Alabama Basketball Blog

Belgium Got Game

2013-06-17T00:23:00.000-04:00

Belgium Got Game is Belgium's largest basketball event, a 5-on-5 tournament that showcases some of the country's best basketball talent, aged 16-23. Bama's Retin Obasohan would certainly be considered part of that group. Though he is not taking part in the event this year, Retin was interviewed for the event while he was at home in Belgium after the conclusion of the season.

A redshirt sophomore, Retin appears poised for a breakout season after becoming an integral part of the rotation down the stretch in 2012-13. The interview focuses on Retin's thoughts on improving yourself as a player, differences between playing in Belgium and the United States as well as promoting the Belgium Got Game event. It's very illuminating, and paints Retin as an incredibly sincere and intelligent young man who understands what he must do to succeed, not just in basketball, but life in general. Check it out.

Andrew Steele update

2013-06-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

Great article from the Anniston star explaining Andrew's new job working for a charity. We should all be proud to have someone like Andrew representing the University and Alabama basketball.

Schedule News: Alabama/Xavier on December 21st

2013-06-04T17:21:00.002-04:00

I know it's hard to get jazzed up about the schedule after the news concerning Devonta Pollard today, but Xavier will play in Tuscaloosa on December 21st. Not sure yet if it's a home-and-home series, but I assume it is. It's yet another strong addition to Alabama's non-conference schedule for next season. However, with two players transferring out and now the Pollard mess, it's a fair question to wonder who will be left on the Alabama roster to actually play these games?

Pollard Charged with Conspiracy in Kidnapping

2013-06-04T16:45:00.002-04:00

Link to Reports out of Meridian

This is very unfortunate for everyone involved, obviously. A couple of things to remember before everyone starts trashing Devonta, 1) Just because someone is arrested and charged, does not necessarily mean they are guilty. 2) Conspiracy could be a lot of things.

Assuming the allegations that his mother kidnapped the child because of some sort of property dispute with child's parents are true, Devonta may have been placed in a very tough position. His involvement could have been anything from providing her with a getaway car to helping her hide from police. Even if true, and while I'm not saying its right, some of the things that could result in a conspiracy charge would be things a lot of people would likely due to try to protect their own mother in that situation.

There were rumors that he would transfer anyway, and I would speculate this makes his return to UA next season highly unlikely. Supposedly he was looking to go closer to home. It appears to me that he would have been well advised to get as far away from home as possible.

Add Wichita St to the 2013 OOC schedule...

2013-05-29T17:24:00.003-04:00

... 2 game series. We won't be cupcaked this season... now we need to win a few of these games.

(credit- TI messageboard poster Val)

Alabama to play Oklahoma on November 8th

2013-05-25T23:55:00.000-04:00

Alabama has agreed to a match-up with Oklahoma on November 8th. The game will take place in Dallas at the American Airlines Center, the home court of the Dallas Mavericks. It's part of a four-game event to celebrate the beginning of the college basketball season. The other games are Baylor vs Colorado, Texas vs LSU and SMU vs TCU.

It's yet another piece to what could be a challenging non-conference schedule that already includes a home game against Tubby Smith and Texas Tech, a road game at UCLA, as well as the NIT Tip-Off event that includes potential games against Duke and Arizona.

Alabama could be the favorite in this game. Oklahoma is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance, but could be facing a rebuilding season after losing their top three scorers. However, with Lon Kruger on the Sooner bench, this will be far from a walk in the park. In addition to a quality opponent, Alabama will also have an opportunity to shine in a nationally televised event that will be highly anticipated by college basketball fans who will no doubt be jonesing for a basketball fix come November 8th.

Antoine Pettway Promoted

2013-05-20T17:39:00.000-04:00

As expected, Anthony Grant announced today that Antoine Pettway has been promoted to assistant coach. Other changes to the coaching staff include John Brannen being promoted to Associate Head Coach. The program has also hired a new strength and conditioning coach, Lou DeNeen, whose previous stops include UAB and Cal. Here is a link.

Congratulations to Antoine Pettway on the promotion. I felt when he was retained by Grant after being hired, it was a bit of a PR move on Grant's part. After working with him for four years, I think Grant now has complete confidence in Antoine to get the job done. Pettway loves the university and he is one of the most popular players in the history of the program so this is a win/win for all involved.

Brannen's move to associate head coach was a no-brainer. He's been with Grant for seven years so they have a familiarity with each other. He's the best choice to take over for Dan Hipsher at this point. Brannen is also becoming a name himself. His name has been mentioned for several vacant jobs the last two seasons. It's just a matter of time before someone gives him an opportunity.

I don't know anything about DeNeen, but the article states, in addition to his college experience, he's also worked with professional players in the NBA, MLB and NFL so he's been around it all.

A-Sun Freshman of the Year Considering Alabama

2013-05-19T21:36:00.001-04:00

As we head into the summer, we've seen the Alabama basketball program become a Transfer U of sorts as two players - Ricky Tarrant and Michael Kessens - have already left their former programs for the green green grass of Tuscaloosa.Now comes the news that Anthony Grant and his staff may add another transfer to the mix in Stephen Hurt, a 6-10 285 lb Center from Lipscomb University. Hurt was voted the A-Sun Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds a game this past season.

Hurt, from Murfreesboro, TN, recently asked for his release after Lipscomb fired Scott Sanderson. The word is he's very interested in Alabama. Hurt will probably have to sit out a year per transfer rules, but he could be an instant impact performer in 2014-15 if he does come to Alabama. It would be yet another sign that the Alabama coaching staff is looking to shore up the inside game, which has been an achilles heel at times during the Grant tenure. Hurt would not only give them a big body on the boards, but a scoring presence as well.

And, make no mistake, Hurt is a big body. At 285 lbs, a year off may actually benefit Hurt before he steps back on the court. He weighed as much as 295 this past season at Lipscomb and, based on an article I found online, it appears the Lipscomb coaches were really pushing him to get in better shape. Being that he was "not close to the best shape I can be in", and yet still won A-Sun Freshman of the Year honors speaks volumes about his skill and potential. Hopefully Alabama is in his future.

Obviously, the 2013-14 season remains an important one for the Alabama basketball program in terms of continuing to build momentum and restoring some good faith in the skeptics. It becomes even more important when you consider the fact that the 2014-15 team will return experience, hopefully add some highly rated recruits from the state and will have 2, maybe 3, transfers who should be able to contribute immediately. With the right momentum from a successful 2013-14 campaign, the 2014-15 team could be a legitimate SEC favorite. What it adds up to is that the immediate future of Alabama basketball suddenly looks a lot better than it did the day after the news of Trevor Lacey's decision to transfer.

Update: Stephen Hurt has decided to enroll at Northwest Florida State College. Northwest was the NJCAA D-1 runner-up this past season. Hopefully Hurt remains on Alabama's radar for the future.

Alabama/UCLA Agree To Home And Home Series

2013-05-18T18:39:00.002-04:00

It was reported today by CBS' Jon Rothstein that Alabama and UCLA have agreed to a home and home series beginning next season. Alabama will travel to Pauley Pavilion (Date TBD) and UCLA will make its first visit to Tuscaloosa in the 2014-15 season. Alabama is 1-2 all time against UCLA.

This is good news as it provides Alabama with a name non-conference opponent the next two years and will offer the 2013-14 team a great opportunity at a non-conference resume road win.

UCLA will be undergoing some transition after firing Ben Howland and replacing him with Steve Alford despite Howland's team winning the Pac 12 regular season title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Though the Bruins lost Shabazz Muhammed to the NBA draft, the Bruins will return a solid core highlighted by Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and the Wear twins. This should be a tough test for an Alabama team that will look to avoid early non-conference struggles that have damaged their tournament resumes two out of the last three years.

Bama to play Texas Tech on November 14

2013-05-14T14:22:00.001-04:00

They are including Texas Tech's return trip as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. We play them in Tuscaloosa on Thursday, November 14. It will be the first game of the challenge.

The other matchups are:

Vandy at Texas
auburn at Iowa State
West Virginia at Mizzou
Ole Miss at Kansas State
TCU at Mississippi State
South Carolina at Oklahoma State
Kentucky vs Baylor (Arlington, TX)
Kansas at Florida
Texas A&M v. Oklahoma (Houston, TX)

Looking at these matchups, it will be difficult for the SEC to get 5 wins, in my opinion.

Alabama Lands Second Transfer

2013-05-04T17:35:00.003-04:00

It's being reported that Alabama has landed a second transfer in this year's class in Longwood University's, Michael Kessens. A freshman last season, the 6'9, 205 lb Kessens averaged 13.7 ppg and 8.8 reb. Kessens originally hails from Switzerland and didn't begin playing basketball until he was 16. Like Ricky Tarrant, he will have to sit out the 2013-14 season per transfer rules with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Admittedly, I did not see Longwood play this season so I know little about Kessens and what he will bring to the table, but the size and rebounding ability will be welcomed for a team that has had its fair shortage of both in recent years. Looking at his stats against solid or good competition (Marshall, Arkansas, Creighton, Seton Hall, Georgetown and VCU), Kessens averaged 7.3, 7.1 reb and 1 blk. It remains to be seen if he will be a long-term contributor, but taking a year off to get stronger and learn the system should help the young man. If nothing else, he could grow into a very reliable role player off the bench for Alabama in the years ahead.

Strange story involving Devonta Pollard's mom- Kidnapping?

2013-05-03T12:09:00.003-04:00

Jesse Mae Pollard, a longtime teacher and mother of University of Alabama basketball player Devonta Pollard, appeared before a U.S. District Court judge today after she was charged in the kidnapping of a six-year-old girl in Kemper County, Miss.

An Amber alert was issued Wednesday for Jashayla Hopson, who was taken from her school in Scooba, Miss., Tuesday afternoon, and was canceled after Hopson was found Wednesday afternoon near Enterprise, Miss., around 2 p.m.

Jesse Mae Brown Pollard, 54, of Northport appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball in Jackson, Miss., today. The court ruled to detain Pollard pending action by a federal grand jury based on probable cause.

In the criminal complaint filed today, an FBI agent in the Jackson, Miss., office, presented an affidavit with a timeline of the investigation. In it, he writes that investigators talked to Pollard about a "dispute" she had with Hopson's mother.

Link

Okay... now this makes me wonder if Pollard is gonna want to stick around with this going on.

Anthony Grant Press Conference

2013-04-27T03:32:00.000-04:00

Anthony Grant held a very interesting press conference on Friday in which he discussed a range of topics including the transfers of Moussa and Lacey, Dan Hipsher, next seasons' team, Ricky Tarrant, the NBA early entry rules, the non-conference schedule and the state of the Alabama program. Check it out.

Bama to play in Preseason NIT

2013-04-26T16:40:00.001-04:00

Finally some good news to report. Cecil Hurt tweeted today that Coach Grant said we will play in the preseason NIT along with Arizona, Duke, and others. The preseason NIT is probably the best preseason tournament out there as far as competition and national exposure goes. I can't wait to see what the brackets look like, and let's hope it's our only appearance in the NIT next year.

Rumored SEC/Big 12 Challenge Match-ups

2013-04-25T17:29:00.002-04:00

Let's talk about something else that doesn't involve transfers, basketball apathy and fired coaches. We're probably months before schedules for next season begin to take shape, but there is one thing we do know. The SEC and Big 12 will meet next season in a series of games making up one of those made for TV (ESPN) challenges. There will be ten games, five at the home of an SEC team and the other five at a Big 12 arena near you. The rumored match-ups have been kicking around the internet for about a week now. Again, these are nothing more than rumors at the moment so take with a grain of salt.

Alabama/Oklahoma
Florida/Kansas
Kentucky/Texas
Tennessee/Baylor
Missouri/West Virginia
South Carolina/Kansas State
Ole Miss/Iowa State
LSU/TCU
A&M/Texas Tech
Arkansas/Oklahoma State

The Florida/Kansas game is supposedly a done deal, with the game taking place in Gainesville. The rest of the match-ups, I'm not sold on yet. For one thing, I seriously doubt a situation would be set up in which both Frank Martin and Trent Johnson would play their former teams so soon after leaving them. If anything, I think the SEC teams should be flipped in that scenario. I also find it difficult to believe that Vandy would not be included in this event in place of Carolina or A&M, two teams that will probably not be projected ahead of Vandy when the preseason selections are released.

There are some match-ups that are appealing, however. Alabama/Oklahoma, Missouri/West Virginia, Tennessee/Baylor, Arkansas/Oklahoma State and Ole Miss/Iowa State would be very interesting to watch involving teams with a lot of similarities. The SEC never really showed up for the SEC/Big East challenges. The Big 12 might offer the SEC a better opportunity at repairing some of its basketball image.......or provide the conference with more rope to hang itself with. Either way, it's something to look forward to.

A Pity Party- THIS IS ALABAMA BASKETBALL

2013-04-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

In the last 21 years:

- we have advanced past the 1st week of the NCAA tournament ONE time (2004)
- have ONE SEC regular season title (2002)
- ZERO SEC Tournament Championships (Finals in 1992 and 2002)
- Since Antonio McDyess we have had ONE 1st round pick (Gerald Wallace... and he doesn't even acknowledge he had a cup of coffee @ Bama)

I'm probably as down on Alabama basketball as I ever have been. I don't see next season being a success in any of my required criteria (SECTC, SEC regular season, Top 25 finish, 2nd week of NCAAT) which probably doesn't bode well for Anthony Grant. Saying that, I think he's safe next year regardless of what happens on the court as the buyout on his contract drops to roughly $500K in 2015 (it's roughly $1.5 right now).

I'll continue to support the team despite my convictions... I'll travel to whatever pre-conference tourney we go to (provided it's a destination I would like to visit/revisit), attend one or 2 home games and probably the games @ UGA and/or UTK as my oldest really enjoys Alabama basketball.

I figure I have 30 more years left on the planet... would be nice to see us play in the Final Four once.

Trevor Lacey transfers (told you it wasn't the last one leaving)

2013-04-23T15:09:00.002-04:00

Link

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama sophomore guard Trevor Lacey has decided to transfer from the men’s basketball program and has been granted his release, Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant announced on Tuesday.
“I enjoyed having the opportunity to coach Trevor for the two years he was here,” Grant said. “We certainly wish him the best of luck as he continues to pursue his education and his basketball career.”

My goodness... this is getting ridiculous.

Wendell Hudson Resigns

2013-04-22T16:42:00.000-04:00

We normally stick to the men's team at this blog, but this was a news item I felt should be posted (and discussed?). Wendell Hudson, who was head coach of the women's team for the last five years, stepped down today. It is the first significant decision that Bill Battle, the newly appointed AD at Alabama, has made. Battle says it was a mutual decision between he and Hudson, though it's hard to imagine Hudson was in any position to argue after a five year record of 68-87 (14-64 in conference games). The university has announced they will begin a "national search" for a new head coach immediately.

As difficult as it has been for the men's program to gain a foothold during the course of its existence, one would imagine it's been ten times harder for the women's program. Nevertheless, the women's program does have a leg up on the men in that 1994 Final Four appearance and had a sustained run of success under Rick Moody from 1992 to 1999 in which the program made the NCAA Tournament every year during that span and did no worse than the NCAA second round, including that Final Four and four straight years in the Sweet Sixteen after that. Like the men's program, there have been moments of success, but consistency remains elusive.

Fortunately, Hudson will be retained by the university in an "administrative position". How would you guys feel about Wendell Hudson possibly joining Anthony Grant's staff at some point? Do you think that is even a possibility?

Alabama Leads for JC Guard, Algie Key

2013-04-16T14:25:00.003-04:00

2-time JC All-American, Algie Key had an official visit to Alabama this past weekend. The visit obviously went well as the 6-4, 170 lb combo guard from Barton Community College (that's in Kansas, ya'll) currently lists Alabama as the leader for his signature.

Key averaged 17.6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists this past season at Barton. The consensus opinion on him from the recruiting nerds is that he is a "slasher/distributor" type player with a good mid-range game. The perimeter game could use some work though (only 5-34 from 3-pt this past season). Key set the Barton record for free throws attempted and made so he obviously knows how to get to the line. His 6 boards a game also suggests that he isn't afraid to mix it up with the big guys in the paint. Assist to turnover ratio was 2:1 and he averaged just under 2 steals per game. He looks capable of playing anywhere from the 1-3 spot on the floor depending on the situation. Seems like he would be a good fit for Grant's system.

Key, a Georgia native, still plans to take a visit to UGA this weekend, but he's been quoted as saying he could make a decision as early as this week if he decides not to take the Georgia visit. He also mentioned that Grant told him he was the number one priority at the moment. That could mean the Jaren Sina ship has sailed. We will have to see.

Tony Mitchell named NBA D-League Rookie of the year

2013-04-16T13:43:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK, April 15, 2013 – Fort Wayne Mad Ants rookie Tony Mitchell today was named the 2013 NBA Development League Rookie of the year as voted on by the League’s 16 head coaches. The award recognizes a first-year professional who most significantly contributed to his team’s success during the course of the season.

Mitchell (6-6, 216, Alabama) played in 48 regular season games, 45 as a starter, for the Mad Ants, averaging a team-high 21.9 points to go with 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 35.3 minutes while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 32 percent from behind the three-point line. His 21.9 points per game was good for second in the NBA D-League.

Full article

I'm going to bet he will be in the NBA at some point next season.

Grading the 2012-13 Alabama Basketball season

2013-04-14T18:30:00.002-04:00

I decided to take a few weeks to write this as it's better to reflect with time. Having said that, THE TIME IS NOW!

I'm going to break this down in 2 groups: Non-Conference and Conference

Non-Conference
Things looked good early... started off 6-0 (winning the 2K Sports Classic), lost on a buzzer beater @ Cincinnati, and everyone was feeling good about the shorthanded team. We head home for what we think is an easy thumping of Dayton... didn't work out as planned. Surprising loss, but wrote it off to the hangover in Cincy.

We knew going to VCU was going to be tough, but no one thought we'd get run out of the building. We did. Next up, @ Texas Tech. We dominate most of the game, but somehow let them get within a basket late before holding them off. I have to admit this game (a win no less) is where I started wondering if this team was NCAAT quality.

Get back home to supposedly beat up on 2 weak opponents in Mercer and Tulane... lost them both. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. What started promising at 6-1 is now 7-5. As we all know by now our NCAAT hopes were pretty much over by the end of December unless we crushed the SEC schedule.

1st half of the season grade: D
It is inexcusable to lose 3 home games against far inferior opponents.

Conference
We open up at Missouri and most expect to be dominated... we play them tough before wilting late in the 2nd half (which turns out to be our MO the rest of the season). After that, we run off 4 in a row including a thrashing of Mi$$i$$ippi $tate in $tarkville and a win over the defending national champs Kentucky.

The next 4 games probably brought out the gambit of emotions for any diehard fan... the controversial loss @ UTK (choked the lead away late, didn't get the call when Lacey was fouled with the last shot), surviving Arkansas, winning @ Vandy for the 1st time since GHWB was POTUS, and then the terrible loss @ the Barn where basketball was set back 50 years. We come off that loss to win our next 4 (against mostly weak competition, but have a hard time putting them away).

Our last 5 games defined what we were... with a good chance to get into the NCAAT by going 4-1 we choke @ LSU, get revenge vs Auburn, and come up short @ UF and Ole Miss. We almost went 1-4 if not for a 2/3rd court shot by Trevor Releford to beat UGA.

2nd half of the season grade: B-
Going 12-6 would normally be awesome, but when you look closer at the schedule we went 1-3 vs the top 5 teams and 4-5 vs the top 8 in the conference.

Overall season grade: C
It is pretty inexcusable to be down to 8 scholarship players (at its worst) in year 4. I have read that Engstrom might've been the difference in the season. Let's be honest here... while I like Carl, losing him for the season should NOT have been catastrophic.

When I look at the program overall under Anthony Grant I don't feel we are destined for great (or even better than mediocre) things. 1st year was a feeling out process in which I thought we made stride. 2nd year was better than anyone expected (despite going 0fer in St Thomas... which myself and DJC were there to witness). Last season despite making the NCAAT was a letdown IMO as we were a preseason top 20 team (that once we fell out we didn't return), and this past season was again a disappointment.

For the most part I have been really good about keeping my personal opinions off the board and simply 'report' on events, but this season I couldn't hold back anymore. I don't think we are trending positive as a program. We are not in the abyss of the Hobbs years or the last 2 of Gottfried, but I don't get the warm and fuzzies going into next season... I feel a plateau.

Saying that, Grant is here at least another 2 seasons as his recent extension (if I read it correctly) has a $1.5 million buyout until the end of the 2014-15 season (then it drops to $500K or so).

So what does Grant need next season to keep the seat from getting hot? I say one of the following:
- End the season ranked in the top 25
- Win the SEC outright
- Win the SEC Tournament
- If none of the above then a surprise run to the Sweet 16 as a lower seed

Recruits Visiting Tuscaloosa This Weekend

2013-04-12T01:27:00.002-04:00

According to various sources, there will be no less than three basketball recruits in Tuscaloosa for a visit this weekend.

Jaren Sina, a 6'2, 175 lb PG from New Jersey arrived in Birmingham today for a visit tomorrow. Ricky Tarrant, the 6'2, 190 lb PG who is transferring from Tulane will also be in Tuscaloosa for a visit. And finally, Algie Key, a 6'4, 180 lb SG from Barton County Community College will reportedly be in Tuscaloosa as well this weekend for a visit. Key is considered one of the best JC guards in the country after averaging 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He was also a two-time JC All-American his two years at Barton. It could be a very interesting weekend for Coach Grant and his staff.

One more thing to note. Florida International is currently searching for a new head coach after Richard Pitino was hired at Minnesota. One name that has been mentioned as a possible candidate is Alabama's own, Tony Pujols. Something to keep an eye on as we head into Spring.

UPDATE: If tweets from Releford and Lacey are any indication, it appears that Tulane transfer Ricky Tarrant is the newest member of the Alabama basketball team. He will have to sit out the 2013-14 season per NCAA rules.

S/o to our new teammate @rickytarrant2
— Trevor Lacey (@TrevorLacey5) April 13, 2013

Rp S/O the newest member of crimson tide family @rickytarrant2 !! everybody go follow him now!! instagram.com/p/YDsIxWg-NW/
— Trevor Releford (@TRelly12) April 13, 2013

Moussa Gueye to transfer. Cites style of play

2013-04-09T23:07:00.002-04:00

Not even a day after the season is officially over and we get what seems to be a yearly surprise transfer. Again.

I suspect this isn't the last one we have...

Report from NCAA Title Game

2013-04-09T09:12:00.000-04:00

I bought tickets last week to the Championship Game and I can say it was well worth it. The game last night restored my faith in good college basketball. 2 great teams slugged it out for 40 minutes with Louisville doing just a little bit more in the end to win it 82-76 (I didn't closely read the post so excuse typos/errors for now).

As you can see it was not the best seat in the house, but I could see everything just fine. Actually, the camera (Samsung S3) doesn't zoom to what I could see with my own eyes, but the pictures work.

The crowd was raucous... we were sitting behind and next to some young Michigan fans . Normally I have a heavy disdain for all fans Michigan, but they were having fun and not acting like the Michigan fans I have encountered over my lifetime. I didn't realize how many Louisville fans were behind me until late in the 1st half. Overall I'd say it was a 60/40 Louisville crowd.

About the game... Michigan got off to an early lead, bouncing the lead as much as 12. At one point #2 (Albrecht) for Michigan was 6/7 and 4/4 from 3 as Louisville barely outscored him 21-17. I believe he was the same kid that pretty much owned Florida in the Elite 8. Then Louisville made a comeback thanks to Luke Hancock and briefly took the lead for the 1st time late in the 1st half (briefly), before Michigan hit 2 FTs to take the 1 point lead at the half.

The 2nd half was some of the best basketball I've seen all season. Back and forth, Louisville and Michigan traded the lead until late when Louisville got up by 10. Michigan rallied to get it down to 4, but in the end Louisville made some big plays to win it. Siva was an integral part in Louisville's resiliency as he seemed to be able to get to the basket at will.

I'm not one to complain about officiating, but the crew calling the game tonight was at best inconsistent. The 1st 10 minutes they let the players play, but after that started calling tic-tac fouls. It was like that the entire 2nd half... which probably confuses both the coaching staff and players as they have no idea what kind of a game is going to be called. I thought Michigan got the better end of the tight officiating.

Anyways, it was my 1st NCAA Final Four. I hope one day to see Alabama there (not the NIT one), but the older I get the less I believe it will ever happen for us. I think we are a LONG WAY from that right now.

I'll let this post sit here for a couple days before I do my end of year review on the team, coaches, etc.

Texas-Pan American Hires Dan Hipsher

2013-04-04T22:23:00.003-04:00

In addition to recruiting players this offseason, Anthony Grant will now also have to recruit a new assistant coach. UT-Pan American announced today that Dan Hipsher has been hired as their new basketball coach. Hipsher has been on the Alabama staff since Grant came to Tuscaloosa. His relationship with Grant began at Dayton where Hipsher, then an assistant coach at the school, recruited Grant, and later hired Grant as an assistant at Stetson. Hipsher also coached at the University of Akron where he was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 1998. Best of luck to Coach Hipsher as he begins his new job.

I assume that Brannen or Pujols will be promoted to Hipsher's Associate Head Coach position. No names have surfaced yet regarding who will fill the vacant assistant spot. It will be an interesting story to follow for sure. Coaching turnover can be a tricky situation. Hiring a good assistant is just as important for a Head Coach as recruiting 4 and 5 star players. Hopefully the hire is made sooner rather than later so the staff is solidified before summer workouts begin.