Started By
Message
Alabama fans I have a basketball question for you.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 8:42 am
Posted on 3/9/15 at 8:42 am
Hey guys I'm a Lsu fan and I need a history lesson. Why was Coach Hobbs so bad? Was it X's and O's, lack of control etc? I ask because I met him through my uncle and he seemed like a really nice guy. My uncle coached a really good basketball program in Louisiana during that time and he had a couple of his players go play for yall under Hobbs. They stayed good friends and my uncle took me to Lexington while Hobbs was still at Kentucky. He took us to eat and took us back to the coaches office and introduced is to tubby smith. He took the time to just chat with us for hours. Anyway my uncle won't be unbiased if I ask him so fill me in
This post was edited on 3/9/15 at 8:46 am
7
Posted on 3/9/15 at 8:56 am to OGtigerfan73
Bama basketball is a strange entity. Its like UT football. The Vols have never made their living out of Tennessee players. It's out of state guys. Same with Bama basketball. Our high school all-staters would not be on high school teams in North Carolina or Kentucky.
Yo have to recruit and play a system. Birmingham schools produced some good ones in the 60's and 70's but funding for those schools and the questionable backgrounds of some kids have just left that city a wasteland. His coaching style was so different from Wimp and sent us in a tailspin we haven't recovered from.
You also made a good point. Hobbs was nice guy. I haven't seen many nice guys be good coaches. They may be nice guys in the public persona (John Wooden, Dean Smith, Tom Izzo) but they were SOB's to their players. As Victor Tichinov said once about his Russian hockey team. If the players like their coach, you have a problem.
Yo have to recruit and play a system. Birmingham schools produced some good ones in the 60's and 70's but funding for those schools and the questionable backgrounds of some kids have just left that city a wasteland. His coaching style was so different from Wimp and sent us in a tailspin we haven't recovered from.
You also made a good point. Hobbs was nice guy. I haven't seen many nice guys be good coaches. They may be nice guys in the public persona (John Wooden, Dean Smith, Tom Izzo) but they were SOB's to their players. As Victor Tichinov said once about his Russian hockey team. If the players like their coach, you have a problem.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:04 am to OGtigerfan73
We don't know nuttin bout no basketball.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:16 am to OGtigerfan73
For starters, he followed Wimp Sanderson, who was incredibly popular and averaged 22 wins a year, made the NCAA tourney 10 times and won the SEC tourney 4 times in his 12 seasons.
In addition, his teams played uninspired basketball and he was a poor recruiter - a very bad combination. When he took over from Wimp, he inherited a roster that contained two eventual NBA players for the next three seasons (Hollywood Robinson+Jason Caffey then Caffey+Antonio McDyess) but only made the NCAA tourney twice and never advanced past the second round.
When you've got a future starting NBA power forward & all star NBA center on the floor at the same time and can't make the round of 16, you've got a problem.
Once he lost the NBA talent, he never made the postseason again (3 more seasons) and each year got progressively worse. He was, in a nutshell, a less attractive Anthony Grant who couldn't recruit.
In addition, his teams played uninspired basketball and he was a poor recruiter - a very bad combination. When he took over from Wimp, he inherited a roster that contained two eventual NBA players for the next three seasons (Hollywood Robinson+Jason Caffey then Caffey+Antonio McDyess) but only made the NCAA tourney twice and never advanced past the second round.
When you've got a future starting NBA power forward & all star NBA center on the floor at the same time and can't make the round of 16, you've got a problem.
Once he lost the NBA talent, he never made the postseason again (3 more seasons) and each year got progressively worse. He was, in a nutshell, a less attractive Anthony Grant who couldn't recruit.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:24 am to JustGetItRight
I know one of the players my uncle coached that went to yall was Melvin Cheatum. I'm not sure on the time line but I think that was under Hobbs. I think he had one more player go to bama during that time period also.
This post was edited on 3/9/15 at 9:26 am
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:27 am to OGtigerfan73
Maybe he's one of those assistants that are fantastic as assistants but struggle with one or more of the particular aspects of being the head guy.
If you look at our basketball coaches once Wimp left, I don't see one who was just a flat out bad hire. It's odd that so many of these guys found success elsewhere but couldn't bring it to Bama (other than the one elite 8 trip under Gottfried)
If you look at our basketball coaches once Wimp left, I don't see one who was just a flat out bad hire. It's odd that so many of these guys found success elsewhere but couldn't bring it to Bama (other than the one elite 8 trip under Gottfried)
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:28 am to OGtigerfan73
Melvin Cheatham played for Wimp in the late 80s/early 90s and was part of 3 consecutive SEC tournament champion teams.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:30 am to OGtigerfan73
Hobbs falls under the "nice guy, but not a head coach" category. Nothing wrong with that, many people of the world are like that. He was an adequate assistant coach.
Just when you are the head guy, you must be more of an A type personality, of which Hobbs is not.
Just when you are the head guy, you must be more of an A type personality, of which Hobbs is not.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:33 am to BamaScoop
BamaScoop has returned!
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:34 am to Roses of Crimson
What are people putting Grant's odds of a return to Tuscaloosa next year at?
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:34 am to OGtigerfan73
quote:
I know one of the players my uncle coached that went to yall was Melvin Cheatum
He was all Wimp. He was a fantastic player on one of the best Bama teams of all time.
Cheatum, Latrell Sprewell, Robert Horry, James Robinson on the same roster.
Got blown out by the Piggies in the Sweet 16.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:42 am to Collins10
50/50
Posted on 3/9/15 at 9:42 am to JustGetItRight
Well I guess maybe Hobbs helped recruit my uncles players as an assistant. They also might have became friends at basketball camps. My uncle use to come and help work y'all's basketball camps during the summer. He brought my dad a time or two. My dad still talks about sprewell demonstrating a jumping drill. They stacked some kind of boxes up to about his waterline or a little higher and from flat feet he jumped on top of them with ease ha. He also said the pick up games you would witness were like going to a NBA game
This post was edited on 3/9/15 at 9:44 am
Posted on 3/9/15 at 10:00 am to OGtigerfan73
I also think Robert Horry was a part of those pickup games.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 10:10 am to OGtigerfan73
Does anyone remember the shot-blocker Whimp got out of Uniontown. He was as good a shot blocker as I'v seen.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 10:29 am to Herman Frisco
quote:
Does anyone remember the shot-blocker Whimp got out of Uniontown. He was as good a shot blocker as I'v seen.
Are you thinking about Erwin Dudley?
If so, he wasn't Wimp. He played under Gottfried.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 11:59 am to TT9
quote:
50/50
He gone.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 12:37 pm to Herman Frisco
Roy Rogers was a fantastic shot blocker that played on Hobb's first teams. Think he was from somewhere around Uniontown.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 1:02 pm to wm72
Forgot about Roy.
Google says he's from Linden. Plenty close enough that could indeed be who he's thinking about.
Google says he's from Linden. Plenty close enough that could indeed be who he's thinking about.
Posted on 3/9/15 at 1:09 pm to wm72
quote:
Roy Rogers
One of my all-time favs. Dude had arms like tree branches - soo long. Couldn't shoot worth a lick, but what a great defensive player.
Played in the NBA for a couple of years, then went overseas. I think he had a pretty successful coaching career afterwards.
Page 1 of 2
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News