Alabama Basketball: Best advice for Crimson Tide fans is trust the ‘Ninja’

Alabama Crimson Tide Athletic Director, Greg Byrne has a tough task in snaring a home run hire for Alabama basketball. He is just the man for the job.

The University of Alabama has never known an athletic director like Greg Byrne. Soon to own the future of Alabama basketball by hiring the next Tide head coach, Byrne will face no tougher task until he must hire Nick Saban’s eventual replacement.

It is not that the Alabama basketball job is not a good one – it is. And it is not that Alabama basketball has no history of basketball success – it does. It can be argued the Alabama basketball program was improved in Avery Johnson’s tenure but lost ground because so much of the SEC improved even more.

The SEC is now loaded with top coaches who have either improved their programs or maintained them at a higher level than the Crimson Tide. Rick Barnes at Tennessee is one. Count Kermit Davis at Ole Miss, Mike White at Florida and Frank Martin at South Carolina as others. Texas A&M took a leap forward under Billy Kennedy with two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four seasons. After the recent bad year and Kennedy’s exit, the Aggies are expected to make a big splash with a new hire soon.

Then there is the ‘Devil-incarnate’ making roundball magic happen down on the Plains. Bruce Pearl is a serial cheater but he is a tremendous basketball coach.

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Greg Byrne must hire a coach who can combat all that SEC firepower, plus of course, the ‘also-perhaps-evil’ wizard leading the Big Blue Nation.  No wonder a considerable contingent of Alabama basketball fans is clamoring for Rick Pitino. Dragonslayers are praised for competence rather than character.

The risk of serious damage to the reputation of the University of Alabama mandates Pitino cannot be hired. Byrne must find another dragonslayer. There are others who are untarnished. Maybe, and it is a big maybe, one of them is possible. That one is Billy Donovan. There is a reason why ‘Billy D’ might be interested and many more reasons why not.

Otherwise, Byrne’s list is likely filled with guys who have never won a college basketball national championship, maybe never even taken a team to the Final Four.

Some of the presumed names are intriguing possible options. In the nine seasons, before Fred Hoiberg became the Iowa State head coach, the Cyclones made the NCAA once. Their best season in the five before Hoiberg was 16 wins. After one year of a rebuild, Hoiberg took Iowa State to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

Thad Matta, Buzz Williams, maybe even a largely untested Chris Beard might be great hires. Or they might not work because Matta is not ready for a return to the game, Buzz is going to College Station and Beard reportedly has a $12M buyout. Note: The $12M may be what Beard would be owed if Texas Tech chose to terminate him. The buyout amount may be much less if he chooses to leave.

It is worth remembering before the Bill Battle fiasco with Greg Marshall, the Crimson Tide job was declined by a big name or two. Battle was apparently also willing to aim high but had no success. So while we Alabama basketball fans dream of Jay Wright, Brad Stevens or Mark Few entertaining a Tide offer, Greg Byrne has a coach to hire.

Byrne earned his ‘Ninja’ nickname with surprise hires at Mississippi State. No one saw either Dan Mullen or John Coen becoming the head coaches of Bulldogs’ football and baseball until Byrne had the deals done. The self-appointed University of Alabama search committee of one will follow the same approach now.

Who will Greg Byrne hire? Alabama basketball fans might as well play ‘Where’s Waldo.’