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Kevin Sumlin welcomes Avery Johnson to the SEC

By Josh Criswell

Dec. 1, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Avery Johnson looks on during the first half against the Miami Heat in the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec. 1, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Avery Johnson looks on during the first half against the Miami Heat in the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas A&M football coach Kevin Sumlin extends a warm welcome to new Alabama basketball coach Avery Johnson.

Avery Johnson received a surprisingly kind tweet from Texas A&M football coach Kevin Sumlin last night, welcoming him to the SEC.

If anybody is wondering why the Aggies’ Sumlin is being friendly with Alabama’s new basketball head coach, it could have something to do with the fact that Johnson’s son, Avery Johnson Jr. is a freshman point guard on the Texas A&M basketball team.

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Johnson should not get accustomed to such kind greetings from SEC foes on the basketball court next season, however, as the SEC is slated to be as dangerous as it has been in years.

A conference that has been known for its dominance on the football field is going to make waves on the hardwood next year. In addition to John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats being a regular fixture atop the conference, the Aggies, LSU Tigers and Florida Garors all have top-10 recruiting classes coming in as well. Bruce Pearl is always a threat also, and his Auburn Tigers reminded us why he was once considered among the nation’s elite coaches with SEC tournament upsets of No. 4 and No. 5 seeds LSU and Texas A&M, before losing to then-unbeaten Kentucky in the semifinals.

That being said, if any coach is going to bring Alabama basketball to national prominence, Johnson appears to be the perfect man for the job. The New Orleans, La. native grew up in the heart of SEC country, something that combined with his NBA experience could be a lethal threat on the conference’s recruiting landscape.

Despite not coaching since 2012, Johnson’s presence as an NBA television personality for ESPN in the meantime should be a much more attractive face of the program than the recently departed Anthony Grant. While Grant had over two decades of college coaching experience compared to Johnson’s zero years at the collegiate level, Johnson provides an intangible that could attract top basketball recruits to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the first time in recent memory.

All it takes is one big name prospect to see the upside in learning under a man who spent 14 years as an NBA floor general and the dominos will start to fall for Alabama basketball. Until then, however, Johnson will have to put his in-game coaching skills to the test as he inherits a team that is not exactly primed for success the SEC.

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