Analyzing how Nate Oats rebuilt Alabama roster, staff into serious Final Four contender
Nate Oats reached his first-ever Elite Eight and the second in the history of their program at Alabama on Thursday. It has taken plenty of work on the court to get there but also required an aspect of management that, when you put it all together, makes this Oats’ best work to date to some.
On3’s James Fletcher III assessed Oats’ coaching job on Friday during ‘Andy Staples On3’ following the 89-87 win for the No. 4 Crimson Tide over No. 1 North Carolina in the Sweet 16. Fletcher began by going ahead and deeming this season as his finest thus far and one of the best that he has seen in recent memory.
“I do not want to diminish anything that they have done. I think Nate Oats is one of the best coaches in college basketball,” said Fletcher. “What he has done – and we’ll do the opposite of diminishing here. What he has done with this basketball roster this season is one of the most incredible jobs I have seen a coach do in a long time.”
For Fletcher, that point starts on Oats’ own bench. Charlie Henry went to Georgia Southern, Bryan Hodgson left for Arkansas State, and Antoine Pettway took over at Kennesaw State. That led to the hires of Austin Claunch, Ryan Pannone, and Preston Murphy in their place. All three have worked out alongside Oats which, to Fletcher, says a lot about his ability to steer the ship.
“(Oats) lost all three assistant coaches from last year’s roster that had been with him for the entirety of his tenure at Alabama,” Fletcher explained. “He goes out, he has to get three new assistant coaches to put on his bench. He does that.”
“When you’ve got continuity on the staff? When you’ve got a group of guys that knows their roles, that comes in every day and you don’t even have to talk to the head coach about what you’re supposed to be doing? You just walk in there and you know exactly what you need to do,” said Fletcher. “That’s where it becomes a sort of sustainable, over years and years type of team.”
Now, as Fletcher noted, Oats will get to show that skill off again this offseason. He’ll have to do so with his eventual replacement of Claunch at the end of this run.
“He’s going to lose another assistant here, already taken a job. Austin Claunch is going to UT-San Antonio so he’s going to have to replace an assistant this season,” said Fletcher. “I fully expect him to be able to do that again. He proved this year that he could do it with three assistant coaches in one offseason. I don’t see why he would have any problem replacing one assistant with some of the names that are out there on the market right now even.”
Then, at that point, Fletcher turned his attention to the job that he did on the roster. Oats had plenty to replace from a team that went 31-6 and was the No. 1 overall seed last year. That includes seven of their top-nine contributors with three going pro and three more transferring.
Still, Oats himself dove into the portal and reeled in some key pieces. He then paired them perfectly with his remaining players and incoming freshmen.
“(Oats) goes out in the transfer portal. He has got to replace Brandon Miller, who looks like a potential star in the NBA right now, as well as Noah Clowney, who was a guy that they expected to be their for multiple years but was so good last year that he gets drafted in the first round as well,” Fletcher recalled. “He has to replace some really talented players late in the cycle.”
“He’s able to put together this roster with Grant Nelson, Mark Sears comes back. Latrell Wrightsell, who didn’t play last night, has been a huge part of their success when they’ve been at their best. He is probably the catalyst that makes that defense go more than anyone when it’s clicking,” Fletcher continued. “Then you talk about a guy like Jarin Stevenson who got some spotlight. Was considered a guy who would probably end up at North Carolina since he was so close to that school, grew up in that area. Able to bring him to Alabama and now he’s playing a role in knocking North Carolina out of the tournament.”
Fletcher highlighted Nelson then, especially after the biggest game of his life against the Tar Heels. He went for an efficient line of 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks. Over the last 7:06, he scored 15 of ‘Bama’s 20 points with a burst that won it for the Tide.
That was the Nelson that everyone thought the Tide would get after three seasons with the Bison. It took some ups and down but, in the end, that player showed up when it mattered. That player could now then be the key to getting Alabama to their first-ever Final Four.
“Grant Nelson kind of showed a little bit of what he was supposed to be. I got, actually, some text messages last night saying, like, ‘Who is this guy?’ from a couple of people that I know in Alabama who don’t follow basketball as closely as I doFletcher said. They wanted to know who is this guy and why am I just now hearing about him in March? Well, he has had a couple of games like this throughout the season. But this is what he did at North Dakota State. This was his night-in, night-out kind of performance.”
“He struggled a little bit this year to translate that to SEC play going up against bigger players, stronger players. The day-in, day-out of it all in a power conference. But he has always had that ability. He has always had this skillset that translates so well to the college basketball game and to any level of basketball, really,” said Fletcher. “He went out there last night with a completely different mentality. If he can carry that mentality into the next round and beyond that? There really is no ceiling on what this Alabama team can be with a guard like Mark Sears, another transfer, and a big like Grant Nelson.”
Oats has had an incredibly successful first nine years as a head coach in collegiate basketball. This season is topping the rest, though, based on what they did before the year, what they’ve overcome from the regular season, and what they’ve achieved through three games in the tournament.
“Everything that he accomplished this year? He has overcome the odds and, now, they’re overcoming what was a subpar defense for most of the year to show that they are something different in March and create school history here,” Fletcher said. “It is something that is, should be talked about and should not be diminished in any way.”