2024 Final Four: Alabama's Nate Oats, UConn's Dan Hurley face off as new 'faces of college basketball'
During the latest episode of Andy Staples On3 on YouTube, On3’s Bracketologist James Fletcher III joined Staples to discuss the coaching of Nate Oats and Dan Hurley.
Prior to Alabama and UConn facing off in the Final Four on Saturday, Staples asked the question on everyone’s mind, “Are we watching a matchup Saturday night of the two best coaches in college basketball right now?”
Evidently, Fletcher III believes that could very well be the situation we find ourselves in at the moment with UConn and Alabama.
“We very well could be, and if not, probably the two coaches who are on the cusp of entering this conversation that we had at the start of the NCAA Tournament, as those coaches who are the faces of college basketball. The next era, once we get past some of the Hall of Famers, who are still in the game, I think it’s these two these,” Fletcher III responded. “These are the next guys that you’re looking at who can put together a resume that enters them in that conversation where year in and year out, we know no matter where they are, no matter who they’re coaching, no matter what the roster looks like, we expect greatness from their programs, because of the way that they structure things.
“(Dan Hurley) hit on it there. The way you run the program on a day to day basis. You see, both of these guys, are doing that in a way that — it breeds a environment that creates success, for the assistant coaches, who then go on to other opportunities, and for the players, who go on to success either at the college level, or in some cases, up to the next level as professional athletes, as well.”
Evidently, Hurley has a ton of respect for Oats as well, as he explained during a session with the media how the Alabama coach made an impression on him while he was working in high school before taking his talents to the college level.
“It’s like he was running a college program in high school,” Hurley said, regarding Oats. “Just like my dad, if you went and watched St. Anthony, just the way the program functioned, from the pregame meal. My dad was literally cooking on his own. To game-day shoot-arounds, to game sessions. Like, the quality of what my dad was doing at the high school level, was the quality of what the top programs in college were doing. Obviously, based on the resources available.
“That was the thing I noticed about Nate … This guys wired different. He has a different level of enegery about him. Just the way he shows up when you meet him, and just the way he ran his program. … You could see he was a high-level guy that just happened to be coaching in high school.”
Moreover, even though Fletcher III believes Oats and Hurley have a case for being the two best coaches in all of college basketball, the Alabama head coach believes the media is making the game out to be more lopsided than ever, with many believing the Crimson Tide have no chance.
“Nobody’s gonna pick us to win,” Oats said, speaking with the media. “We’re kind of playing with house money a little bit, if you will. We weren’t supposed to beat Clemson. We weren’t supposed to beat North Carolina. A lot of people were picking against us against Grand Canyon.
“… We’re not gonna be picked to win, I know that, but sometimes the best team, the one that’s picked, doesn’t always win. We were the underdog against Carolina – not as big as we are now – but we figured out a way to win. I don’t think our guys are gonna relax to the point where they’re not gonna play hard and be ready to play. We played hard these last four games.”
Time will tell who gets the win on Saturday, but it should be a fascinating game regardless between Alabama and UConn at the Final Four.