Nate Oats

[UConnJim]

Nate Oats is a great coach but that is not an easy place to win. He might have been better off waiting, but he was losing a ton with his senior class so maybe this was a safer play with high pay.

Actually, Alabama is a pretty good job. Remember Wimp Sanderson? coached there from 1980 to 1992, was 132-82 in SEC, went to 6 sweet 16s, won 6 SEC tournaments. And, Alabama has a winning recored against all of the SEC schools except Arkansas and Kentucky.

Other facts about Alabama: ranked 34th in all time wins with a 0.618 winning percentage and 19 NCAA Tournaments since 1982. 2nd in attendance in 2017/2018.

 

[Walker11]

The SEC keeps making great hires and this is why the conference has drastically improved. I love Oats and I love that Cuse missed on him.

No matter how good he was the next 2 years would be challenging.

I think people would be surprised if they took a look at Bama's recent recruiting. Pretty damn good. Alabama natives have a lot of Alabama pride and there is talent in that state.

Is it a bad thing to be second fiddle to football? All the pay and half the pressure sounds good.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think at Alabama you are recruiting against a host of other schools who have facilities just like you do and have better histories. Further, you're playing second fiddle there always to the football program.

That said, I'm sure he'll bring in good players. I just think he could have (a) found similar money at some other schools and (b) had a shorter turnaround to league/national championship competition.

I think he will do fine. I also think he can get northern kids to go to Bama. I've seen a lot of local kids in MA and CT lately looking at southern schools. I don't get the basketball vs Football thing. It doesn't hurt Michigan, Wisconsin, MSU, Ohio State, Florida, Tennessee, LSU, Texas, OU, Washington etc.

If Bama wins, basketball will be big there. Yet he doesn't have the immediate stress of replacing a winner, like he would at Syracuse or Michigan. You don't want to follow guys like that.

 

[GHSWolverines]

Any chance we can scoop up this kid?

Raymond Hawkins, Findlay Prep, Center (BK)

Doubt it. The staff never showed interest in him

 

[superjohn]

Whelp, I had the completely wrong read on Oats. My takes did not age well. 'Age' as in days.

Honestly shocked by the move. Weird.

You were only off by a few years or so. We're one step closer to our dream of G-Mac being named head coach at fruit U though.

 

[Engineer90]

He chose not-syracuse so I am happy.

 

[BFieldHusky]

@pauliepeppas this was your fear. Would have been a great hire for Cuse I have to admit.

 

[BUConn10]

Since the P5 realignment, have you guys noticed how the basketball top 25 looks like the football rankings. Auburn, Miss State, Oklahoma all regularly ranked.

It was a big reason for CR, they reduced the outside competition significantly. Basically we will see stuff like this way more often going forward, schools like Alabama will be taking prime talent because they have a seat at the cartel/monopoly. You saw it recently with a school with absolutely zero basketball achievement snagging a Tier 1 coaching prospect on the market in Nebraska hiring Hoiberg. Effectively they replaced the Big East schools and all the mid majors with Bama, Nebraska, etc.
GG.

 

[ASweet3781]

Since the P5 realignment, have you guys noticed how the basketball top 25 looks like the football rankings. Auburn, Miss State, Oklahoma all regularly ranked.

It was a big reason for CR, they reduced the outside competition significantly. Basically we will see stuff like this way more often going forward, schools like Alabama will be taking prime talent because they have a seat at the cartel/monopoly. GG.

Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, Florida State, and Texas Tech all in the Sweet 16. And yet you have people advocating for a return to the Big East.

 

[auror]

Are we sure this is even one of the best 5 job openings this cycle? UCLA & Cal are probably both higher for basketball (though he may not be on that list) and Arizona may open up as well. All those are better basketball jobs. Texas may open as well, and that's a much better basketball opening too. LSU is likely open too, and they have a much richer basketball history than Alabama.

Alabama will pay more than UCLA and Cal. I think I'd actually rather take the Alabama job than LSU if there are sanctions coming.

Texas would be the one that would pay more, but he may not have been a frontrunner there. They'd probably be able to pull an established P5 winner.

 

[Chief00]

Great hire.

 

[intlzncster]

You were only off by a few years or so. We're one step closer to our dream of G-Mac being named head coach at fruit U though.
View attachment 41473

If I'm gonna be wrong, I'd rather be wrong about my first one, rather than my second. Hope is still alive

 

[UConnStats]

Alabama will pay more than UCLA and Cal. I think I'd actually rather take the Alabama job than LSU if there are sanctions coming.

Texas would be the one that would pay more, but he may not have been a frontrunner there. They'd probably be able to pull an established P5 winner.

You know Texas will have Chris Beard in their crosshairs

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The odds of him replicating this season next year are slim. This team had seven or either seniors. He struck while the iron is hot and probably tripled his salary (at least). Not to mention Bama is preparing a $600 million renovation of athletic facilities. Of course, football will probably get $300 million of that, but basketball will see improved facilities in short order.

 

[tzznandrew]

Since the P5 realignment, have you guys noticed how the basketball top 25 looks like the football rankings. Auburn, Miss State, Oklahoma all regularly ranked.

Oklahoma was excellent in basketball long before the P5 realignment. They were a juggernaut in the late 80s, and when Sampson was there in the early 2000s, they were good as well. Hell, Blake Griffin was there in 2009, a few years before realignment.

Auburn and MSU I'll give you, though both had extended streaks in the past. Auburn was the 4th 1 seed in 1999, and MSU in 1996...well, the less we say there the better.

I think you're general point may be true, and certainly these football schools are getting serious about basketball.

 

[pauliepeppas]

@pauliepeppas this was your fear. Would have been a great hire for Cuse I have to admit.

Yup....expected but still pissed.

 

[BFieldHusky]

Yup....expected but still pissed.

He could be right on the market in 3-4 years. Those SEC schools aren't patient.

 

[ThabeetDown]

Forgot about this.

Are we sure this is even one of the best 5 job openings this cycle? UCLA & Cal are probably both higher for basketball (though he may not be on that list) and Arizona may open up as well. All those are better basketball jobs. Texas may open as well, and that's a much better basketball opening too. LSU is likely open too, and they have a much richer basketball history than Alabama.

Cal athletic dept is a huge dumpster fire. Think UConn's financial issues multiplied due to a disastrous stadium renovation deal.

Arizona and LSU might not be too attractive due to potential sanctions (ex. Loss of scholarships) and quite frankly I think Buffalo to UCLA is a reach for him (I assume they want P5 experience if I had to guess).

Doubt Texas opens this year, but if it does I'd imagine Buzz or Beard get first dibs.

I don't think it's a good move for him (he'd be better in the Big 10) but I also don't think a better job is open/would open this year.

 

[UconnU]

He’s going to have at least a 3 year project here. The entire team is transferring and the SEC is obviously extremely competitive. They need to give him time.

 

[superjohn]

Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, Florida State, and Texas Tech all in the Sweet 16. And yet you have people advocating for a return to the Big East.

They're all in power conferences what does that have to do with us and the Big East?

 

[Horatio]

Pillage

 

[UconnU]

May as well flip those picks to Bama

Or the other coach Hurley. He just picked Buffalo over ASU a few days ago.

 

[Mister P]

Good coach who should do well as long as the boosters don’t get impatient Can’t blame him for taking the job $ though I thought he would wait for the Scarycuse job.

 

[gtcam]

Any chance we can scoop up this kid?

Raymond Hawkins, Findlay Prep, Center (BK)

Oats and Bama offered him today - if he wants to go there - he's there

 

[Scrutineer]

If he could recruit as well as he did at Buffalo he'll recruit very well at Alabama. It's a talent rich state and he'll quickly learn to mine Georgia and Florida. The guy is a winner and if he can keep some of the players who want to transfer it could happen pretty fast.

 

[Lynyrd]

SEC is the Amazon of collegiate sports

 

[storrsroars]

SEC is the Amazon of collegiate sports

In that they're loaded with piranhas, or that they don't pay taxes?

 

[Ts5034]

Just signed a 5 year extension which prob has some outs but he could stay put for awhile .

So much for that extension that he signed two weeks ago...

 

[Lynyrd]

In that they're loaded with piranhas, or that they don't pay taxes?

UCONN moving to the AOC

 

[polycom]

So much for that extension that he signed two weeks ago...

Alabama doesn't care about buyouts. Bag talk.