Nate Oats thrilled to see Noah Gurley become Alabama's secret weapon in SEC Tournament

Much of the talk surrounding Alabama this season has revolved around the freshman and transfer portal additions. Head coach Nate Oats brought a fantastic recruiting class to Tuscaloosa while poaching top talent this offseason from other programs.

Plenty of returning talent is on the roster for Alabama though, with Jahvon Quinerly winning SEC Sixth-Man of the Year. However, somebody nobody has talked much about this season has been Noah Gurley. While his role has been off the bench all season, Oats has deployed his secret weapon at the SEC Tournament.

“Gurley is now 4 of 5 in the tournament from three, which is huge,” Oats said. “All the work that he’s put in, even when he wasn’t playing a ton, just kept working. It’s paying off. We needed it.”

Outside of Brandon Miller, everyone for Alabama struggled from the three-point line during Saturday’s semifinal game against Missouri. Gurley was able to splash one in and spark a mini run for the Crimson Tide. A huge moment in what eventually become a double-digit win.

“That three, that put it from what to what? Went from six to nine? That was big because they cut that thing,” Oats said. “Six was the lowest they cut it once we built it to 10. Seemed like it was getting too close for comfort. He stretched that out a little bit.”

Noah Clowney has been the main guy playing the four for Alabama, working his way into the first round of the upcoming NBA Draft. Gurley has played limited minutes and his role on the team has come off the court. Oats turned to him at one point during the game, asking him to step up in a big way on the floor.

“I thought he played great on defense,” Oats said. “He almost played 20 minutes tonight. Really happy for Noah. His character, attitude, his leadership. I went up and grabbed him. I said, ‘Look, man, your leadership has been great all year, we need you to lead on the floor. Your leadership in the timeout has been good. We need you to do some stuff on the floor, get a big rebound, make a tough play.’ He did that.”

Next up for Alabama is Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament championship game. Gurley did not make an appearance against the Aggies in the regular season finale loss. But with the way the super senior has played in Nashville, Oats may have no other option but to get him on the court.