Avery Johnson rejected a claim from a writer who said that Alabama would be better off without Collin Sexton.
Sexton was phenomenal as a freshman for the Crimson Tide, averaging 19.2 points per game while taking the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national champion Villanova. Sexton has already declared for the NBA Draft, where he is expected to be a top-10 pick.
Knowing that he would be a one-and-done player, AL.com’s Joseph Goodman wrote last month that Bama would be better without Sexton. That article appears to have made its way back to Johnson, who had a harsh response on Friday.
Avery Johnson goes off on "one of the most ridiculous things" written about Collin Sexton. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/u76HlVx3EN
— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) April 6, 2018
“I don’t even know how someone can be a sports writer and write something like that,” Johnson said, via WVTM’s Kyle Burger. “The reason why we’re going to be better next year is because of Collin Sexton’s year here at Alabama. The reason why we’re going to be better next year is because he helped catapult us into the tournament, which have given the players that are returning some real NCAA experience.”
Sometimes teams can be better despite losing a superstar if the remaining players and incoming ones work together better, but that article seemed unnecessary. Either way, Johnson’s defense of his player will probably sit well with recruits, unlike what another notable coach did recently.
