Resurgent Tide

Pardon the usual sports pun, but the hiring of Anthony Grant was a slam dunk by the University of Alabama. The longtime Donovan assistant had a nice thing going at Virginia Commonwealth up in Richmond. Grants name had been on the short list of several AD's in case a position opened up at their institutions. In 2007, Billy Donovan announced that he was leaving the University of Florida to accept the head coaching position with the Orlando Magic. The move made sense to Donovan who had spent the last decade in the state of Florida. Fresh off dual national championship seasons, the move to nearby Orlando presented him with the best scenario imaginable- a pro coaching job close to "home". Florida AD Jeremy Foley of course had to begin the search process. As we all recall, the search process did not last very long. Soon after, Donovan had a change of heart and announced his return to UF. However, during the small window that the captains chair was open, Foley reached out to a former Donovan assistant. Anthony Grant was finally being presented with his first big time job.

With Donovan back at Florida, Grant was forced to remain in Richmond. In his three seasons atVCU Grant put together a 76-25 record including two trips to the big dance. Grant also recruited many of the players featured on the 2011 VCU Final Four team. Grant also has one NBA first round draft pick on his resume. Grant certainly had VCU on the right path, as to did his predecessor and future successor.

Meanwhile in Tuscaloosa....

Mark Gottfried had built a lot of goodwill in Tuscaloosa after many successful seasons as the head coach of the Tide. However his last two years were anything but successful. His team declined an invitation to the third tier post season CBI tournament before completely collapsing in his final year. Gottfried left Alabama mid season and joined ESPN before becoming the next head coach at NC State. The good news for Alabama is that they had ample time to search for a new head coach. They found their man in VCU's Anthony Grant.

Grant's first year wasn't too terribly bad. The club was very competitive despite their 17-15 record. The 2010-2011 season was a breakout season for Alabama. Led by JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell, Alabama roared through the SEC on their way to the SEC West title. A late season loss to Florida cost Alabama an SEC title. Grant's recruiting brought in Kansas frosh Trevor Releford and a slew of other young stars to bolster a veteran squad. Alabama defeated Georgia twice in 8 days only to be delegated to the NIT.

The future for Alabama is strong. They have secured a decent recruiting class which was bolstered earlier this week with the signing of Trevor Lacey. The Huntsville, Alabama native chose Alabama over Kentucky, Kansas and local Auburn. It might be safe to say that had Alabama not had they year they had, Lacey would not have chosen to stay home. Going to Kentucky did not make sense for Lacey. He would have been slotted behind Doron Lamb on a team drowning in talent. Going to Auburn would have been a suicide move (see CJ Leslie at NC State). Alabama and Anthony Grant provide Lacey with an opportunity to shine on the college stage and play right in his own backyard. Alabama fans should be excited about the future of Alabama basketball. They will most likely never surpass Kentucky as long as Calipari is the coach, but they can year in and year out compete for silver in the SEC. Heck, they beat UK last year in Tuscaloosa. Anything can happen I guess.

Roll Tide.