Morning Kickoff: Crimson Tide News 3/16
By Chris Hale
Get your day started with the Morning Kickoff. All your Crimson Tide news in one place.
Anthony Grant out at Alabama
"Alabama has fired coach Anthony Grant, the school announced Sunday.Grant, 48, was with the Crimson Tide for six seasons, winning at least 20 games three times and making an NCAA tournament appearance in 2012. He also led Alabama to three NIT appearances, including this year’s event, where they will play Illinois on Tuesday. No interim coach has been named.The Crimson Tide also reached the NIT championship game in 2011.After getting off to a 12-3 start this season, Alabama struggled over the final two months of the season, finishing 18-14 overall and tied for eighth in the SEC."
Here is what will dominate the news until a hire is made. From all accounts, Grant is a wonderful person. Sometimes things just don’t work out like we want them. I wanted him to succeed but after last season, it seemed things were trending downward. Hopefully, he will find a job at a school and have the best of luck.
Alabama to host NIT opening-round game, interim coach yet to be named
"The Crimson Tide was selected to the 32-team NIT field just hours after Anthony Grant was fired as the head coach.Alabama will play host to Illinois at 8 p.m. CT Tuesday in the opening round on ESPN.The Tide (18-14) is the No. 6 seed in its region, but will host since No. 3 seed Illinois’ arena is being renovated.Who will coach the Tide on Tuesday? That has not been announced as of Sunday evening. A news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, but an Alabama release said the attendees will be announced in the morning."
Alabama did accept an invite to play in the NIT. No interim coach has been named as of yet.
Eddie McDoom has Alabama on top after offer
"McDoom spoke to head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin on Friday and the offer immediately made the Crimson Tide his top school.“They really liked my film and think I can fit their program and they are really excited about me,” said McDoom, who had previously had the Florida Gators as his leader. “Alabama is for sure on top.”McDoom, the No. 7-ranked player in the Sentinel’s 2016 Central Florida Super60, now has 18 scholarship offers."
Give this one a scholarship on his name alone.
Rowing Caps Weekend in Oak Ridge with Strong Finishes Sunday
"Alabama wrapped up its weekend at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational with another slate of successful races, further improving on its times from Saturday’s sessions to complete the weekend on a positive note.“This weekend was a good start to our spring season,” said Alabama head coach Larry Davis. “Overall, we did better at this point this year than we did last year. There are still some things we’d like to polish up being this early in the season but we’ve made some progress against teams in our the conference.”One of those conference opponents is Tennessee, who the Crimson Tide defeated in both the 1st and 2nd Varsity 4s, including its fastest time of the weekend in the 1V4, placing third in 6:55.261. Alabama’s 1st Varsity 8 also completed its fastest time of the weekend, crossing the line in 6:11.077. The 2nd Varsity 8 beat Saturday’s best time by nearly six seconds, finishing third in 6:19.351."
Women’s Tennis Falls to Mississippi State in Thriller, 4-3
"The Alabama women’s tennis team suffered its third loss of the season on Sunday afternoon in Starkville, falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a final score of 4-3. In a back-and-forth match that featured four lead changes, the Bulldogs fittingly outlasted the Tide in a first-to-seven tiebreaker to decide the match. The loss halts the Tide’s recent win streak at four, and moves its overall record on the season to 12-3.In one of the most competitive doubles matches of the season, the Tide used a pair of come-from-behind wins to secure its fourth straight opening point. The Bulldogs won the first match on court two, before Erin Routliffe/Maya Jansen and Luicelena Perez/Danielle Spielmann earned a pair of 8-6 victories on courts one and three. Routliffe and Jansen are now a perfect 13-0 on the season."
Men’s Tennis Edged by No. 18 Gators, 4-2
"The 66th-ranked men’s tennis team’s comeback came up short, falling 4-2 to the 18th-ranked Florida Gators on Sunday at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. With the loss, the Crimson Tide moves to 12-10 overall and 2-3 against Southeastern Conference opponents, while the win bring the Gators to 8-5 on the season and 3-2 in the league."