Alabama Basketball Names Buffalo’s Nate Oats as the New HC
It's official, Greg Byrne and the Alabama Crimson Tide officially announce the 21st coach for the Crimson Tide basketball team and it's Buffalo's head coach Nate Oats.
“We are thrilled to welcome Nate and Crystal Oats and their three daughters to The University of Alabama,” said Byrne in a statement sent out by the university. “I have been watching Coach Oats for the last few years as he has led the University at Buffalo to unprecedented heights. His commitment to developing the student-athlete both on and off the court was what really stuck out. As we spoke to some of the best college and pro basketball minds in the country, his name came up time and time again. Coach Oats will hit the ground running starting tonight, and we look forward to him having a long and successful career with the Alabama Crimson Tide.”
Oats has been with the Buffalo Bulls since 2013 as an assistant and became head coach in 2015 finishing with a 97-43 record and went 2-3 in the NCAA Tournament including this season where the Bulls secured a six seed losing to Texas Tech in the second round.
He has won three MAC Tournament, two conference regular season championships, and two times MAC Coach of the Year.
“Coach Oats has an impressive background,” said University of Alabama President Dr. Stuart Bell in a statement sent out by the university. “He is exactly what we were looking for in this search. I’m excited about the future of Alabama basketball, and I know our fans are as well.”
Oats, known for being a good recruiter, will have to get straight to work replacing some top players from the Crimson Tide's roster with Kira Lewis, Dazon Ingram, John Petty and Daniel Giddens all reportedly transferring from the program.