Just about a year to the day after Mark Gottfried resigned as head basketball coach at the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide has a 13-8 record with a 3-4 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
Ironically, at the same point last season (two games after Gottfried stepped down) Alabama was 13-8 and 3-4 in the league.
In other words, whatever progress has been made isn’t yet showing up where it counts, in the result column.
Alabama clearly seems to be playing with more defensive intensity and more purpose now than it was a year ago — particularly in the area of defending 3-point shots, a long-time weakness under UA’s previous coaching regime. The offense, however, doesn’t seem to have improved a lick. In fact, the Tide was averaging 71.5 points at this juncture last year, compared to just 68.4 points this season. The shooting has improved slightly, up to 45 percent from 43.8 (and 34.1 percent from 3-point range, as compared to 29.8 percent a year ago).
This isn’t an indictment of first-year head coach Anthony Grant. He has a proven track record and there is every reason to believe he will return Alabama’s program to a position of prominence and postseason glory. Until he makes his mark on the recruiting trail and gets his own players on the roster, however, the progress may be slow in coming.