I'm not sure there's ever been more excitement for an Alabama Basketball season and head coach Nate Oats is doing nothing to quell the enthusiasm of the fan base, instead taking an appearance on Hey Coach Wednesday night to further stoke the flames.
Nate Oats: "We've got a special team, and we know it. ... They've all got great attitudes. They've all been working their tails off.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) September 19, 2024
"I wouldn't miss anything you could possibly be at this season because it's going to be a special season."
Oats has never lacked for confidence and he's obviously seen a lot of things he's liked over the summer to be comfortable raising expectations even further.
Alabama signed the No. 2 high school class in the nation, per the 247 composite rankings. They added five-star Derrion Reid and a trio of four-stars, Aiden Sherrell, Labaron Philon, and Naas Cunningham. In the transfer portal, they picked up highly sought after guys like Cliff Omoruyi from Rutgers, Aden Holloway from Auburn, Chris Youngblood from South Florida, and Houston Mallette from Pepperdine.
The newcomers join a roster featuring one of the best guards in college basketball in Mark Sears, a talented big-man who took on a starring role in the NCAA Tournament in Grant Nelson, veteran sharpshooting guard Latrell Wrightsell, stretch-four Jarin Stevenson (who flashed his immense potential in a big game against Clemson in the Elite 8), and a glue-guy in Mo Dioubate.
On paper, this Alabama basketball roster is the most talented group to ever come through Tuscaloosa. A fact that Oats seems aware of:
Nate Oats on Hey Coach: "This might be the deepest, most complete, best roster we've had since we've been here."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) September 18, 2024
Alabama is deep everywhere. They have a plethora of experienced guards as well as some interesting new faces who ooze potential. There's shooting and defense on the wings, and the projected starting frontcourt of Nelson and Omoruyi is probably the best in college basketball. Stevenson and Sherrell will provide quality depth off the bench inside.
Perhaps the most interesting quote from Oats on Wednesday night was his comments about incoming freshman guard Labaron Philon.
"Labaron Philon has been way better than I thought he was gonna be," said Oats. "And he was a highly rated kid. He's gonna be right in the mix for guard minutes."
Philon joins a backcourt featuring a National Player of the Year candidate in Sears, a reliable veteran sharpshooter in Wrightsell, the co-player of the year in the AAC in Youngblood, and Auburn transfer Aden Holloway who was a five-star prospect in 2023.
The fact that Philon is pushing for minutes already gives further credence to the talk all summer about how good this kid is.
The only cause for concern with the deep and talented roster is how in the world Oats is going to keep everyone happy. There's only 200-minutes available for any given game, and stretching your rotation past 10 guys is nearly impossible.
The ability to assemble a roster this talented and this deep in this era of the sport is a real credit to Oats. All of the newcomers could have found situations where minutes would have been easier to come by, but they all chose to come to Alabama because they believe in Oats' vision for the program and they want to compete against the best everyday in practice.
Fresh off the program's first Final Four berth in school history last season, Oats is thirsty for more, and preparing to take the Crimson Tide to unknown heights.