As the Alabama men’s basketball team prepares to face top-seeded UConn in the Final Four on Saturday, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats spoke to the media from Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday.
Here is a complete transcript of what Oats stated at the press conference.
Opening Statement:
It’s wonderful to be here. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to coach at a school like Romulus (high school), which provides us with the tools we need to achieve such an impressive run. I’ve spent the last week reminiscing because folks have asked me when I was coaching high school basketball 11 years ago. I’m just getting to know the Hurley brothers, and it’s strange that my first Final Four with Alabama will be against Danny Hurley and his brother Bobby, who introduced me to the company. If it wasn’t for Danny and Bobby, I wouldn’t be here, playing each other in Bobby’s hometown of Phoenix, so it’s strange how things come full circle. It would be fantastic if I wasn’t playing against Danny’s team, which is really good. But we’ve been underdogs throughout the tournament. Nobody anticipated us to reach this position. Last year, we were the top overall seed, and the structure of a one-game tournament means that the best team does not necessarily win. That happened last year, but we’ve been able to make a run and will have our team ready to play Saturday night. We realize we have a difficult challenge ahead of us, but our boys will be prepared. Danny and I talked earlier this week, and we plan to have a good time. He’s quite competitive, as you’re all aware. I’m not sure what happened to the plane, but it wasn’t me. I didn’t send someone over there to play with the mechanics; I’m sure he’s already imagined that. I had a good night’s sleep last night, which is excellent. But I am confident he will be fired up and ready to go. It’ll be fun, and we’ll talk after the game.
How much sleep did you get (UConn’s trip was delayed, and they arrived in Phoenix at 3 a.m.)?
I spent a solid 7-8 hours in bed, not on a plane. I’m glad I’m not the ops person for the UConn basketball team on this trip.
How do you handle the idea that you’re the underdog?
We’re the underdog, and nobody expected us to be here. We weren’t playing our best basketball as the regular season came to a close, and that was due in part to our lack of health. Last time we had a fully healthy team, we defeated a good Texas A&M team 100-75. We had to convince our teammates that we could make the run before the tournament. I want our players to play loose and free, but I also want them to believe we have a chance of winning. If you know me, you know that I’m not going into this game merely to be present. UConn has a strong team, and Danny has done an excellent job. As Danny stated, they are bulletproof, and other teams have gotten up on them and gone on massive runs. The problem is that they simply go on a massive run, as evidenced by their 30-0 win in the previous game. We’re going to demonstrate our people how successful other teams have been, which we also do well. We really can’t give them these long runs where everyone quits up. It is easier said than done, but we will be in there for more than 40 minutes. We’ve played some of the greatest teams in the country; we didn’t win all of those nonconference games, but we were up by at least six points against Purdue, Creighton, and Arizona, with a 75 percent probability of winning in the second half. We just need to finish in 40 minutes.
On how Alabama plays similarly to UConn:
Everyone assumes that we are the only ones who do analytics and efficiency, but Danny also does it. Danny and I have talked about it. They’re also attempting to get the most efficient shots. They approach things a little differently since they can rely on post players like (Donovan) Clingan. We don’t play as much via the post, but they also like to hit a lot of threes during runs and on the break. We play a little more loose and free in the halfcourt, whereas they play a little more set-based. They will run a set if they do not score immediately in a transition break. There are probably many more similarities than differences. He does a wonderful job with his sets. As for Clingan, Illinois went right at him, going 0-for-19 on shots he disputed, which was maybe not the best strategy. But we’ve faced Purdue center Zach Edey, Creighton big Ryan Kalkbrenner, Tennessee’s Jonas Aidoo, and other shot blockers. We have had success with them. Can you pull them away from the rims? We can play Grant Nelson at five, but we can’t expect to score against him when we drive at him.
When you reflect on that period in your career, were you content with being a high school coach for the remainder of your career, or were you working hard every day to pursue possibilities like this?
That is a good question. So, when I took the job at 27, I’d been a Division III assistant for five years. I believe I would have accepted any Division I assistant position anywhere in the country. It didn’t really matter. Just to reach this level. As I stayed in Romulus for longer periods of time, I became increasingly selective about where I went. I had three girls born just outside of Detroit there. I didn’t want to move my family. The Hurley family really made me realize that I’ll be OK just being here for the rest of my life. We were successful in Romulus. We were winning. Good retirement plan as a school teacher. I interviewed at a few different schools in the MAC but didn’t get them because it wasn’t right, and I was promised a job that didn’t materialize when they had an opening. This could be frustrating. I come to terms. If Bob Hurley Sr. can be a Hall of Fame coach, he turned down three Division I head coaching opportunities to stay at St. Anthony’s — and we weren’t even close at Romulus. I’m not trying to compare the two programs. But the fact that he stayed in high school, where everyone knew him, was fantastic. I could stay here and be a very successful basketball coach while being happy. It seems like every time you become that way in life, a nice chance arises. I got to the point where I was working hard, rather than just grinding my way to a college job. Let me do this as best I can since that is how we should do it. Then I got a terrific opportunity when Bobby Hurley gave me a position. I got to the point where I wasn’t going to college unless I was convinced that the man I was going with would be successful. I was fairly convinced that the Hurley family, and Bobby Hurley in particular, would be successful in his collegiate coaching career. I didn’t want to have to move after being fired year after year. I’ve been fortunate; we have yet to be fired anywhere.
Four of your top five scorers transferred from mid-majors. Do you believe that type of player is a little more hungry, or that there is something about the journey that makes such players tougher?
I believe so. I feel somewhat similar. I’m just a high school guy who got a break and is still trying to establish that he belongs at this level. I believe those players are mid-majors with a chip on their shoulder. They performed well enough to earn the opportunity to prove their worth at this level, and they continue to do so to this day. They’ll strive to show on Saturday that they belong at this level. Consider Mark Sears, an Alabama native; we most likely made a mistake by not offering him a scholarship. Almost certainly, we made a mistake. He’s clearly good enough. But I’m not sure he’d be as good if he hadn’t had to go to Ohio University first before coming here, since he’s a kid who gets better every year. After high school, he had to attend Hargrave. He has to travel to Ohio. Didn’t shoot well as a freshman; now he has to prove he can shoot. Plays well. We take him. He ends up as our second-leading scorer. This year, he is our leading scorer, and he has improved year after year. They all have a chip on their shoulders. Estrada from Hofstra, Player of the Year, plays in a terrific league. He didn’t play a lot at Oregon. He has now demonstrated his ability to perform at this level on a winning team that will go to the Final Four. Grant Nelson and Wrightsell, as well as Nick Pringle, only appeared in half of Wofford’s games as freshmen. To be honest, I believe all of these individuals are attempting to prove their worth at this level, just as I am.
According to recent statistics, the Final Four coaches have an average of 20 years of head coaching experience. I assume you have nine in Division I. How many?
People have told you that you can’t do it this way, and your road was different. What do you tell folks who believe there are multiple routes to the Final Four?
Yes, there is an alternate route. Mine is very different from most. I was in Romulus. Danny is at St. Benedict’s, Kevin is at Hargrave, and Romulus is a little different. It’s cool that we were all in high school. Mine was more like a conventional high school. You had to reside in Romulus to go to Romulus. I believe it provides some hope and belief for the average high school coach, but perhaps not the high school coach that is recruiting nationwide. I wouldn’t trade my route for anything because I’ve gained experience in a variety of ways that many of these trainers lack. If you have not coached at the high school level, you have no concept what it is like to be on the opposite end of the recruiting process. I had 18 kids play Division I, and I took many of them on visits. I took E.C. Matthews paid an unannounced visit to Rhode Island, driving him there from Detroit and attending all of the sessions. I know what it’s like to sit on that side, so I can put it to use. I can experiment with how I play. If your first head coaching job is at the Division I level, you will be under a lot of scrutiny and will be unable to experiment as much. We pressed for a year and discovered what worked and what didn’t. If you do it at this level, you could be dismissed after a year. If they terminate me as a coach at Romulus, it only costs about $4,000. I’m still a good teacher. I still have my math job. I was able to experiment a little more and ended up that way. I believe it provides me a different perspective on several issues. But I am here. To those who say you can’t do it, it is undoubtedly more difficult, but you can’t do it; I just did. You’ve got to catch some breaks. If I had a secret recipe, I would write a book, make millions, and retire from coaching. You’ve have to catch a lot of breaks. However, you must also be prepared to take breaks when they are provided. Yeah, I’m grateful to be here. I’m grateful to have worked at Buffalo under an A.D. That took a risk. Danny White is presently in the Southeastern Conference at Tennessee. He hired me after I had been there two years. I had barely been out of high school for two years. I know I am privileged. I worked for many people and took advantage of opportunities that many others do not have. There are many high school coaches who are as excellent, if not better, than me, but they have not had the opportunity to take a hiatus like I have.
What made you want to hire Aaron Estrada? How does NIL help someone like him transform his and his mother’s lives?
I mean, Aaron is an incredible kid and a fantastic player. I coached at a level comparable to the CAA; the MAC and the CAA are on similar levels. When I took the job at Alabama, the greatest player in the MAC could have easily played for us almost every year. You discover a Player of the Year in consecutive years in a league as outstanding as the CAA, as we knew, and you have a third-party analytics company that helps you analyze transfers. He was the best guard in the portal for our style of play. He’s shown to be rather good. He has a triple-double. Consider all of the pros we’ve had while at Alabama. This is only the second triple-double we’ve had. Kira Lewis got the first one. He played quite well. In terms of NIL, going from Hofstra to a place like Alabama provides greater options for NIL than Hofstra did. Help him get his mother to as many games as they did. I paid him and his mother a visit at their house in Philadelphia. It brought back memories of my Romulus days. I used to go to all of my teammates’ houses. It was nice to be in there and know that he could help his mother. I mean, she’s a wonderful lady. I enjoy seeing her at all the games. She’s quite nice. Yes, he can help her in whatever way he can, such as taking her to games. The NCAA is excellent. They offer the funds to get the families to the Final Four. With NIL, the students may now bring their parents to all NCAA tournaments, including Spokane and Los Angeles, as well as fly them up to Toronto when we play Purdue.
Can you describe what Mark Sears has meant to the team’s success?
Obviously, he is our leading scorer, and our offense ranks in the top five in the country. For much of the year, we were the number one offensive in the country. He’s a big part of that. We wouldn’t be where we are now without him. We are aware of this. He’s been one of the finest offensive players in the country this season. We would not have made it to the Final Four without Mark Sears’ defense and leadership. In fact, he’s made significant progress in that area during the previous month. I believe he made a decision; he wants to play as long as possible this year and establish himself on a national scale. The only way we can do it is if our greatest players are committed to the defensive end of the court. He’s locked in and proven to be an excellent guard defender. He is doing it. We need him to do it again on Saturday night so he can play. Our finest offensive player. He’ll play a lot of minutes. When your greatest player is playing exceptionally well on defense, as he has been in recent weeks, you have the opportunity to go on a special run like we have.
You’ve spent the entire tournament discussing the theory of “next, next, next.” Can you elaborate on what this would entail for you at the practice, game, and season levels? How
How difficult is it to trust the process in a single-elimination tournament?
Yeah, so I spoke with Coach Saban after we lost in the SEC tournament. I believe that every year he won a national championship, they lost some points during the season. Football is clearly different. There are many more games than basketball. He watches every game. Coach, you guys have to move on to the next play. We discussed it briefly as a group. We’re going to make this really simple: we’re going to come in and just be ‘next’. It goes in a variety of ways. As I already stated, we had the best offensive for the majority of the season until the injuries occurred. But sometimes, when we were on a good run or ahead of the game, we would rest on defense. It even happened to us during the NCAA Tournament. Got up 31 on Charleston, relaxed in the final seven minutes, and they outscored us by 18. We were doing a very decent job of ‘next’ up until that point, and then we stopped. It has also gone the opposite way. We’ll have some offensive issues; guys will drop their heads because they’re focused on the last play on offense rather than the next play on defense. It is the next action in the play. Whatever happens on offense, good or terrible, it’s on to the next play. A bad call by the referee, and your teammate misses you on an open kick-out. It doesn’t matter; simply go on to the next play and give it your all. When we’ve finished this game, let’s move on to the next. I believe it is a terrific life philosophy. You face a lot of difficulties in life. Continue to the next best action. We go through a variety of experiences in life. Proceed to the next one, and make it the best one. You live in the past, thus you won’t be very good in the present. We’ve been attempting to go on to the next play, action, timeout, next, next, next. Our players have done a good job throughout the last four games.
You rank 105th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. Your team’s defensive capability, or lack thereof, is as it is. When you face UConn as a coach and with your staff, will you lean on everything you have offensively, despite the fact that you have certain limits, according to the data? How do you prepare this squad after witnessing UConn essentially annihilate opponents in the tournament?
We use a third-party analytics business that does excellent work. We spend a lot of time looking at KenPom, Bart Torvik. We see a lot of them here and there. Bart Torvik has one that you could include in a certain number of games. If you look at our four games in the NCAA tournament, we’re nowhere near 105th. I should have our third-party analytics company, SSI, handle it. I feel our defense is in the top 30. We are not going to presume we are a bad defensive team and try to outscore UConn. I believe that’s a formula for disaster. They are too good on both sides of the ball. I can say that our approach with these guys has been, “Guys, if we get back healthy and have the number one offense in the country like we did when we were healthy, and we can be a top 20 to 30 defense, we can go to the Final Four.” Forget it. We are not correcting the 105. There aren’t enough games remaining. Forget that; let’s lock in and accomplish everything we can in those games. We did give our boys after the first week of the tournament; in the last two games, I believe we were around 30. I have not run it yet. I have been a little too busy. We’ve got our hands full with UConn. You can run it quickly. I should’ve had it run. We know our offense will have to be terrific against a very talented UConn defense. But we’re going to do our best on defense. I just don’t think you can beat UConn 120–118. That is probably not a good idea.
