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University of Alabama Athletics

Men's Basketball

Nate Oats Action
Nate Oats presser
Nate Oats
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102719 MBB v Georgia TechAlabama Guard John Petty Jr. (23)Photo by Skylar Lien
102719 MBB v Georgia TechTeamAlabama Head Coach Nate Oats Photo by Skylar Lien
Nate Oats
Head Coach Nate Oats
Nate Oats
Nate Oats
Nate Oats Action
Nate Oats presser
Nate Oats
Nate Oats
  • Title:
    Head Coach
  • Phone:
    205-348-4551

When Nate Oats was formally introduced as head men’s basketball coach at The University of Alabama on March 28, 2019, he promised fans would see an entertaining, up-tempo and fast-paced style of play. And that’s exactly what he delivered in his first season at the helm of the program.

During the 2019-20 campaign, the Crimson Tide made a huge leap offensively. After ranking near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference in most offensive categories the previous year, Alabama led the league in six offensive statistics this past season, including points per game (82.0), three-point field goal percentage (34.9 percent) and threes made per game (10.8), among others.

Nationally, the new-look offense ranked No. 3 in points and threes made per game, while also ranking sixth with 334 total threes made and fourth with 957 three-point attempts – both of which set program records. The Tide’s pace of play also ranked among the fastest in the country, as UA ranked fourth in raw tempo (76.1) and average possession length (15.2).

The increased offensive output made the Tide one of the most dangerous teams in the nation, as Alabama finished the year with 16 games of scoring 80 or more points – one shy of matching the school record in the category – and eight games of 90 or more. And no one benefitted more from the new-look up-tempo style than the players.

Alabama boasted four student-athletes who earned All-SEC honors in 2020 and three who averaged 14.5 or more points per game. Kira Lewis Jr. (first team), John Petty Jr. (second team), Jaden Shackelford (all-freshman) and Herbert Jones (all-defensive) all received postseason recognition. It marked just the second time in program history that the Crimson Tide had four all-conference honorees in the same season (2006 was the only other year).

His efforts didn’t just end on the court. Off the court, Oats and his staff were relentless on the recruiting trail and the results were evident. According to Rivals.com, the Crimson Tide’s 2020 recruiting class, which included Canada’s No. 1 and No. 3-ranked players as well as the top JUCO prospect in the nation, was ranked No. 9 in the country by Scout.com and No. 12 according to 247Sports.

"The University of Alabama is really special,” Oats said during his introductory press conference. "When he (AD Greg Byrne) called and we talked about the academics here, the institution, the tradition, the excellence, it’s a national brand, and it’s unbelievable to have this opportunity. The campus here is beautiful. It’s everything I thought it’d be and more. I want to thank everyone in here for giving me this chance. We are going to work our tails off every day to get this program rolling in the right direction.”

 “We have three core values, and we established a culture playbook a few years ago. We talk about maximum effort – that’s every workout, weight room session and every practice our guys are going to give max effort, and we’re going to demand a lot out of them. Continuous growth is another core value. We’re going to get better every day. We need guys that want to get in the gym and work on their own. We’re going to get a culture in which they want to get better every day and that goes for academics and growing as young men as well. Selfless love. We’re going to teach our guys how to love each other and love this community and treat each other well.”

Prior to arriving in Tuscaloosa, Oats spent four seasons at the helm of the University of Buffalo where he took the men’s basketball program to unprecedented heights. While there, Oats led the Bulls to a 96-43 (.691) record, three MAC Tournament Championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including reaching the round of 32 in 2018 and 2019. As a result, he was named the league's Coach of The Year and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 14 Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2018 and 2019).

During the 2018-19 campaign, Oats guided Buffalo to a 32-4 overall record and a 16-2 mark in conference play, leading the program to its second consecutive MAC regular season and tournament championships. The Bulls were ranked for 20 weeks in the Associated Press Top-25 throughout the 2019 season, which marked the first time in school history the program had earned a national ranking. Buffalo went on to climb as high as No. 14 in the nation which was the highest ranking by any MAC team in past 40 years. Additionally, the 32 victories not only set a program record, but was the most wins ever by any Mid-American men's basketball program. Oats would go on to finish fourth in voting for the Associated Press Men's College Coach of the Year.

During the 2017-18 season, he led the Bulls to a record of 27-9 overall and 15-3 in the MAC. In doing so, he secured the Buffalo's first ever victory in the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 4 seed and PAC-12 Champion Arizona, 89-68, in Boise, Idaho.

Over that two-year span, Buffalo finished with a combined record of 59-13 (.819), while earning a pair of MAC Tournament and regular season championships, two NCAA Tournament Round of 32 appearances and consecutive MAC Coach of the Year honors.

Oats was named head coach of the UB men's program on April 11, 2015 after spending two seasons as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator for the Bulls. He came to Buffalo from Romulus High School in Michigan, where he taught and coached one of the top high school basketball programs in the region.

In his two seasons as an assistant coach under Bobby Hurley, Oats helped lead the Bulls to a 42-20 record, back-to-back MAC East Titles, a MAC Regular Season Title, a MAC Tournament Title and UB's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.  Oats was also responsible for recruiting Justin Moss, the 2014-15 MAC Player of the Year.

Prior to joining the Bulls, Oats completed 11 seasons as head coach at Romulus High School in Michigan, winning the school's first state title in 27 years in 2012-13 and finished the season 27-1. He was named the 2013 Detroit News State Coach of the Year, the Detroit Free Press State Coach of the Year, and BCAM State Coach of the Year.

Prior honors include 2009 Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Class A Coach of the Year, the 2008 Detroit Free Press Metro Detroit Coach of the Year, and the 2005 Detroit News Metro Detroit Coach of the Year & Detroit Free Press Metro West Coach of the Year.

In his time as head coach, he led the team to a 222-52 overall record and seven straight conference championships while going undefeated in conference play in the past four consecutive seasons. The team was ranked in the top 25 nationally on three different occasions (2010, 2011, 2013) and made the Michigan Class A Final Four five times. More importantly, he oversaw a program that had a 100 percent graduation rate and 40 of his 42 seniors at Romulus continuing on to college.

Before coaching at Romulus, he played college basketball at Maranatha Baptist University in Wisconsin where was a captain and All-Conference performer, while earning his bachelor's degree in Math Education.  Oats went on to become an assistant coach at Maranatha from 1997 to 2000. After that, he moved on to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2000-02.

Nate and his wife Crystal are the proud parents of three girls – Lexie, Jocie and Brielle.