Alabama Basketball: Greg Byrne to be thorough but expedient in hoops hire

Greg Byrne said Monday he has no timeline on a new head coach hire for Alabama basketball and the reputation of the University would be in the forefront.

Alabama basketball is making national headlines as Athletic Director, Greg Byrne searches for a new Crimson Tide head coach. Not much longer than 48 hours ago, conventional wisdom among Alabama basketball insiders was Steve Prohm would be the new hire.

Now, Prohm does not seem to be Byrne’s top candidate and as a result, may have taken himself out of consideration.

What are insiders thinking now? The early Monday buzz was all about two guys; Thad Matta and Rick Pitino. It is impossible to discern what is rumor and what chatter is based on some degree of substance. The claim Rick Pitino was in Tuscaloosa on Saturday was surely a rumor. Another Pitino sighting in T-Town was rumored on Monday.

The most credible chatter is about Thad Matta being Byrne’s top choice. Matta is the ‘other’ Final-Four’ cred guy whose only baggage is Ohio State fired him after back problems limited his ability to do his job.

He is the winningest coach in Buckeyes history and apparently, his back issues are no longer a major problem. In 17 seasons as a head coach, his teams have won less than 20 games just once. While hobbled by back issues, Matta’ last Ohio State season produced only 17 wins. In 10 of those 17 seasons, Matta’s team won 25 or more games, topped by the 2007 team that won 35 games.

Matta turned down a Georgia offer before the Bulldogs hired Tom Crean, preferring retirement to a return to basketball. Greg Byrne has a strong connection to Matta. Byrne’s Arizona head coach, Sean Miller was an assistant to Matta at Xavier and the two coached together for Herb Sendek in the 1990s.

The ‘Final Four’ guy who is actually a ‘National Title’ guy and a college basketball Hall of Fame guy made an interesting comment when asked about the Alabama basketball opening. In response to Adam Zagoria about the Tide opening, Rick Pitino said,

"The only thing I can say with my broken record is that in my 30+ years as a head coach I’ve never cut a dirty deal or gave any improper benefits to any athletes – All you have to do is ask my over 30 assistants who have become head coaches or any player that has played for me."

Pitino’s statement begs more questions. Is he saying ‘broken record’ as in repeating something he has said many times? We think so, but could it be a small admission of past mistakes? More importantly, is John Pelphrey, now Alabama basketball interim head coach, one of those former players Pitino wants to be sought out for a cleansing endorsement?

Many Alabama basketball fans believe Byrne’s comments on Monday, about the reputation of the University, being thorough about examination of the ongoing FBI investigation and NCAA compliance being a primary hiring factor, all indicate Rick Pitino is not being considered.

Byrne also said the next time he talks publicly about a new hire is when he announces the new coach.

Assuming Pitino is off the table, where does Byrne turn if Matta is not interested? Byrne said something Monday that will cause consternation among those hoping for a home run hire. He said he would not rule out an assistant coach.

Below is a video of the complete press conference.

There is another rumor creating angst among Crimson Tide fans. A couple of days ago, credible insider sources said Avery leaving enhanced the Tide’s chances with super-recruit Trendon Watford. Often rumored was the belief Alabama basketball was very interested in hiring Trendon’s high school coach, Bucky McMillan as a future assistant coach. The latest rumor is Auburn and Bruce Pearl may have taken the lead in landing Bucky McMillan.