Nate Oats offers high praise for freshman Noah Clowney, makes big comparison

Incoming freshman and former four-star recruit Noah Clowney is already impressing Alabama head coach Nate Oats – which is saying something after the Crimson Tide compiled the No. 8 overall recruiting class in the nation, according to the On3 Consensus.

“Clowney’s been really good. Like better than what I even thought, more athletic than what I thought. He just plays super hard,” Oats said. “He doesn’t move as much like a guard as Herb [Jones] does, but he’s gonna be able to impact the game on the defensive end in a lot of ways like Herb did. Like block shots, getting hands on balls for steals, react to plays quickly and get over to block the shot, cover for his teammates well.

“Then he’s making shots in practice, too. He can make a three as a 6-10 kid. So we’re super happy with him.”

The comparison to Jones – a former SEC Player of the Year who is now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans – isn’t something to take lightly. Jones is beloved in Tuscaloosa forks heart and hustle, and if Clowney can bring that same mentality with him on the court, Alabama faithful might have a new fan-favorite on their hands.

Last November, Clowney ultimately ended up committing to the Crimson Tide over Indiana and Virginia Tech. He also received offers from Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Clemson, amongst others.

In fact, Clowney originally never intended to go to Alabama – he took his official visit to just have a good time and make some new connections. Instead, he left thinking he just found his college basketball home in Tuscaloosa.

“I took a couple of days to think about it,” Clowney recalled. “So I ended up thinking about it for a long time and was like ‘okay, I really like it.’ So I did a whole lot of research. I contacted a lot of previous players … I watched four full Alabama games from top to bottom.

“I watched how they used previous people that were similar to me. So for a long time, I kept going back and forth between Indiana, VT, and Alabama…just going back and forth and couldn’t decide. I decided Alabama felt the most comfortable. Finally, I was like ‘yeah, I’m going to Alabama.'”

Clowney joins five-star small forward Brandon Miller and four-stars Jaden Bradley and Rylan Griffen as the incoming freshman to a Crimson Tide team that is already expected to make another run for a SEC regular season and tournament title this upcoming season.