The University of Alabama’s new basketball coach is into his first full week on the job. UA Athletics Director Bill Battle named Avery Johnson their new head coach last Wednesday at the Mal Moore Athletic Facility. He replaces Anthony Grant, who was fired after six seasons on the job. Johnson was the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year with the Dallas Mavericks and also coached the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson's biggest challenge is working at a school where football is king.
While the University of Alabama Athletic programs are known for championships.
The Crimson Tide’s men’s basketball program is looking for similar success.
After the firing of former coach Anthony Grant, U-A officials wanted to make a splash in finding the new general to lead Bama basketball
Avery Johnson is a former NBA Champion point guard in his first full week as the coach of the Crimson Tide. Even his years with the Dallas Mavericks failed to dull his distinctive New Orleans accent. Johnson was named the 2006 NBA Coach of the year while Dallas to the NBA Finals. He was also a broadcaster at ESPN prior to taking the job.
When he first met the press in Tuscaloosa, Johnson admitted something was missing in his life. He really wanted to be a coach again. That's when he got a call from U-A Director of Athletics Bill Battle about a job with the Tide.
“I’ve already coached in the NBA for two separate stints, but I wanted to coach on the collegiate level,” Johnsons says. “ And when Coach Battle called and introduced himself and asked me to entertain the idea of coaching The University of Alabama, I said ‘Come on down Coach, I would love to meet with you.’”-
Johnson has zero head coaching experience at the college level. level. But that did not stop Battle from reaching out to Johnson to see if he had interest to coach at Alabama.
“We wanted a coach that could recruit great players,” Battle says. “We wanted a hard-working coach, a coach with all of the values that moms and dads would want in their children and we think we’ve found that coach.”
The Crimson Tide was 19-15 this past season. That was good enough to win a game in the National Invitational Tournament. Johnson inherits a program that has a below .500 record in the SEC for two seasons. The goal for any program is making it in to the NCAA Tournament. That's something Alabama was in only once in the past nine seasons.
Johnson says he is here to turn the Tide on the hardwood in Tuscaloosa.
“I wouldn’t have taken this job if I didn’t see and have a vision of how we could get to the Final Four and have an opportunity to win a championship. Duke University, that’s the standard for us here at The University of Alabama and our basketball program,” Johnson says. “The way they play defense and offense, the way they move the ball, that’s the standard. That’s why I’m here.”
His coaching style will be unique. Johnson says he wants to play defense like the “Bad Boys” of the Detroit Pistons, he wants to play offense and move the ball like the Chicago Bulls. And most importantly, win championships like Boston Celtics.
He believes that formula can work at Alabama. But he has an even bigger objective for his program.
“Our goals are to develop young men,” Johnson says. “We are here to develop our student-athletes in terms of their character, the way they communicate, the way they compete on the court and also in the classroom. We’re here to teach them how to care more about our program than themselves.”
Johnson will spend the next few weeks on the recruiting trail to fill the roster for the upcoming season. He has a handful of scholarships to hand out to a few players with signing day coming up tomorrow
He knows building a high-level program will take some time. But he will not deny the excitement around the Alabama basketball program is getting noticed.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Johnson says. “But fortunately, a lot of recruits that were on the fence or some high-level recruits that weren’t even interested in Alabama, they’re interested now.”
And in a place where football reigns supreme, Johnson embraces the challenge of putting a product out on the floor of Coleman Coliseum that fans will be proud of as much as they are of the Crimson Tide on the gridiron.
“I want to again say to The University of Alabama Crimson Tide fans, friends, family and community; we’re going to get the job done,” Johnson says. “Even though Coach Battle blessed me with a six-year contract, it’s not going to take that long Coach. I just want to say two words in closing, Roll Tide!”