Arkansas State is going back to the Alabama basketball assistant coach well to fill their opening. With former Nate Oats assistant Bryan Hodgson leaving Jonesboro to take over at South Florida following two successful seasons with the Red Wolves, Crimson Tide assistant Ryan Pannone will succeed Hodgson at Arkansas State, per a report from Jon Rothstein.
Sources: Alabama’s Ryan Pannone is finalizing an agreement to be the next head coach at Arkansas State.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 29, 2025
Pannone has been an assistant at Alabama for the past two seasons. Prior to that, he spent two seasons as an assistant for the New Orleans Pelicans and was the head coach for the Pelicans' G-League affiliate from 2019-2022.
Pannone has been the Crimson Tide's "offensive coordinator" during his two seasons in Tuscaloosa. During that time, Alabama led the country in scoring offense while being one of the most efficient teams in the country.
Last season, Alabama made the Final Four for the first time in program history. Later tonight, they'll take on Duke in the Elite Eight in Newark looking to get back to the Final Four for the second consecutive season.
Nate Oats is a head coach maker
If you want to become a head coach, you should be reaching out to Nate Oats to find a spot on his coaching staff.
Pannone becomes the fifth Oats assistant to get a head coaching job during his six-year tenure at Alabama.
Following Alabama's 2023 season where the Crimson Tide entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall side, all of Oats' three bench assistants got head coaching jobs. Hodgson was hired by Arkansas State, Charlie Henry by Georgia Southern, and Antoine Pettway by Kennesaw State.
One of the replacements for that coaching staff was Nicholls head coach Austin Claunch, who spent one season on the bench with Oats before parlaying that into the head coaching job at UTSA.
It's those facts that will ensure Oats is able to replace the outgoing Pannone with a high-level assistant coach. That coach could currently be on an NBA bench or could even be a sitting head coach like Claunch was.
The most important assistant coach on the Alabama staff, Preston Murphy, was recently rewarded with a raise and contract extension, ensuring his future in Tuscaloosa.