Crimson Red Sports

I have been meaning to post this for 2 weeks but kept putting it off. The transfers of Coleman & Kessens are a good reason to go ahead and post my observations.

I was going to suggest the transfer of Kessens since he was just filling space. Coleman has shown potential but he goes from red hot to ice cold. His ball handling can be solid & other times he is reckless, hurries too much, & turns the ball over too much at times. I was still unsure of what to say about his future at UA but he has now decided himself. Obasohan & Edwards have graduated, so we need at least 1 more excellent ball handling point guard. Returning guards include Dazon Ingram, Brandon Austin, Avery Johnson, Jr. & Lawson Schaffer, a walk-on. I find Schaffer intriguing & am interested in seeing if he does anything next year.

Besides Kessens, it's time to make a decision on Jimmy Taylor. He will be a senior and again he has potential but can't be consistent. His 36% FT shooting renders him almost useless late in a game since he will be a target for fouls if we are leading or if he is fouled while trying to score but we need big men so we may be stuck with him.

Shannon Hale & Riley Norris must step up next year, especially Norris. Norris must be more aggressive shooting the ball, from the perimeter & driving the ball. Hale must also be more assertive shooting the ball, he is a good ball handler, has good size, and a soft touch shooting the ball.

The big unknowns are Donta Hall and our new recruits. Plus, who else might we be able to recruit & can they contribute immediately? If Donta Hall can cut down on fouling & play 26-32 minutes a game it would be a major addition for the Tide. His rebounding & shot blocking are potentially huge for us.   

The major areas of concern will sound familiar: rebounding, free throw shooting, ball handling (turnovers), and fouling too much. The perimeter shooting was improved but inconsistent. I'm anxious to see Year 2 of the CAJ Era. We achieved a 4-2 or 4-3 record in the regular season against Top 25 teams, compared to the 22 consecutive losses by Grant, so there are bright spots & proof of some improvement. Now, we have to get players to fit CAJ's offense & develop them. We still need at least 2 more years of rebuilding, maybe three.

I would like to hear from other posters with observations, comments or ideas.


 :dog:

Thanks MD and I think you are right on from what I saw of them. I don't get to see much that's why I am on here and watching the al.com page for updates. One thing I know from my playing days which was quite different than today. We played for the love of the game and we didn't give a hoot about the media. Basketball to me is like what Baseball use to be you have to love the game to play it. These today are in it for the girls, money and fame.
Since I could not tell but my question to you or someone else is what are our young guns like? I think it won't be but maybe 4 to 5 years and we will be competing with UK for the SEC each year. This is my personal thoughts on this and hopefully one day I will be able to visit games at least on Sat. RTR!

Good post MD....I'm like Preacher in that I don't see much either.  Just read what I can, especially Cecil.

Where are we in recruiting?  Is there another signing period in May?  We really need to get the right guys in here, and need 1 - 2 freshmen to come on strong next year.

I do think CAJ has shown he can develop players and that's a BIG change from the past.  I hope he will have everybody shooting FTs for an hour per day starting now!  We left too many points off the board, and, adding those missed FTs would have changed strategy at the end of close game. Imagine another 5 - 6 points per game.  Probably would've added 2 - 3 wins at least.

I would love to see CAJ sign a JUCO guy who is a beast under the basket. Great rebounder & can play defense, someone 6'8" to 6'10".