After losing Mark Sears & Labaron Philon to the NBA draft, Nate Oats reveals bold plan to fix Alabama’s PG depth

Alabama coach Nate Oats addressed the point guard depth of his team, following the departure of Mark Sears and Labaron Philon. Sears left the Crimson Tide after exhausting his eligibility, while Philon entered the 2025 NBA draft.

Sears was a a two-time consesus all-American and three-time All-SEC selection. He led Alabama in scoring with 18.6 points and in assists (5.1) last season. Philon, an All-SEC freshman selection, averaged 10.6 points and 3.8 assists. He also led the Crimson Tide in steals(1.4).

At the Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Hoover last week, Oats revealed his bold plan to not go traditional at point guard next season.

"You know what, we’d like to get — you know, obviously, we think (Latrell) Wrightsell and (Houston) Mallette can play a little point guard,” Oats said on Wednesday (04:08). “That’s definitely a little bit of an issue. (Aden) Holloway is definitely there. And then we do think that, Amari (Allen) and Davion (Hannah) (can)."

Oats also cited examples of players who took on point guard role in his second year as Alabama coach, despite not being traditionally fit for it.

"If you go back to our second year, think about how we played with Herb (Jones)?" Oats said. "You know, we started Herb and really kind of had three two-guards around him, if you remember, with (Josh) Primo, (Jaden) Shackelford, and (John) Petty and then, you know, Keon Ellis started a little bit too. All three of those guys? None of them were point guards."

The Crimson Tide coach added that the team does not necessarily need a point guard, but a creator who can thrive in the team's fast-paced play.

Nate Oats reveals NBA interests, but he is happy to stay at Alabama

Nate Oats has coached Alabama for six years; however, there have been rumors that he would be poached. On Wednesday's episode of "The Paul Finebaum Show," Oats confirmed the rumors but added that there had been no real offers. He also admitted that feels he doesn't need to move.

“In the NBA, there may have been some rumors," Oats said on Wednesday. "There’s been no real offers. I’ve got daughters still in high school. I’m not sure I want that travel schedule right now, to be honest with you. I like our travel schedule in college a lot better than what the NBA’s is. So there hasn’t been a real need for me to move.

“I haven’t seen the need to move, to be honest with you,” Oats continued. “I feel like we’ve been the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, we’ve made a Final Four, we’ve won more SEC championships than anybody in the SEC since we’ve been here. So we can win at the highest level here.”

Oats reiterated his loyalty to the Tide, adding that the program gave him a chance when no one else hired him. In his six seasons at Tuscaloosa, Alabama made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five years. The program also made the Elite Eight, two Sweet 16s and its first Final Four run in 2024.