man who can get it done here.

Alabama tips off at Florida this morning at 11.  And they'll lose.... Again.  At what point do we stop being okay with that?  I hear Bruce Pearl is available....

Thanks for stopping by, y'all!!!  Roll Tide!!!  Roll Pearl!!!