For the third straight offseason, Nate Oats has added a coach to his staff from the NBA ranks.
Alabama had an opening for a full-time assistant coach after Ryan Pannone accepted the head coaching job at Arkansas State. Pannone himself joined the Crimson Tide from the NBA, having spent time as the G-League head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Per reports, Oats has rounded out his staff by hiring veteran NBA assistant Chris Fleming.
This will be Fleming's first coaching stint in college basketball. He became an assistant coach in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets in 2015 and has been in the league ever since. He made stops with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and most recently, the Portland Trail Blazers. Fleming was the top assistant for Billy Donovan with the Bulls in 2019-2020 and spent five games as the interim coach when Donovan went through COVID protocols. The Bulls went 5-0 during that stint.
Fleming spent many years as a head coach in the German Bundesliga. He won the league with Brose Baskets four consecutive seasons from 2010-2013. He also led them to the German Cup four times and the German Supercup three times. He was the Bundesliga Coach of the Year in 2011.
His success as a head coach in the German pro league led to him taking over as the German National Team's head coach from 2014-2017.
Nate Oats continues to prioritize player development with his assistants
At first glance, hiring a guy with zero ties to college basketball or recruiting may seem odd. But Oats has prioritized player development consistently with his recent hires. That has led him to the NBA in recent hiring cycles.
And why not? He has his ace recruiter in Preston Murphy, his lead assistant. He now has two veteran NBA assistants alongside him and Murphy with Fleming joining Brian Adams.
Adams joined Alabama last season after he spent a year as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons. He had previously served on the staff of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Oats runs an NBA system, so it makes sense to fill his coaching staff with guys with plenty of NBA experience.
Oats has proven to be a kingmaker in college coaching. His coaching tree continues to expand. When Pannone was hired by Arkansas State, he became the fifth assistant coach under Oats to get a head coaching job, joining Bryan Hodgson (USF), Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State), Charlie Henry (Georgia Southern), and Austin Claunch (UTSA).