Avery Johnson to Alabama: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

After pushing hard for Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall before being turned down, the Alabama Crimson Tide have finally found their man. Former NBA head coach and point guard Avery Johnson agreed to terms to become the next coach of the Crimson Tide:

Jeff Goodman of ESPN first reported the news.

Michael Casagrande of AL.com reported that the deal is worth "six years and close to $18 million."

Johnson, 50, has served as an ESPN analyst since being fired by the Brooklyn Nets in December 2012. He spent parts of seven seasons as a head coach at the NBA level with the Nets and Mavericks, combining for a 254-186 record.

Dallas made the NBA Finals in Johnson's first full season at the helm, but his career has otherwise been riddled with fits and starts. The Mavericks were eliminated in the first round in each of Johnson's final two campaigns there, and Brooklyn was a combined 60-116 during his tenure. 

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Johnson takes over for Anthony Grant, who was let go last month after a six-year run. The Tide went 117-85 under the former VCU coach and made the NCAA tournament in 2012. Grant was let go after a two-year run in which Alabama went a combined 31-33.

Johnson, who has never coached at the collegiate level, will be tasked with pushing the program toward the top of an increasingly competitive SEC. Auburn's hiring of Bruce Pearl last season and Mississippi State's hiring of Ben Howland earlier this spring created an increasingly competitive environment where schools are chasing Kentucky's previously unimpeded throne. Add in Tennessee landing Rick Barnes and Alabama adding Johnson, and it's been an impressive past couple of years for the football-crazed conference.

We'll just have to see whether Johnson's early success in Dallas can translate to the collegiate game or if this proves to be a Nets redux.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.