Alabama Basketball: It is OK to Get Excited Again

Call me a guy that has a glass half full, but I am optimistic about Alabama basketball.  If there was ever a time to really get excited about this team, I think it is now.

The first four years of the Anthony Grant era have brought its share of highs and share of lows, so what makes me think things are starting to turn the corner now? Stability.

Hidden in the success and failures of this program in recent years has been a plethora of instability in the roster.  Some of the problems stemmed from injuries, but just as many of those problems stemmed from suspensions for violations of team rules, causing the lineup to be shaken at times. Grant, however, never wavered in his expectations.

This year injuries happened, knocking out Andrew Steele for an extended period of time and Carl Engstrom for the entire season. With that said if you paid close attention, I think you started to see this team buy into what Coach Grant was selling. 

While the offense struggled some nights, I don’t think you can ever question the intensity and the hustle the team brought on the defensive end of the floor. Off the court, not a single player was suspended for a violation of team rules.

The environment is stabilizing. The foundation has been laid.

Fans were upset with missing out on a trip to the NCAA tournament, but in hindsight the NIT was the best thing that ever happened to this team. Against Northeastern, Stanford and Maryland we saw the intensity on the defensive end start to show up on the offensive side.  Trevor Releford has never been afraid to attack the basket, but now we were seeing Trevor Lacey and Levi Randolph drive into the lane more regularly.  The slashing drives and penetration into the lane only opened things up on the outside as Rodney Cooper found his shot from beyond the arch. Finally, we saw Alabama’s ability to put teams away.

Most importantly, I saw a crowd at Coleman Coliseum having an impact.  The NIT run, whether we think so or not, got people excited about Alabama basketball again-moreso than a one and done in the NCAA tournament.   Now, it’s time to build on the momentum built and the pieces seem to be falling into place. Carl Engstrom returns from injury next season and with the continued development of Devnota Pollard and additions of Jimmy Taylor and Shannon Hale, the future is looking bright.

We live in a society where people expect to win and win right now. We want to see our investments mature sooner than later, but I leave you with a story.

There was a coach years ago who emphasized character and winning the right way.  It took him years to lay a foundation, 18 in fact, but once the foundation was intact a dynasty was built.  After nearly 20 years in coaching, John Wooden won his first title in his 16^th season at UCLA. Afterwards, he rattled off another nine to win 10 national championships in his final 12 seasons.

I’m not saying Anthony Grant is the next John Wooden. Again, let me repeat this I am not comparing Anthony Grant to John Wooden- just saying that to win and win the right way it takes some time.  

Now, if Alabama doesn’t make a serious step forward in 2013, then it may be time to reevaluate.