Nate Oats is officially the head coach of the Crimson Tide. Alabama Basketball fans should be excited.
The state of Alabama Basketball hasn’t been the greatest in the past few weeks. After a less-than-stellar ending to the season, Avery Johnson was fired. In the days since that announcement, four players on the current roster have entered the transfer portal, including Kira Lewis and John Petty. With rumors swirling around who the next coach for the Tide would be, AD Greg Byrne shocked most when he announced it would be Nate Oats.
Although he was unexpected, he is a great hire for Alabama for many reasons. Although Oats has no Power 5 experience, he was very successful at the mid-major level. He won 69% of his games at Buffalo, including a 32-4 record this year. He’s also made the NCAA Tournament three out of his four years, making the Round of 32 the past two. He definitely knows how to win.
One thing that has plagued the Tide in recent memory has been their inability to develop an efficient offensive scheme. They simply haven’t had a lot of ways to score outside of hitting tough shots. At Buffalo, Oats’ team scored 84.4 points a game this season, the sixth most in the country. They also took the second-most shots in the country, showing that they play fast. That will translate well in the SEC, where teams like Auburn love to play fast.
With four players in the transfer portal, Alabama needed a guy that players could rally around. If those players were still considering the option of coming back, this hire would help. Kira and Petty are offensive minded, and they would fit well in Oats’ system. It would make sense for them to come back to Alabama unless they were expecting significant playing time from a top-level team.
The biggest concern I have with the hire is if he will be able to recruit in the SEC. But according to 247, he recruited the four best recruits in Buffalo history, including the first ever four star. Oats is already recruiting for Alabama, offering a scholarship to a player he was recruiting at Buffalo in Raymond Hawkins. Buffalo was in his top 5, so perhaps he will replace them with Alabama.
Even if Oats can’t get the 5-star talents at Alabama, he has shown the ability to develop the talent he has. That’s something that was tough for Johnson to do, and it will be another reason why Lewis and Petty should consider staying at the Capstone.
All in all, I think that Greg Byrne hit a home run with this hiring. Nate Oats has a lot of work in front of him, but there’s no reason to believe he isn’t up for the challenge.