NEWARK, N.J. — The offseason begins now for Alabama basketball. While the Crimson Tide's players are still licking their wounds following Saturday’s 85-65 loss to Duke, head coach Nate Oats and his staff will now turn their attention to building toward another tournament run next year.
College basketball’s transfer portal is active and will remain open until April 22. The Tide has already been linked to several top players and should be well-positioned to restock its roster over the next month.
As Oats gets ready to attack the portal, he received a little recruiting help from some of his recent transfer success stories on Saturday night.
Grant Nelson says he wouldn’t trade his two years at Alabama for anything. The former North Dakota State transfer became a legend in Tuscaloosa, leading the Tide to its first-ever Final Four run before electing to come back for a final year this past season. Following Saturday night, the graduate forward provided his pitch to any transfers currently considering a move to Alabama.
“You see it every year since Nate Oats has been here. He’s either winning the SEC, or he’s making a deep run in the tournament,” Nelson said. “You’ll be playing with a great group of guys. He recruits high-class guys, I mean people with great morals. His teams have people that are going to do great things on the court but also great things outside without other people in their everyday interactions.”
Those relationships are the biggest factor that stands out to former South Florida transfer Chris Youngblood. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native joined the team last summer after earning AAC Co-Player of the Year last season.
After missing the first month of this season due to injury, Youngblood worked his way into the Tide’s starting lineup, averaging 10.9 points while shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. That success is nice, but Youngblood says his transfer to Alabama has transcended the court.
“I knew after the first workout it was going to be a great year,” Youngblood said. “No matter what the result is, I got blessed for life because of all the relationships I got.”
Coaching is also a key factor. Oats has helped develop six NBA draft picks including four first-rounders during his six seasons. That total could grow this season depending on whether freshman guard LaBaron Philon decides to go pro.
“If you want to get a better shot at the league or play in a similar style as the NBA, ’Bama is a good choice,” said former Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi, who joined the team last offseason. “The way they play, they want you to shoot it more and do a lot of the stuff they do in the NBA right now. As a big man, they want you to be able to shoot in the league.”
Oats’ has also featured a few loaded coaching staff. Saturday’s news that Ryan Pannone is set to become the next head coach at Arkansas State marks the fifth time one of Oats’ former Alabama assistants is leaving for a head job.
“You’re going to have a great coaching staff,” Nelson said. “I mean you see all these coaches going on to head ...
