Nate Oats is ready to chase championships like Nick Saban's squad despite finding it "really hard to win" one
Nate Oats has transformed Alabama's men's college basketball program into one of the strongest in the country since taking over as head coach in 2019. He led the Crimson Tide to their best-ever finish last season, as they made the Final Four for the first time in program history.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, Oats has his sights set on replicating the Crimson Tide's incredible success in football. Alabama football thrived under legendary coach Nick Saban, who led them to six of their 18 national championships.
While the Crimson Tide has a national championship in six sports, they haven't won one in basketball, a statistic that motivates Oats to develop the men's basketball program.
Ahead of the new season, Oats mentioned Alabama's successful football program, and acknowledged the challenges he faces in making the men's basketball program achieve the same level of success in the future:
"The level that the football program at Alabama has been at for an extremely long time, particularly since Coach Saban took over, is ridiculous,” Oats said via On3.com. "So just the amount of times they’ve been ranked No. 1, top five is absurd. We’re just trying to get the basketball program up to a championship level.
"There’s six programs at Alabama that have won national championships. Basketball is not one of them. We’re trying to get it to that level. We feel like we’re at a level we can compete for one. It’s really hard to win one," he added.
Nate Oats assembles strong 2024 signing class
The Crimson Tide's Final Four finish has not only motivated Oats but also increased the appeal of their men's basketball program.
Along with his staff, Oats has assembled a strong 2024 signing class, which is currently ranked No. 3 in the country and No. 2 in the SEC per On3, behind John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks.
They signed two top 20 prospects in Derrion Reid and Aiden Sherrell, while also adding No. 40 overall prospect Labaron Philon and No. 59 overall prospect Naas Cunningham.
The Crimson Tide also made some solid additions through the transfer portal, including four-star transfers Aden Holloway, Clifford Omoruyi, Houston Mallette and Chris Youngblood.
Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide are strong preseason favorites to win their maiden national championship in the 2024-25 season. They begin the new season with a home game against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs on Nov. 4.