Alabama fires Anthony Grant

Alabama announced on Sunday the firing of Anthony Grant, who was the school’s men’s basketball coach the past six seasons.

Grant went 117-85 at Bama and only led the team to one NCAA Tournament appearance. They were 31-33 in the last two seasons and lost in the first round of the SEC Tournament both years. Putting more pressure on Grant was the successful run by Auburn under Bruce Pearl in the SEC tourney. After the Tigers reached the semifinals, Bama likely felt they couldn’t afford to see their rival trend in a positive direction while they were stagnate.

“In this business we are ultimately judged by wins and losses on the court and, for a variety of reasons, we haven’t made satisfactory progress in that area. We have a great university, and an excellent athletics program that has expectations for all of our teams to meet the highest standards in competition, in the classroom and in the community.

“Today’s decision is part of a larger evaluation of every facet of our basketball program that is intended to improve every aspect of our basketball program. A key component in that effort is to get all of our fans pulling in the same direction, and to make Coleman Coliseum the best home court advantage in the SEC,” Bama athletic director Bill Battle said in a statement.

Grant previously was at VCU where he led the Rams to a 76-25 record over three seasons.