Everybody remembers the rock star-like welcome Nick Saban received when he landed at Tuscaloosa Airport two years ago.
The Alabama athletics department is encouraging Crimson Tide fans to provide a similar welcome this afternoon for new Alabama head basketball coach Anthony Grant.
Grant, his wife, Christina, and their four children, are expected to arrive at Tuscaloosa Airport at approximately 12:30 p.m. CST today via private plane. The airport is located at 7000 Robert Cardinal Airport Road. Later in the day, Grant will be officially introduced as the head coach at a 6 p.m. press conference, which will be closed to the public.
Grant, the former Virginia Commonwealth head coach, was in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday meeting with UA officials about the job before returning to Virginia that night. Two days later he accepted Alabama's offer to take over its basketball program.
“My family and I are very excited and grateful for the opportunity extended to us by Dr. Witt, Coach Moore and the University of Alabama,” the 42-year-old said in a released statement Friday night. “We have been given the opportunity to create a very special situation for men’s basketball at the University of Alabama and we look forward to getting started. There’s a commitment throughout the athletic department to make sure that we have the resources necessary to compete for championships.”
During his three seasons at VCU, Grant guided the Rams to three Colonial Athletic Association titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. His three-year record at the school was 76-25, including a 45-9 mark in conference play.
Prior to that, Grant was associate head coach at Florida where he made a name for himself as a top-flight recruiter.
