Nate Oats reveals role he played in layout of 'one of a kind' Alabama basketball facility

Alabama‘s new basketball facility is under construction, and the program is expected to move into the building by next offseason. The upgraded space will be under 49,000 square feet and will feature amenities such as lounges, equipment rooms and sports medicine spaces.

Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats revealed that he played a hand in the layout of the facility after spending time with the Boston Celtics and head coach Joe Mazzulla. Seeing one of the NBA’s top organization’s facilities — he used it as inspiration for what the Crimson Tide’s will eventually look like.

“I came back and kind of blew up the plans,” Oats told The Next Round. “I said, sorry, guys. They literally were to the end [of preparing the layout] and I’m like, I felt bad but I like, no, if we’re gonna do it, let’s do it the way we want. And it actually all went all the way to Greg Byrne and President [Stuart] Bell. Like, okay, are we really gonna [do this], and they did. I think it’s going to be a one of a kind facility.”

“I think it’s gonna be a one of a kind facility…” @nate_oats

Alabama Basketball is expected to move into their new practice facility a year from now.

Nate Oats was heavily involved in the design process (and blew up the original plans after spending a week with the Celtics) 🫣 pic.twitter.com/kamUfvuvDq

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 15, 2025

Oats broke down what the inside of the new-look practice facility will look like once it’s completed. The biggest takeaway the Crimson Tide head coach had is how personal it will be.

“There’s not a player lounge and a staff lounge,” the Alabama coach continued. “There’s one big shared space, like my office is going to be right pretty much on the practice. If you leave my leave out of my office, you walk right on the floor. So it’s gonna be a lot easier to kind of build relationships with players. And I think it’s very important in the transfer portal, NIL days. We’ve got to have great relationships. Right now, my office is on the opposite end. I have no idea when players come in to shoot.

“I can’t call them in. You know, ‘Hey, come see me for five minutes’ before they get out of voluntary workout or whatever. Now it’s my office is essentially part of the practice court, same with the three assistants coming into my office and then three assistant offices and the weight room right across.”

The Alabama men’s basketball team will have to go through one more full season before they can move into their new facility. Once it’s complete, it’ll be more than just a facility as Oats will likely use it as a luxurious recruiting pitch to athletes looking to play for his program, which has become one of the nation’s most successful in recent years.