As American college football’s most authoritative representative, there was more than a little notice taken a few years ago when Alabama Coach Nick Saban suggested that college football might benefit from having a commissioner.

It was no surprise that recommendations from all around were that such a position be filled by Nick Saban. It was just short of a hue and cry from those coaches who are competing against Alabama’s head man.

Saban was not interested at the time in giving up on-the-field and on-the-sidelines responsibilities in pursuit of more Crimson Tide national championships.

He does, however, serve as commissioner of the NBA. Not that NBA. The Noontime Basketball Association played on a regular basis by a handful of athletics department personnel, including Saban, who makes the rules and establishes the teams and who is rumored to be undefeated in those competitions.

That does not necessarily mean that Saban will be involved in the selection of the next Alabama head men’s basketball coach, but he is definitely interested in having a quality basketball program.

It is no secret that the Sabans and Avery Johnson and his family were very close in the four years Johnson served as Bama basketball coach.

“I love Avery,” Saban said Tuesday following Alabama’s spring football practice. “We had a great relationship here. We tried to help him every way that we could in recruiting and whatever we could.

“We certainly wish him and his family the very best.”

Alabama Athletics Director Greg Byrne announced on Sunday that the athletics department and Johnson had come to a mutual agreement that Johnson would not return for the 2019-20season. He also announced that he would be serving as a search committee of one in quest of a successor.

Nick Saban supported Avery Johnson

Saban said, “I also have confidence in our leadership here that they're going to make good choices and decisions about who they choose to lead every program.”

It is well documented that in his 12-plus years at The University Saban has been a supporter of all things Alabama, and particularly all sports.

“I think everybody here knows that I've always been committed to and helped every sport every way that I can whether it's speaking to their team, whether it's talking to their recruits,” Saban said. “I'm certainly going to continue to do that in basketball because philosophically I think there's a tremendous amount of exposure in every sport. For The University of Alabama to take advantage of that in every sport, I think, is beneficial to our program, to our university and to the athletics department as a whole.

“That's part of my goal as being part of that team.

“I'm going to continue to do that in the future with every coach in every sport and we'll certainly do it with whoever we select to be the new basketball coach.”