This is not a conversation the head coach of Alabama basketball wants to hear at the end of the season:
Athletic director Mal Moore: What can I do for you today, Mr. Booster?
Mr. Booster: So I hear we have this basketball team, and Ive been doing some research ...
Mal Moore (thinking to self): Were already paying one alum a large sum of money not to coach here. Can we pay another?
When there is chatter within the Alabama athletic department concerning Crimson Tide mens basketball, that is typically not very good. (This is not an indictment of Alabama basketball fans. Coleman Coliseum, at times, can be a pretty awesome place to watch a basketball game. But we all know what really matters to the big-money guys at Alabama, right?)
Last year, there was chatter. And that meant people were unhappy with coach Mark Gottfrieds performance. A lot of people wanted him fired after a 17-16 season, 5-11 in the Southeastern Conference. He got another chance and deserved it but had to wait until Monday to find out his hand entering the most critical season of his 11-year tenure at Alabama.
The answer: His 6-foot-9 forward, Richard Hendrix, will enter the NBA draft. Point guard Ronald Steele will not.
The verdict: An NCAA tournament bid should still be the expectation for Gottfried.
Look, you only fire a head coach if no hope exists (see: Jirsa, Ron). Crimson Tide basketball has hope. Very few people really thought Hendrix, who averaged 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds last year, would return for his senior season. Alabama was lucky to have him this long.
A healthy Steele who proved his aching knees are improving with several solid showings at the NBA pre-draft camp and in individual workouts gives Alabama hope. His highly regarded brother, Andrew, will join the team next season. Alonzo Gee is back. Power forward JaMychal Green, maybe Alabamas most talented signee since Gerald Wallace, from what I hear, is an impact scorer who will take Hendrixs place.
But Gottfried is already tempering expectations concerning Steeles knees.
Were excited (Steele) will be back, but I still believe this may be a process, Gottfried said. It may take some time for him to regain his form. We are going to do everything we can to help him return to being one of the top point guards in the country, and I have no doubt that he will be able to do that. Hes an exceptional athlete with an exceptional work ethic. I just think it could take a little time.
Gottfried may not have time. And thats too bad. People love to say hes posted only three winning records in SEC play since he arrived in 1998, but thats a ridiculous cherry-picking of numbers. The Tide finished 8-8 twice and 7-9 two other times in league play under Gottfried.
The program is a lot better than it was 10 years ago under David Hobbs. There have been five NCAA trips, an Elite Eight appearance and a No. 1 ranking. Alabamas players typically graduate. And the Tide did not quit on Gottfried last year, beating Vanderbilt and Arkansas late in a frustrating season. Alabama whipped Florida in the SEC tournament and nearly toppled Mississippi State in the Tornado Game.
But along with Steeles return come expectations and pressure on Gottfried, fair or not. Alabamas current lineup should compete in the SEC West. Mississippi State lost three of its top five scorers: Jamont Gordon entered the NBA draft, Charles Rhodes graduated and Ben Hansbrough transferred to Notre Dame. LSU lost Anthony Randolph to the pros. The opportunity to regain prominence is there for Alabama, even without Hendrix.
Gottfrieds team needs to take advantage and keep Mr. Booster at home watching Alabama football replays on CSS.
