Dear Coach Gottfried,
First off, I would like to congratulate you on your team’s selection into the NIT. The discriminating college basketball fan knows that is much more difficult to get into the NIT than the NCAA tournament. The NCAA tourney has twice as many teams in it. Plus, almost half of the teams that get into the NCAA are automatic bids for teams that win their conference tournament. The selection committee has no choice but to put these teams into their brackets. Sounds a lot like affirmative action if you ask me. The NIT is by invitation only and they only choose 32 teams to play for the coveted NIT championship.
Since your team was unable to win against Mississippi State (I blame the refs) on the final weekend of the regular season, you were denied the opportunity to raise that Co-Western Division Championship Banner that we, as fans, were so looking forward to see hanging up in Coleman Coliseum right beside all those SEC Tourney Championship Banners that was won when Wimp was here. But now you have an opportunity to hoist that NIT Championship flag and proudly proclaim Bama to be the 66th best team in the entire country!
OK, Coach, you probably realized by now that I’m being just a little facetious. Or at least I hope you realize it. C’mon Mike, your team was ranked in the top 5 in the country for the first month and a half or more of the season. What gives? This is the second time in your tenure at Alabama that the team has fallen from such lofty pre-conference play heights. The first time I agree that Alabama was vastly overrated, but not this time Coach. How much longer do you expect the goodwill you earned on that Elite Eight run to last? For me and many other Bama fans that goodwill has been stolen away much like the way opposing teams regularly swipe the lackadaisical passes thrown by your players.
Mike, I fear you have wilted under the pressure of your own success. For the longest time, just getting your team into the NCAA tourney was good enough for most Bama fans. It gave us something to cheer about while waiting on August to get here. And for the past 5 years (not counting this year of course) you did an excellent job of being just good enough. But getting to the Elite Eight in 2004 gave Bama Nation a taste of what successful basketball programs can achieve. And that success can become addictive. Sure, football will always be just a small step below God in the fans’ priorities, but you know what Bama fans love almost as much as football? A winner. Look at the gymnastics program. Their events are always sold out in T-town. Is it because that the residents of Alabama just love them some women’s gymnastics? No, is it because of the tiny uniforms the girls wear? OK, that may have a little to do with it, but by and large, it is because that they win, and win big.
(Can Hendrix fit into one of those?)
We’re still not asking for much, Coach. We’re not talking about Final Four appearances every year. Or even at all. We’re just sick and tired of the underachieving. I don’t think expecting to have a conference record above 0.500 every other year is too much. Do you?
Sincerely,
One Bama Fan
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