The Avery Johnson era at Alabama appears to be coming to an end. One day after the Crimson Tide fell at home in overtime during their NIT opener against Norfolk State, a report indicates that Johnson and the university have sat down at the negotiating table to try and hammer out a buyout.
The news comes via Michael Casagrande of AL.com, who reports that this would be considered a “mutually agreed upon parting of ways.” The news was confirmed by Jeff Goodman of Stadium.
All signs pointing to Avery Johnson being bought out of his contact, source told @stadium.
One name to watch as his replacement will be Iowa State coach and Alabama alum Steve Prohm (although I’m told Prohm has a significant buyout). https://t.co/N3WfXgztaA
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 22, 2019
Johnson, the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year, took over in Tuscaloosa prior to he 2015 season. The good news has been that he’s been pretty consistent at the helm of the Crimson Tide, the bad news has been what that consistency has looked like — under his guidance, Alabama has gone 8-10 in SEC play three times and 10-8 in conference once. On the whole, Johnson led the program to a 75-62 record.
There was some good during Johnson’s tenure — he landed two of the five-best recruits in program history in Collin Sexton and John Petty in the class of 2017, and their NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018 broke a five-year drought for the school. Still, it’s apparent the school believes the basketball program has hit a ceiling under Johnson, and everyone believes it’s time for Alabama to head in a new direction.
