Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Interesting Tidbit on the Gottfried/Willams angle
A roast of Coach Mark Gottfried was held last night (April 10th) at the Pelham Civic Complex. It was to benefit the American Cancer Society. Of the notable guests, one really caught my eye. Wimp Sanderson, Rece Davis, Steve Lavin and Jim Farmer certainly were no shock to Bama fans that follow basketball. But what was interesting to me was the presence of one John Brady. The LSU coach was thought to have a bit of a feud with Coach Gottfried a few years back, and most notably comes from the coaching tree of one Richard Willams. Nice dovetail with my previous post. Does it mean anything? Probably not. But interesting.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Mark Gottried's Rubicon
The "retirement" of Tide Basketball Asst. Coach Tom Asbury is viewed by many in the world of Internet Banter and Sports Talk Radio as a fairly smooth admission by Coach Mark Gottfried of the need for change. Most speculation can be filed into 3 different pigeonholes.
1) It is a legitimate retirement brought on by personal issues.
2) It is a glorified firing to take off the heat from a dissappointing season.
3) It is a mutual decision brought on not by pressure from the Athletic Department.
I fall into camp 3. Without any inside knowledge of course, I speculate that Coach Asbury was not averse to the concept of retiring, and that Mark Gottfried saw a need to change the dynamics of the staff. As with all things in major college athletics, there is the truth, the spin and the perception. The 3 items correlate to the emotional state of the fanbase. I'll call it the Fan Scale of Happiness. 3 happens to be an important number in such things, but I'll save that for a later time.
Whatever the truth, the fanbase will continually view this change (and the subsequent hiring) through their own perception of the event. Those viewing it as a desperate move to save face will inevitably refer to this move in future games and seasons. Those taking my view, the 3rd view, will still view the hire as important, because we percieve it to be a change in philosophy, a tweaking if you will. Much has been written about Billy Donovan's hiring of Larry Shyatt in 2004 as an answer to frustration in Gainesville because of early exits with a perceived deep roster of talent. When viewed in this context, Mark Gottfried's hire becomes an important marker in his tenure.
Is it his Rubicon? It would be easier to make such a claim if the aforementioned Tom Asbury wasn't viewed as this sort of hire himself. Still, the recent Kevin Scarbinsky Article indicates that Mark Gottfried also views this as, if not the Rubicon, a hire that carries great import. Coach Richard Williams is indeed the sort of coach that could add the same ingredients Larry Shyatt provides Donovon. An experienced head coach ( A Final Four to boot) with the ability to teach defense, fundamentals and perhaps help tweak the overall philosophy. Billy Donovan was viewed by many in the SEC as simply recruiting talent, throwing it out in a Pitino style and hoping for the best. Shyatt has helped focus and refine that philosophy into a system, and helped Donovan grow as a coach. Mark Gottfried is viewed by many, including this blogger, as being married to a High Post Offense and a low foul, unaggressive defense....no matter what. The problem with this philosophy is that the High Post Offense requires sound fundamentals on every possession to be successful. Without those fundamentals, the offense falls into disarray.
Kevin Scarbinsky is viewed by many as being close to Mark Gottfried, close enough perhaps to float a trial ballon on how Richard Williams would be received. The past, sometimes nasty, rivalry between Alabama and Miss. St has often been the topic of rumor and debate. Richard Williams was viewed by some in the SEC as skating at least VERY close to the edges of the NCAA rules. It would be quite and interesting sight to see him on the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, and from the looks of this potential trial balloon it is at least a possibility.
If it happens, the trip to Starkville for the Tide could be as interesting as a certain trip to Baton Rouge in a little less than 2 years.
1) It is a legitimate retirement brought on by personal issues.
2) It is a glorified firing to take off the heat from a dissappointing season.
3) It is a mutual decision brought on not by pressure from the Athletic Department.
I fall into camp 3. Without any inside knowledge of course, I speculate that Coach Asbury was not averse to the concept of retiring, and that Mark Gottfried saw a need to change the dynamics of the staff. As with all things in major college athletics, there is the truth, the spin and the perception. The 3 items correlate to the emotional state of the fanbase. I'll call it the Fan Scale of Happiness. 3 happens to be an important number in such things, but I'll save that for a later time.
Whatever the truth, the fanbase will continually view this change (and the subsequent hiring) through their own perception of the event. Those viewing it as a desperate move to save face will inevitably refer to this move in future games and seasons. Those taking my view, the 3rd view, will still view the hire as important, because we percieve it to be a change in philosophy, a tweaking if you will. Much has been written about Billy Donovan's hiring of Larry Shyatt in 2004 as an answer to frustration in Gainesville because of early exits with a perceived deep roster of talent. When viewed in this context, Mark Gottfried's hire becomes an important marker in his tenure.
Is it his Rubicon? It would be easier to make such a claim if the aforementioned Tom Asbury wasn't viewed as this sort of hire himself. Still, the recent Kevin Scarbinsky Article indicates that Mark Gottfried also views this as, if not the Rubicon, a hire that carries great import. Coach Richard Williams is indeed the sort of coach that could add the same ingredients Larry Shyatt provides Donovon. An experienced head coach ( A Final Four to boot) with the ability to teach defense, fundamentals and perhaps help tweak the overall philosophy. Billy Donovan was viewed by many in the SEC as simply recruiting talent, throwing it out in a Pitino style and hoping for the best. Shyatt has helped focus and refine that philosophy into a system, and helped Donovan grow as a coach. Mark Gottfried is viewed by many, including this blogger, as being married to a High Post Offense and a low foul, unaggressive defense....no matter what. The problem with this philosophy is that the High Post Offense requires sound fundamentals on every possession to be successful. Without those fundamentals, the offense falls into disarray.
Kevin Scarbinsky is viewed by many as being close to Mark Gottfried, close enough perhaps to float a trial ballon on how Richard Williams would be received. The past, sometimes nasty, rivalry between Alabama and Miss. St has often been the topic of rumor and debate. Richard Williams was viewed by some in the SEC as skating at least VERY close to the edges of the NCAA rules. It would be quite and interesting sight to see him on the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, and from the looks of this potential trial balloon it is at least a possibility.
If it happens, the trip to Starkville for the Tide could be as interesting as a certain trip to Baton Rouge in a little less than 2 years.
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