Entering his fourth SEC tournament, Avery Johnson doesn’t have momentum on his side.

Alabama’s lost three straight, playing itself off the NCAA tournament bubble and increased the heat on its high-profile coach.

A day before facing Ole Miss at 6 p.m. CT in Nashville, Johnson stepped on the Paul Finebaum Show set in Bridgestone Arena. There he was asked about the criticism that’s grown louder as the losses stacked up.

Johnson said it’s a “strong statement” to claim his Alabama program is not headed in the right direction in Year 4. He said this isn’t Year 8 or 9 and they’re still fighting for an NCAA tournament spot in Nashville.

“You know me from my career, Paul,” Johnson said. “I played 16 years in the NBA and I’ve coached in the NBA and I’ve coached in college, I’ve never been known to be a quitter. I’ve always been known to be a fighter and I’m still fighting.”

Finebaum again pressed Johnson on his commitment to the Alabama program.

“If you ever wonder about it, just stop by my office at 5 in the morning,” Johnson said beginning to laugh, “or 10:00 at night and watch me throughout the games when I’m up on the sidelines coaching. Or if you’ve ever had an opportunity to see me in practice, it looks like a guy that’s fully committed.”

Alabama is 17-14 entering the postseason for a second straight year. It was 17-13 before the SEC tournament in each of Johnson’s first two seasons with 2018 marking the lone tournament trip.

“We never overpromised anything, but the expectation was to make it to the tournament again this year and the story hasn’t come to an end yet,” Johnson said. “We have a chance to pretty much control our own destiny.”

On the topic of the vocal fans out there, Johnson spoke about engagement.

“Our fans have been great, Paul,” Johnson said. “Our attendance has increased every year. Our student attendance in Coleman Coliseum was rocking this year.”

Alabama averaged 10,766 attendees at its 15 home games this season, according to its official team website. It drew 13,391 per game a year ago.

Year Average attendance 2015-16 13,110 2016-17 11,947 2017-18 13,391 2018-19 10,766

Johnson is the 19th highest-paid college basketball coach, according to the USA Today database released Tuesday. His total pay last year was $3.062 million including a $75,000 bonus. His contract was extended in 2017 to run through the 2023 season.

“This is Year 4,” Johnson said Wednesday on the Paul Finebaum Show, “and we said after Year 3 we wanted to make the tournament and continue to make the tournament. This season is not over yet. Sure, in some games, we thought we were right there. We make our free throws. We take better care of the ball, we have an opportunity to win.

“But I’m as fired up about Alabama basketball as I was when I walked in the door.”

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.