Kalen DeBoer reacts to Alabama reaching Final Four with win over Clemson
Usually when talking about Final Four, Alabama fans are concerned about the College Football Playoff. But this one is different, with Nate Oats guiding the basketball program to its first-ever Final Four thanks to a win over Clemson on Saturday night in Los Angeles. A historic moment for the Crimson Tide and one everyone in Tuscaloosa appreciates.
Kalen DeBoer might be new to the school but is showing love for what other teams around him have been able to accomplish. He reacted to Alabama’s win on X, congratulating Oats and his players on reaching the Final Four.
A cool moment for Alabama fans, especially after years of Nick Saban never having any social media. Certainly a different time for the Crimson Tide.
Saban retired on Jan. 10, sending the college football world into shock. Less than 48 hours later, athletic director Greg Byrne had brought DeBoer back from the West Coast and tasked him with following up a man who won six national championships.
Since DeBoer’s hiring, Alabama has gone 15-6 in basketball. He was even in attendance for a few games, including an informal introduction to the crowd during a Jan. 16 victory over Missouri. DeBoer has seen a ton of success in a short amount of time but none more so than the Elite Eight win.
Alabama seeing success in basketball despite being football school
Everyone knows Alabama will take football the most seriously but the Olympic sports have received just as much love from the fan base. Back when the Crimson Tide won two SEC titles during the 2020-2021 season, Oats deemed them a “championship school.”
To On3’s Andy Staples, Oats has been able to get to his heights by channeling his inner Wimp Sanderson and Nick Saban.
“This is, I would argue, a better coaching job by Nate Oats this year than the previous couple. Think about this,” Staples said on Friday. “I mean what he has done at Alabama? Nobody has been able to do this. Like, Wimp Sanderson had good years but most people now don’t remember who Wimp Sanderson was. If you look at Nate Oats’ jackets, that’s the homage to Wimp Sanderson.
“There was a coach at Alabama who was really good at replacing assistants and continuing to go deep in the playoffs,” Staples added in reference to the recently retired Nick Saban. “It seems to be in the water in Tuscaloosa.”