Not all collegiate basketball coaches, like head coach Nate Oats of the Crimson Tide, are fond of working at football factories like Alabama.
On the podcast hosted by former Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, Oats stated that being employed at Alabama, where football reigns supreme, is more of a boon than a bane.
Oats said, “I’ve convinced these guys that we have the tools necessary to succeed at the greatest level.” “When you consider college athletics, being a football school actually has benefits because some of these non-football schools will face financial difficulties in the future due to current circumstances.”
Alabama football reportedly brought in close to $130 million for the school’s athletic department last year.
That’s a big part of the reason Oats decided against leaving to take the head coaching position with the Arkansas Razorbacks after John Calipari left to join the Kentucky Wildcats.
Oats won’t be leaving anytime soon as long as Alabama pays him well and their NIL remains strong.
“Perhaps our gym isn’t as busy every day as some of those blue bloods, but right now we are succeeding. Back then, you had to sell a vision. You can see it now. Because football is such a major deal here at Alabama, we’re better off than you are at some conventional basketball powerhouse that doesn’t necessarily have the financial backing that we have here,” the man stated.
“It’s great to be at a school with a great football tradition for a lot of different reasons,” Oats said in closing.
Some believe the Crimson Tide will enter the upcoming season as the top team in the nation and that Oats may lead them to their first men’s basketball national championship. Oats has leveraged this edge to draw some of the best prospects in the nation.
The Crimson Tide just finished their first Final Four participation of the season.
