Kalen DeBoer is not the only head coach Greg Byrne has hired with no prior experience in the South. Nate Oats spent his entire life in either the Midwest or up North, coming to Alabama from Buffalo. Two areas completely different from one another, Oats is not complaining about the change.
“I had never lived in the South before,” Oats said. “I was born and raised in Wisconsin, moved to Detroit for 11 years, moved to Buffalo for six. I was up North my whole life and I came here. I love it.”
Oats has a well-documented journey in basketball. He was once a high school math teacher while coaching at Romulus before Bobby Hurley hired him to be an assistant at Buffalo. Hurley eventually left for the Arizona State job and Oats was promoted to be a college head coach for the first time in his career.
Success in the NCAA Tournament put Oats on Byrne’s map and after moving on from Avery Johnson, a coach in Buffalo was heading to Tuscaloosa.
Many would argue against Alabama truly caring about basketball in such a football-crazy part of the world. But Oats points out there not being a professional sports team in the state. The Atlanta Hawks or Memphis Grizzles are in the general area but not something the majority of Alabamians could get behind.
The support is there for the program, certainly as the Crimson Tide have begun to win. Oats loves interacting with the fans down South as the passion for college basketball only increases.
“The people here are super friendly,” Oats said. “They’re really passionate about college athletics. There are no professional sports teams in Alabama. And there is a strong group of basketball-supporting people at Alabama.”
Oats has the potential to put out his best team ever, having one of the best rosters heading into the 2024-25 season. Significant returns such as Mark Sears and Grant Nelson headline the group while Alabama has brought in multiple expected stars through the NCAA transfer portal. Mix in a great recruiting class and the Crimson Tide will be as deep as anybody.
Support from the fans is expected to be through the roof too. Moving down South to take over at Alabama, even with some historic success was certainly a risk for Oats, somebody unfamiliar with the area. But it’s paid off for him in a big way thus far.
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