Alabama men's basketball team fires head coach Avery Johnson

March 24 (UPI) -- After four seasons on the job, the Alabama Crimson Tide fired men's basketball coach Avery Johnson, the school announced Sunday.

CBS Sports reported Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne said the university and Johnson "made the decision to mutually part ways."

The firing comes five days after the Crimson Tide was upset by Norfolk State in Tuscaloosa in the first round of the NIT tournament, for which Alabama was the No. 1 seed.

This past season Alabama went 18-16, and during Johnson's four years as coach, the Crimson Tide went 75-62, making one trip to the NCAA Tournament.

In August of 2017 Johnson was given a two-year extension that ran through 2023 and paid him $2.9 million per season. The buyout for his contract was $8 million.

Johnson, who was a member of the 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs team that won the NBA championship, spent seven seasons in the NBA as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets.

In that time as coach of the Mavs and Nets he went 254-186 as a head coach, leading the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals title appearance in 2006.