No Matter How Bad Things Have Been, Thanks is Due All the Same

After learning of the resignation of head basketball coach Mark Gottfried today, I struggled with how I really wanted to react to it.

There was of course the sense of joy that the burden is finally gone and the hopes of a new offense besides the high post.

There was also a sense of relief that it was over with, and that Alabama could finally move on to a new regime.

There is still the sense of disappointment in knowing how talented a team Alabama currently has, and how this season was doomed from the start after Mark was kept on for another year.

Even after all of that thinking, I settled on actually looking back at what Mark has done for this university as the head coach of the men's basketball team.

Sure, I have been one of those people to say that we need to make a change and have found many things to be critical of over the past year, but that still doesn't erase what Mark did for Alabama.

When Mark was hired here from Murray State, he was replacing a coach in David Hobbs who had the wonderful task of following the legend Wimp Sanderson. Gottfried was not only a player for Sanderson, he was also one of the best three-point shooters in school history.

Mark brought some respect back to the Alabama Basketball program, making five straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and winning the 2001-02 SEC title. The following season, he led the Crimson Tide to a number one ranking for the first time in school history.

In 2004, he led the Crimson Tide to an Elite 8 appearance after wins over Syracuse and Stanford to post the deepest post season advancement in school history.

Even through all the good that he did, Gottfried still had his troubles.

Injuries were constantly a problem for his teams, as Earnest Shelton, Chuck Davis, and Ronald Steele were all out for lengthy periods of time during their careers at Alabama.

Mark's teams also had a hard time winning road games in the SEC. During his 10 1/2 years, his teams complied a 27-77 record on the road, only going above .500 on the road once. He ends his career at Bama with 14 straight road losses in the SEC, with the last win coming at LSU in 2007.

Maybe the thing hurt Gottfried the most in his time as head coach was his players leaving for the NBA. Sure, he produced Gerald Wallace and Mo Williams, but those are the shining stars compared to Rod Grizzard, Kennedy Winston, and Richard Hendrix. Between the injuries and early entries, Mark was always having to find a way to recreate his team.

You may not think of it right now, but Mark Gottfried did a lot for his Alma Mater. His run may have ended on rocky terms, but he is still a native son, and definitely deserves praise for all that he did for his school.

With this, I say farewell Mark, and thank you for your time in Tuscaloosa.