Alabama men's tennis

Another first round exit! Had the advantage when play was moved indoors and still can't close the door. Outside of a dream run last year can we just end the misery in T Town. Hearing once again that some transfers could be coming this summer. Time to move on
 

SECFAN

Rookie
I agree it seems they are up and down, much like Ole Miss too. Great ending last year to a bad year overall and then first round exit.
 

andfor

Legend
Alabama passed on playing in next year's National Team Indoor event.

Got to wonder if transfers are real passing makes sense if roster unknowns loom. May be good news for Memphis. I believe they are next on the bubble.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

deltapower

New User
So Robbie Weiss is headed to Clemson. Big blow to Bama, he's a great coach and had excellent rapport with players. Bama will be hard pressed to find anyone as good as Weiss for the assistant's job. Weiss is the main reason Bama improved the past few years.

Also, friend over in T-town says Thibault Cancel will be playing for the Miami Hurricanes beginning this fall.
 
So Robbie Weiss is headed to Clemson. Big blow to Bama, he's a great coach and had excellent rapport with players. Bama will be hard pressed to find anyone as good as Weiss for the assistant's job. Weiss is the main reason Bama improved the past few years.

Also, friend over in T-town says Thibault Cancel will be playing for the Miami Hurricanes beginning this fall.

Delta, Thanks for the update on Cancel, I knew he was gone but didn't know he was going to Miami. Also, you are 100% right about Robbie. He kept that team together and George will have to hire someone similar or he will finally hit the unemployment line. People forget the team was below average until a wounded Georgia team gave them life last year. It is absolutely ridiculous that George is still coaching. He is by far the worst coach in the SEC and Robbie has saved his tenure their. I will be interested to know how many years on Husack's contract is left because if I was him I would be updating that resume because no way he will last. He shouldn't have lasted this long, his tenure at Bama consists of a good month and a half and I agree Robbie gets most of the credit. If I was Bama they should have fired Husack and kept Robbie.
 

deltapower

New User
Weiss is the one who had contacts for international recruiting.

Maybe we can hire Auburn's head coach as an assistant - he should be out of a job very soon. Auburn was o'fer in the SEC this year! ;)
 
So Robbie Weiss is headed to Clemson. Big blow to Bama, he's a great coach and had excellent rapport with players. Bama will be hard pressed to find anyone as good as Weiss for the assistant's job. Weiss is the main reason Bama improved the past few years.

Also, friend over in T-town says Thibault Cancel will be playing for the Miami Hurricanes beginning this fall.

Thibault went to Washington
 

deltapower

New User
2020 Recruiting Rankings. Interestingly Clemson ranked 2nd with the efforts of former Bama assistant Robbie Weiss. Bama signed no one - but does have a grad transfer from Clemson headed to Tuscaloosa. And the Auburn program is gaining some momentum with the 16th ranked class.

Clearly Bama really misses Weiss.

 

deltapower

New User
Fast forward to 2021. Husack - with three seniors in 5th year (due to covid extra year of eligibility) loses at home to a young Auburn team. Husack spends way too much time on the folksy "Net News" and not enough time on player development. Fact: PK & Nesterov are no better than they were as freshman. Seriously - by any measure these two talented prospects have been stagnant under Husack for years. A good coach would have developed them. Other UA players under Husack with same issues too numerous to mention. His teams rarely display mental toughness. Husack is a nice guy - seriously a stand-up person. But with the resources he has at UA he is an average coach at best. His players don't develop and underperform. Championship coaches don't waste time writing multi-paragraph explanations of "village on the Plains" as though it was an important part of their job. Many options who could do so much more with Bama's resources. Time for change.
 
the loss at home to Auburn was rough but they did have a good win over Kentucky. I do agree with your assessment, not great at developing the players and Bama does have great resources.
 

deltapower

New User
Never met Husack but he seems to be a really good person. I am a Bama alum. If I had a son who played tennis and had D1 offers I would suggest my son go to many other schools ahead of Bama.

Husack's PR quote ahead of UGA & UT is inexcusably lame. He uses the phrase "as our team continues to develop". Bama does not have any freshmen in the starting six. Four of the starting six are fifth year seniors. The other two are fourth year seniors. So they are just now starting to be developed?

IMO any sport Bama competes in should pursue championships every year. Bama teams in every sport have all possible resources needed for championship level play year-in and year out.

Inexcusable. As I posted two years ago - things would go downhill after Robbie Weiss checked out and it is happening now. Two losses are certain this weekend.

Time for change.
 
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I am pretty tired of them “building” or “developing” phrases for Clemson tennis as well. Because the players don’t really develop!

Of course it’s only Weiss’s 2nd year so I will give him time but it’s annoying to see whole seasons chalked up as “building” years before they even start. Like the hashtag that Clemson tennis keeps using is “brickxbrick”.

so I can understand the frustration at Bama tennis well. Even though y’all do have a pretty recent sweet 16 appearance.
 

deltapower

New User
When he was hired Husack said he was "used to playing on the final day of the season" - a reference to his time as an assitant at USC. Clearly he will never do that as a HC. Sadly - he after a decade he has never been close. After an entire decade of good recruiting - but no player deveopment - the program is going nowhere. Never seen a championship coach in any sport waste the time he does with "Net News". He simply doesn't get it. He's one of those coaches who are a very good assistant, but a lousy flop as a HC. I say it again - time for change at Bama.
 

deltapower

New User
Bama - with a coach in place for over a decade - and a decade of top recruits. Bama will have at the most 4 conference wins this season and perhaps only 2. That lackluster performance will be with a lineup of seniors. Why? What is missing for Bama to compete at the very top? Facilities? S&C excellence? Academic support? What is the reason that Alabama does not consistently compete at the highest level of college tennis? Especially when the incumbent coach bragged about playing on the final day of the season when he was hired. Is this the best Bama can do in men's collegiate tennis? We see so many top recruits who have signed and had stagnant development or even worse who have regressed. This isn't a money or resources issue. What is lacking? Winning will gather more support for the program than a million folksy "net news".
 
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I think it's tough for teams to become consistently competitive in the SEC outside of the teams that have been perpetually good since the 1970s (Florida, Georgia, etc.). That is what has been pretty remarkable to me about Mississippi State's rise the last decade or so ... even though they aren't quite as good this year, they have risen to expect pretty consistent success on a high level despite not being a historic conference power. For Alabama, as you said, it's hard to pinpoint one thing to get over the hump. It's not an issue of facilities. Just about ever SEC team has built new facilities or experienced serious facility upgrades in the last 15 years, so that evens the playing field right away. Alabama has a pretty great venue. It does seem like the team has enjoyed more team and individual success under Husack than they've done traditionally though I realize that's not nearly as good as hoisting a title.
 

andfor

Legend
I think it's tough for teams to become consistently competitive in the SEC outside of the teams that have been perpetually good since the 1970s (Florida, Georgia, etc.). That is what has been pretty remarkable to me about Mississippi State's rise the last decade or so ... even though they aren't quite as good this year, they have risen to expect pretty consistent success on a high level despite not being a historic conference power. For Alabama, as you said, it's hard to pinpoint one thing to get over the hump. It's not an issue of facilities. Just about ever SEC team has built new facilities or experienced serious facility upgrades in the last 15 years, so that evens the playing field right away. Alabama has a pretty great venue. It does seem like the team has enjoyed more team and individual success under Husack than they've done traditionally though I realize that's not nearly as good as hoisting a title.
The difference at State is simple, coach Roberts. The Alabama MT lack of success has grown a little old, surprising though as it continues. SEC schools should be able to make the NCAA's on a regular basis, at a minimum every other year or worst case every two years.
 
Bama - with a coach in place for over a decade - and a decade of top recruits. Bama will have at the most 4 conference wins this season and perhaps only 2. That lackluster performance will be with a lineup of seniors. Why? What is missing for Bama to compete at the very top? Facilities? S&C excellence? Academic support? What is the reason that Alabama does not consistently compete at the highest level of college tennis? Especially when the incumbent coach bragged about playing on the final day of the season when he was hired. Is this the best Bama can do in men's collegiate tennis? We see so many top recruits who have signed and had stagnant development or even worse who have regressed. This isn't a money or resources issue. What is lacking? Winning will gather more support for the program than a million folksy "net news".

You nailed every point! I said this when he was hired and nothing has changed. At most, George is a solid assistant that can organize fund raising and community outreach. He is NOT a head coach. Even his only other head coaching assignment he was below average. It’s been long overdue for a new coach to be in place. I would actually encourage George to go back Silicon Valley and get into marketing or something like that. Being a tennis coach is just not his thing. Let’s see if Bama actually cares about tennis and moves in a different direction.
 

andfor

Legend
Memphis has always been a competitive, solid team but to be fair it’s against the bottom of the SEC. Great scheduling on their part though.
Ole Miss W is not at the bottom. But don't let the 4-1 roady SEC record and the indirect wins they get that will help in the rankings stand in the way of your rational.
 

deltapower

New User
Alabama has at least 3x the resources than Memphis. The difference? Coaching. This is absurd. Husack is a nice guy. He simply is a below average head coach. But what would we do without his "Net News" every Friday during the spring season? You can be 100% certain if ticket sales were part of the economics of SEC tennis Alabama would have a different coach. Bama should hire the coach at Memphis - would be a significant upgrade. Is the this the best Alabama can do in men's collegiate tennis?

Head Coach George Husack Said
"Like Friday, we dug a hole for ourselves by not executing the fundamentals in doubles. Additionally, like Friday, we rolled up our sleeves and fought back in singles, giving ourselves a chance to win. I commend the effort of the players, though when your back is up against the wall there is such little margin for error. We must do a better job of executing the basics early in a match so we don't get stung coming down the home stretch. We will address this in practice this week and have the opportunity to respond again next weekend."

Husack's post-match comments after a loss are unbearable. Two SEC losses coming up at LSU and TAM next week. Bama's players have already checked out mentally this year. A change is needed at the top. If you are a potential recruit looking at Bama - look elsewhere. Lots of wasted talent has happened at Bama.
 
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bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
Re Bama and success. Yes, they have facilities and institutional support, resources, etc. But, so do 20 or more other schools. So it's not as easy as simply having those things.
 
Re Bama and success. Yes, they have facilities and institutional support, resources, etc. But, so do 20 or more other schools. So it's not as easy as simply having those things.

yeah thats definitely true. Almost everyone in the SEC has pretty good tennis facilities.

also I don’t really see the issue with “net news”. Isn’t it a good thing to bring more attention to the sport? Make it more similar to the other sports that have regular coaching review shows after games.
 

deltapower

New User
Good answer. Why is Bama unable to compete consistently at the highest levels of collegiate tennis? What is the difference in the best and the also-rans? Coaching. Coaching is the difference.

Bama needs to hire a coach who has demonstrated ability as a head coach to compete for NCAA D1 championships. Husack is a nice guy, but in fact he is a lousy HC. If you are a recruit don't come to Bama. Your skills will regress. The current Bama HC is more about PR than winning.
 

deltapower

New User
Nice W vs Miss St. Shows the talent on this team. Also shows the inconsistency of performance due to coaching. Guaranteed L at Ole Miss.

Why doesn't Alabama consistently compete for championships in men's tennis? "On the last day". Simply asking the coach to do what he said he would do when he was hired ... over a decade ago. It has yet to happen.
 

deltapower

New User
The season-ending flop was certain. The last three matches - all losses - Bama was totally uninspired. Talk about a team with apparently no motivation. Bama sleep-walked in the loss at LSU, got crushed by better coaching at TAM, and apparently had very little interest in even attending the SEC tournament. Yet, once again there will be a video of the team cheering in front of the big-screen if/when they are selected for the NCAA tourney. Followed by more lack-luster play.

After a decade they still will not be playing on "the last day of the season". All of this with a mostly senior team. Next year the excuse will be a youth and inexperience.
 

ClarkC

Hall of Fame
I am not that impressed with their class. Looks like quantity over quality. 4 kids have UTRS of 12.43 ; 12.59 ; 12.71 and 12.92. Need 2 kids above 13 to play 3 or 4 in their lineup. UTR's below 12.6 are not going to get it done in the SEC.
It depends on how much accuracy and predictive power the UTR rankings have. A lot of recruiting classes on that list have half or more of the incoming class with UTRs like that. How much predictive power is there in a match between a 12.6 and a 12.7 UTR?
 

deltapower

New User
This topic should be revisited after today. Bama shut out at home by a horrible Vandy team. Bama players totally uninspired. This year Husack is using the "we're young" excuse. This from a man who 12 years ago gave the infamous "I'm used to playing on the last day of the "season" comment.

Teams are never mentally tough - lose most three set individual matches and one point team matches. Players digress once they arrive - player development is non-existent. Thankfully that boring "net news" crap column was discontinued.

Husack is a really good man - good family man - never cheats. But a lousy HC.

A change at HC is way overdue at Bama. If this is the best Bama can do in men's tennis they should discontinue the sport. I've supported them often at home matches but this is simply unacceptable.
 
This topic should be revisited after today. Bama shut out at home by a horrible Vandy team. Bama players totally uninspired. This year Husack is using the "we're young" excuse. This from a man who 12 years ago gave the infamous "I'm used to playing on the last day of the "season" comment.

Teams are never mentally tough - lose most three set individual matches and one point team matches. Players digress once they arrive - player development is non-existent. Thankfully that boring "net news" crap column was discontinued.

Husack is a really good man - good family man - never cheats. But a lousy HC.

A change at HC is way overdue at Bama. If this is the best Bama can do in men's tennis they should discontinue the sport. I've supported them often at home matches but this is simply unacceptable.
this has to be his last year. He has had more than enough time.
 

deltapower

New User
Husack has only won a single conference match half way through this season - his 12th. At most he will win 2 all year. For those who support him I ask - what additional resources are necessary for Bama to succeed at a high level in men's tennis?

He's a really good man but this is a disaster.
 

mikej

Hall of Fame
Husack has only won a single conference match half way through this season - his 12th. At most he will win 2 all year. For those who support him I ask - what additional resources are necessary for Bama to succeed at a high level in men's tennis?

He's a really good man but this is a disaster.
Hire Ramsay Smith - established program builder - pay whatever buyout is necessary to steal him from the Duke dynasty
 
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