Alabama Basketball: Will Gregg Marshall Be The Tide’s Head Coach?

We’ve all seen the reports that current Wichita State head basketball coach Gregg Marshall is the Tide’s top choice to replace Anthony Grant as the men’s head basketball coach. The big question is this. Will it happen?

Up until Thursday night, Marshall and the Shockers were busy with the NCAA Tournament until their season was ended by Notre Dame. I’m sure there probably was some discussion between Marshall’s agent and Bill Battle but after the loss, the talk could really start to heat up.

One problem with that. One of the jobs that most people believe Marshall would take came open today. The talk started a few days ago but today, the Texas Longhorns made it official that longtime head coach Rick Barnes wouldn’t be returning next season.

Most media named Marshall a top candidate as well as VCU’s Shaka Smart as the top choices to replace Barnes. One noted that Texas athletic director Steve Patterson could even possibly pull a coach from the NBA to take on the Longhorns’ vacancy.

What does this mean for Alabama? We will just have to wait to find out. Reports have stated that Alabama’s offer would begin at $3 million and they would do what it takes to get their man in Marshall. Here is what Barnes was making at Texas according to Chip Brown.

How high would Texas go for salary? I’ve read that they wouldn’t go too much over $3 million. Yeah, I know Texas boosters have all of the money in the world but that’s what was reported. It all comes down to what Marshall and his family wants. Do they want pay with the chance to build on something or do they want to take a little bit less and walk in to school that has a good basketball history? We’ll soon find out.

What if Marshall isn’t Texas’ top choice for a coach? One reporter in Virginia referenced a source saying that Shaka Smart was their top candidate.

We should know the direction the Tide has to go in the next few days. According to Patterson, Texas wants to make a decision within the next week. If they do select Barnes, I’m leaning toward him taking that job. If they choose Smart or another candidate, I’m thinking Marshall has a very good shot of being the Tide’s head man. Alabama has made him feel wanted for two weeks since the job became vacant. They’ve made it no secret that he was the man for the job. Pair that with the money and the fact that he would play on the national stage every game with the SEC Network coverage, I think that should do it.