With the college football season officially at an end and college basketball in full swing, The Crimson White spoke with ESPN studio host and announcer Rece Davis to get his thoughts on Alabama and college sports in general, as well as the Capital One Cup, which recognizes the top men’s and women’s college athletic programs in the country each year and of which Davis is a member of the advisory board.
Davis graduated from Alabama in 1988 with a dual degree in broadcast news and public affairs. The College of Communication’s broadcast department named him its outstanding alumnus in 2001.
Q: Was 2013 one of the craziest college football seasons you’ve seen from start to finish?
A: It’s been one of the more compelling seasons that I can remember. Stunning upsets, remarkable turnaround from Auburn, which I’m sure won’t be fondly remembered by most of your readers, but certainly one of the more compelling stories of the BCS era. Alabama’s pursuit of a three-peat, Alabama’s defining of excellence over the final stages of the BCS – they were all really good storylines during the season.
The emergence of Jameis Winston, second straight redshirt freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. There are a lot of great stories in college football this year, and that’s why its popularity is really at its zenith and will continue to grow as we head towards the playoff.
Q: What were your thoughts on Alabama’s 2013 season, and what do you think went wrong?
A: I think any time that you finish 11-2, are a second away from potentially playing for a third straight national championship and to question it – with all due respect to Missouri, assuming that Alabama would have won that game if they’d beaten Auburn – when you get that close and to that point and you still put up that kind of record, and the question becomes what went wrong?
It’s probably a testament to the excellence that Nick Saban and his staff has built at Alabama. If we get to the point where 11-2 is some type of crisis, 11-2 and a last-second loss, and losing a bowl game is some type of crisis, then there’s probably bigger issues that need to be addressed.
Q: How do you think Saban has translated to TV as an analyst on ESPN during the SEC and BCS championship games this year?
A: He’s great on TV. You can bold type, underscore ‘great.’
It is a different discipline to be an analyst. And to take very complex issues, especially with the way his mind works from a football standpoint, and be able to disseminate them in a concise fashion, in a way that people can understand, and to have some energy and enthusiasm and some urgency when you disseminate those opinions and those perspectives, is a real gift.
Nick has blown us away with how good he is as a television analyst. Everybody who has gotten a chance to be around him and to know him knows that he is a really, really smart guy.
Q: In basketball, Alabama has struggled in its nonconference schedule but opened SEC play with a win on Tuesday. What are your thoughts on this season and the job Anthony Grant has done here?
A: Anthony Grant is one of the finest people that I’ve had the pleasure to meet in coaching. I think he is a tremendous role model, and I think he’s a tremendous coach. I’ve been a little surprised that they haven’t enjoyed more success on the court, but I think some patience is in order.
From what I’ve seen last year and what I’ve seen this year, they need a talent upgrade. People hark back to the Wimp Sanderson days. He was a tremendous coach, but even coach Sanderson would tell you he was an even better coach when he had Robert Horry, Latrell Sprewell, James Robinson and David Benoit and Ennis Whatley and people like that through the years. Derrick McKey, who I went to school with – those types of guys aren’t on the team right now. They don’t have that level of talent.
Q: Alabama wasn’t listed in the fall standings, but with competitive gymnastics, softball and golf teams, does Alabama have a chance to make some noise in the spring in the Capital One Cup?
A: The Capital One Cup is very competitive in the race to determine the best in college sports overall. Alabama has built a broad-based program. The golf program has been terrific; the softball and gymnastics programs have been great on the women’s side, so I certainly think there’s an opportunity to make noise.
It’s a cool thing for fans to follow on CapitalOneCup.com, or Facebook or Twitter, if you prefer, to try to get the bragging rights to have the best overall program in college sports. And the important part is that the Capital One Cup offers $400,000 in scholarships for student-athletes to the winning program. It’s something that I’m proud to be a part of.
Editor’s Note: Davis’ answers have been edited for length.
