Odds Say Steve Prohm Favored to Be Alabama’s Next Men’s Basketball Coach After Avery Johnson Departure

• Alabama agreed to part ways with men’s basketball coach Avery Johnson earlier this week
• Books favor Steve Prohm to be the next coach at Alabama
• Prohm is an Alabama graduate

With the Avery Johnson era at an end, is Steve Prohm about to make a triumphant return to his alma mater?

Steve Prohm's name started popping up in the Alabama rumor mill last night. @RandyPete has the story. https://t.co/3VzJmVIU2v

— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) March 22, 2019

Sportsbooks are laying odds that this will be the case, listing Iowa State coach Prohm as the chalk to become the next men’s basketball coach for the Crimson Tide.

Odds to Be the Next Men’s Basketball Coach at Alabama

*Odds taken 03/27/19

Prohm is a Crimson Tide alum. He graduated from Alabama in 1997.

Johnson Takes Buyout

Johnson agreed to leave Alabama earlier this week. He and the school are currently negotiating a separation settlement.

Johnson received a contract extension in August of 2017. It was to run through the 2022-23 season. At $3.062 million, he was the 19th-highest paid coach in the NCAA.

Assistant coach John Pelphrey was named interim head coach.

THIS JUST IN: Alabama and Avery Johnson have mutually agreed to part ways.

Johnson went 75-62 in 4 years at Alabama, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2018. pic.twitter.com/QO6JvAvZdR

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 24, 2019

Over five seasons, Alabama idled in the middle of the SEC pack. Johnson was 75-62 and made one NCAA tournament appearance. His final game in charge was an 80-79 loss to Norfolk State in the opening round of the NIT.

Alabama (18-16) beat Kentucky this season. But the Tide lost six of their last eight games to squander any hope of a March Madness berth.

Alabama has struggled to get it right with a men’s basketball coach for years. Johnson’s predecessors Anthony Grant (2015) and Mark Gottfried (2009) were also bought out of contracts to bring an end to their terms in charge.

Prohm Seems a Logical Fit

Aside from the fact he holds a degree in education from Alabama, Prohm also got his coaching feet wet with the Crimson Tide. He was a team manager and a student assistant coach with the Tide.

How are ISU fans feeling this morning about the rumors of Alabama pursuing Steve Prohm? #CyclONEnation https://t.co/5scqhLrX63

— The Ten12 Podcast (@Ten12Podcast) March 25, 2019

In 2015, Prohm interviewed for the Alabama coaching position. The job was originally offered to Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall. He turned down a reported $4 million a season offer to stay with the Shockers. After Marshall’s rejection, Johnson was hired.

He’s Denying It

Prohm has vehemently stated his intention to stay at Iowa State. Cyclones Athletic Director Jamie Pollard insists Alabama hasn’t contacted him to seek permission to speak with his coach.

Steve Prohm on the Alabama rumors in this CFTV. pic.twitter.com/KvAa1s7JOd

— CycloneFanatic.com (@cyclonefanatic) March 23, 2019

Iowa State is 83-53 in four seasons under Prohm’s direction and qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times. Iowa State won the Big 12 Tournament and entered the NCAA Tournament as a 6-seed. The Cyclones were eliminated in the first round 82-79 by Ohio State.

Prohm’s contract, worth $2 million per year, runs through the end of the 2021-22 season. It would cost approximately $3.5 million for a buyout.

Who Else Makes Sense?

Marshall would again be at the top of the list. He turned down the Alabama gig in 2015, so what’s changed? Well, with five seniors graduating there might not be a better time to leave Wichita. But Marshall is king of Wichita, and will he want to abdicate that throne for a mid-pack SEC school that plays second fiddle to football?

We don’t think Prohm or Marshall will leave their current gigs. But you know who could be looking to upgrade? Texas Tech’s Chris Beard. And Alabama has displayed a willingness to overpay.

That’s where we’d put our money.

Pick: Chris Beard (+400)