Prohm to Iowa State, Johnson at Alabama: Did Alabama Get the Better Deal?

After Anthony Grant was let go of his duties as the head basketball coach at the University of Alabama, rumors were flying around that either Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall or Murray State head coach Steve Prohm would take the newly opened position. But neither were hired.

Now as we all know, the cards fell right and the Tide was able to land Avery Johnson, former NBA point guard and NBA Coach of the Year in 2006. By no stretch of the imagination was this a "bad" hire, as it is well known that Johnson is one of the most well versed people in the basketball world.

However, the knock on Johnson was that he has had absolutely no experience coaching at the collegiate level, and even the most lackluster basketball fan knows how different the college game is from the professional game. Personally, that was my number one issue at the time of the hiring.

But we've all seen how enthusiastic and energetic he is to be a part of Alabama basketball. He's been on this station numerous times, promoting his team, and has hit the recruiting trail as hard as any other coach in the country. He still hasn't coached a single game yet, but with each passing day it seems like he's understanding how to get things done in the world of college basketball.

Before he was hired, most Bama fans were clamoring for Gregg Marshall, Wichita State head coach. After a long and anxious process, with some reporting that the deal could be done, Marshall decided to stay in Kansas to coach at least another year, and that left Tide fans wondering if they could get a top tier coach.

The original backup plan was Steve Prohm. Prohm is an Alabama alum, and was a student assistant for The Capstone before moving on to Centenary College to coach under Billy Kennedy, and just eight years later, he took an assistant position at Murray State. In 2011, he accepted the head coaching job for the Racers.

When things worked themselves out and it was clear that Marshall wasn't coming to Tuscaloosa, it looked almost like a guarantee that Prohm would be the next head coach in Tuscaloosa. But what seemed to be a random happening straight out of deep left field happened.

Avery Johnson.

We now see how he likes to run a program; get out in the public eye and, if nothing else, pretend like you enjoy selling the sport. So is this the ideal situation for Tide hoops fans, or is there a better scenario out there?

We can "if" and "but" this to death, and as fans, that's kinda what we're supposed to do. But with the Iowa State Cyclones recently hiring Prohm to lead their program, I think it's fair to have this discussion. Prohm, for all intents and purposes, is an experienced coach at the collegiate level. He knows the game, recruiting trails, all the little intricacies that are involved at this level. I think it's accurate to say that Johnson isn't as familiar as Prohm.

You aren't just some Joe Schmoe if you get a head coaching job at a successful program like Iowa State. Also, you aren't just average if you're hired by the University of Alabama.

Only time will tell it seems if it was the right decision. It's just difficult to know that what looked like a "Plan B" hire at the time could very well have been an A+ hire right now.