5 Reasons Why Avery Johnson Will Put Alabama Basketball On the Map By Trevor Lowry ← Tip: Use keyboard arrows to navigate → PREV NEXT Reasons Why Avery Johnson Will Put Alabama Basketball On the Map Credit: Getty Images The Alabama Crimson Tide didn't get their first choice (Gregg Marshall), but they are still landing a solid coach in Avery Johnson. Johnson will put Alabama basketball on the map with some time. Reasons Why Avery Johnson Will Put Alabama Basketball On the Map The Alabama Crimson Tide didn't get their first choice (Gregg Marshall), but they are still landing a solid coach in Avery Johnson. Johnson will put Alabama basketball on the map with some time. 5. He Was An NBA Coach of the Year Credit: Getty Images That alone speaks for itself. Simply put, if Johnson can manage to be the best coach for one season in the NBA, he should have no problem having some success at the college level. 5. He Was An NBA Coach of the Year That alone speaks for itself. Simply put, if Johnson can manage to be the best coach for one season in the NBA, he should have no problem having some success at the college level. 4. Led the Mavericks to the Finals Credit: Getty Images Johnson coached Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2006. The Mavericks didn't win a title that year, but were still clearly a top team in the league. Once again, if Johnson managed to achieve such great success at the highest level, he should be able to do some damage in college hoops. 4. Led the Mavericks to the Finals Johnson coached Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2006. The Mavericks didn't win a title that year, but were still clearly a top team in the league. Once again, if Johnson managed to achieve such great success at the highest level, he should be able to do some damage in college hoops. 3. This Is A Huge Win For the Program Credit: Getty Images This is a big hire for the Crimson Tide -- just saying. 3. This Is A Huge Win For the Program This is a big hire for the Crimson Tide -- just saying. 2. His Name Should Draw Talented Recruits Credit: Getty Images Being a bigger name, Johnson should have no problem recruiting top talents. That said, this is the one part of his coaching that remains a question mark. Plus, John Calipari is still going to dominate the SEC when it comes to top recruiting classes. Still, highly-rated recruits want to be successful in the NBA. Johnson knows the NBA game very well, so he can help his players make it to the pros, and also help develop their games. 2. His Name Should Draw Talented Recruits Being a bigger name, Johnson should have no problem recruiting top talents. That said, this is the one part of his coaching that remains a question mark. Plus, John Calipari is still going to dominate the SEC when it comes to top recruiting classes. Still, highly-rated recruits want to be successful in the NBA. Johnson knows the NBA game very well, so he can help his players make it to the pros, and also help develop their games. 1. Alabama Doesn’t Completely Need to be Turned Around Credit: Getty Images Okay, so Alabama's basketball team isn't even close to being on the same level as its football team, but the basketball team is nowhere near being the worst squad in the SEC. The Crimson Tide are a work in progress, if you will, but they have shown some promise over the years. After all, Alabama did make the NCAA tournament in 2012. It also won 19 games this past season. 1. Alabama Doesn’t Completely Need to be Turned Around Okay, so Alabama's basketball team isn't even close to being on the same level as its football team, but the basketball team is nowhere near being the worst squad in the SEC. The Crimson Tide are a work in progress, if you will, but they have shown some promise over the years. After all, Alabama did make the NCAA tournament in 2012. It also won 19 games this past season. PREV NEXT Teams in this article » Alabama Crimson Tide Share You May Also Like Related Stories Alabama Basketball: Way Too Early 2015-16 Outlook Avery Johnson Will Struggle in First Year with Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama Basketball: Avery Johnson Will Struggle in His First Season and That’s Okay 5 Early Reasons To Get Excited For Alabama Basketball In 2015-16 Alabama Basketball: Memphis' Josh Pastner Would Be Perfect Coaching Hire 2015 SEC Tournament Preview: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 Alabama