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aztarheel · 01-16-2007, 10:03 PM

Steve Victory JOURNAL- Ninth Season (2011-12)

If coach Steve Victory’s eighth season as a head coach was a nightmare, then season number nine can be labeled “The Nightmare Revisited.”

Victory’s Alabama Crimson Tide again finishes the season with just three total victories. Three! Well, at least they only lost 26 games this season instead of 27, like last year...

Last season’s collapse was somewhat expected considering the awkward transition period between the crappy players the old coach had and the new ones Victory was bringing in. But this season’s disaster comes as a surprise to many who had anticipated 12-15 triumphs or better. The freshman class was considered “good” by the .400 experts. The game difficulty improved a step from “brutal” to “very difficult.” Yet nothing Victory did seemed to work.

He ran the fast break. He slowed it down. He pressed full-court. He pulled the defense back into the paint. He ran a zone. He went man. He started the upperclassmen. He turned things over to the freshmen.

Nothing clicked.

The one real highlight from the season came on December 29. That’s when Alabama paid a visit to the College of Charleston, Victory’s old stomping grounds, and pulled off a 64-61 “pride” upset for their coach. Charleston was off to a great start and was even flirting with national rankings at the time (the Cougars went on to finish 21-14). Yet ‘Bama dug deep behind the efforts of SG Waitari Condill, who led the team with 18 points.

Victory, of course, really sweated out his job security as the losses mounted (1-16 vs. SEC foes). There is no way Alabama will keep him after back-to-back three win seasons, right? Amazingly, school officials again decide not to pull the trigger. Even Victory is baffled that he isn’t fired, thinking that this was the time to start reacquainting himself with all those Atlantic Sun schools that he blew off while at Charleston and Central Florida.

“Well, as long as they don’t give up on me, I’m not giving up on Alabama,” he vows. “I still really think we can turn this ship around if we stick with it. It’s just going to be a lot tougher than I originally gave the job credit for.”

[Author’s note: to me this job is the ultimate TDCB challenge – taking a totally crappy team (prestige low 30s) and trying to succeed with them in a monster conference like the SEC. It’s one thing to pull up a 25-30 prestige school in a league where everyone else is 20-35. A few stellar recruits and you’re there. But it’s another thing altogether to pull up a team in a conference where everyone else is 50-plus in prestige and where four or five schools are regulars in the top 20 (prestige 65-75). Fun, but frustrating!]

01-16-2007, 10:03 PM	#60
aztarheel High School JV Join Date: Sep 2006	Steve Victory JOURNAL- Ninth Season (2011-12) If coach Steve Victory’s eighth season as a head coach was a nightmare, then season number nine can be labeled “The Nightmare Revisited.” Victory’s Alabama Crimson Tide again finishes the season with just three total victories. Three! Well, at least they only lost 26 games this season instead of 27, like last year... Last season’s collapse was somewhat expected considering the awkward transition period between the crappy players the old coach had and the new ones Victory was bringing in. But this season’s disaster comes as a surprise to many who had anticipated 12-15 triumphs or better. The freshman class was considered “good” by the .400 experts. The game difficulty improved a step from “brutal” to “very difficult.” Yet nothing Victory did seemed to work. He ran the fast break. He slowed it down. He pressed full-court. He pulled the defense back into the paint. He ran a zone. He went man. He started the upperclassmen. He turned things over to the freshmen. Nothing clicked. The one real highlight from the season came on December 29. That’s when Alabama paid a visit to the College of Charleston, Victory’s old stomping grounds, and pulled off a 64-61 “pride” upset for their coach. Charleston was off to a great start and was even flirting with national rankings at the time (the Cougars went on to finish 21-14). Yet ‘Bama dug deep behind the efforts of SG Waitari Condill, who led the team with 18 points. Victory, of course, really sweated out his job security as the losses mounted (1-16 vs. SEC foes). There is no way Alabama will keep him after back-to-back three win seasons, right? Amazingly, school officials again decide not to pull the trigger. Even Victory is baffled that he isn’t fired, thinking that this was the time to start reacquainting himself with all those Atlantic Sun schools that he blew off while at Charleston and Central Florida. “Well, as long as they don’t give up on me, I’m not giving up on Alabama,” he vows. “I still really think we can turn this ship around if we stick with it. It’s just going to be a lot tougher than I originally gave the job credit for.” [Author’s note: to me this job is the ultimate TDCB challenge – taking a totally crappy team (prestige low 30s) and trying to succeed with them in a monster conference like the SEC. It’s one thing to pull up a 25-30 prestige school in a league where everyone else is 20-35. A few stellar recruits and you’re there. But it’s another thing altogether to pull up a team in a conference where everyone else is 50-plus in prestige and where four or five schools are regulars in the top 20 (prestige 65-75). Fun, but frustrating!]