Happy Gump Day: Mark Sears and Grant Nelson turn heads at the Combine; Boogie nights for ‘Bama?

Happy Gump Day. Let’s try to have some good vibes only, shall we? News is a bit sparse, so we’ll just focus on some snippets of good Gump.

First up is the NBA Combine, where Alabama’s super seniors turned heads in the best kinds of way.

Mark Sears stole the headlines, as he was red-hot in the Combine shooting drills, and finished as the best overall shooter in a class that featured the likes of Koby Brea, Walter Clayton and other elite snipers.

No one said Sears couldn’t shoot. Mark plainly can (do I need to remind you of the BYU game), but his size (officially 5’10” 3/4) is going to put him on the margins. Still, for a player that had to have a great afternoon, he did in Day One. How Sears plays in scrimmages and handles his 30s (GM meetings) will probably determine whether this polarizing prospect is worth a second-round pick, or if he’s going to have to prove himself once again, and claw his way into the league.

The other story of the Combine was the unreal athleticism shown by Grant Nelson. The Dakota Durant set a combine record in his shuttle, and really got everyone’s attention to remind them of his high level of play, diversified skill set, and value as a bench contributor.

And, unlike Philon and Sears, whose heights had been greatly exaggerated, Nelson really is just a smidge under 6’11”. That kind of athleticism, ability to create near the rim as a finisher, take bigs off the dribble and cfind his own shot, and rebounding are a very potent mix.

Of the two marginal ‘Bama players at the Combine, I think that Nelson has a stronger chance of being drafted outright than does Sears. And apparently I’m not alone. Grant is drawing interest from the Lakers (among others).

That leaves Philon, the slam-dunk First Rounder that ‘Bama has sent to the Combine this week. Unlike Sears and Grant, Labaron didn’t participate in scrimmages. He doesn’t need to. He’s already drawing interest from the Sixers, Nets, and Hornets.

Like Mark, Alabama had inflated his measureables a good bit. Philon is 6’2” 3/4, not the 6’4” as touted. But that’s still plenty good size for a point man.

One player who did not finish the Combine was star Freshman PG Boogie Fland. The Razorback youngster suffered a catastrophic tendon injury in his shooting hand, and never regained his shot either. For the SEC season, Fland shot under 30% from the field. His assist to turnover ratio was excellent, he has great size, and is a very physical defender. But that lack of offensive production doomed him.

Fland withdrew after his five-on-five drills, and his agent announced that he would be returning to college, despite having a pretty good Combine showing by most accounts.

Alabama is in his future now, surely?

Not so fast, my friends. Fland has already visited Kentucky, and though he’s been associated with Alabama over the last few weeks, UNC and Florida are both considered strong suitors for his services, with the Gators being the favorite among those four squads.

So, what does that mean for the Tide? Fland is last elite PG that remains uncommitted. Well, I think I know the answer — and Nate Oats sort of tipped his hand yesterday talking about the incoming players.

It sounds like Jalil Bethea is going to lead the point.

Check this out and tell me if I’m reading too much into this. I don’t think I am though.

“Jalil is a supreme athlete with unlimited potential and is a player that has every measurable that the NBA is looking for, as he was a projected top-five pick before starting his collegiate career. Jalil is an elite playmaker and possesses great ball handling skills and decision making and will be a great fit for our system.”

Sure sounds like Nate is talking about a point guard, right? And at 6’4”, he has the height ‘Bama has lacked at the position for years.

Piggybacking on Brent’s news yesterday about Alabama’s nerdy football team, it seems like the Tide has all-around signed a bunch of dudes who came here to get a degree or something.

And seven programs actually finished with a perfect 1.000, including softball. Congratulations to them all.

I know you’re probably Jonesing for some football by now.

So, apropos of nothing I present this very interesting empty-set mesh concept from KDB — there are many ways to get the ball over the middle of the field, and for the first time in years, I’m looking forward to seeing the Tide do so.

And, finally, your moment of levity. This skit cracked me up. Almost as funny are the comments from midwits who can’t figure out if their “team” is the one being made fun of (The answer is neither. It’s just a riff on how rights interplay with one another and shaped American culture. There is no “side” here).

Have a great morning. Brent will be along in a bit with a great piece on Ryan Grubb’s offense and what we can expect to see this fall.

Roll Tide.