"I certainly picked his brain": Nate Oats reveals taking coaching lessons from Nick Saban as Alabama heads to Final Four

Alabama's men's basketball coach, Nate Oats, was confronted with a difficult situation. Despite a strong season, the team was on a losing streak, having won only two out of six games leading up to March Madness. Oats sought advice from experienced coaches to help turn things around.

In a recent press conference, Oats shared that one source of wisdom was Nick Saban.

“I’m going to pick the brains of all the ultra-successful coaches throughout the department. We’ve got multiple coaches, current coaches, that have won national championships, whether it’s men’s golf, women’s golf, softball," Oats said.

Nate also shared that he’s a big fan of Coach Saban and used Saban's ideas while coaching.

“But Coach Saban — I’m a big football fan. I came to Alabama loving the fact that I was going to be able to work in the same athletic department as arguably the best — maybe not even the best football coach — the best coach of any team sport in modern history, or college sports, anything, and I didn’t want to bother him," Oats said.

"But I certainly picked his brain when it was appropriate."

He also consulted Jim Boeheim and Frank Martin, who led South Carolina to the Final Four.

Following that, Alabama won four games in a row, including a victory over Clemson, to secure their first appearance in the Final Four.

Nate Oats celebrated turning Alabama into Final Four contenders

The Alabama Crimson Tide defied expectations and program history, booking their ticket to the NCAA Tournament's grandest stage, the Final Four.

The team secured it with a thrilling 89-82 victory over the Clemson Tigers in the Elite Eight of the 2024 March Madness.

Head coach Nate Oats celebrated the historic win through net-cutting. No. 4 Alabama now inches two wins closer to the coveted national championship trophy.

Despite 23 NCAA Tournament trips, Alabama did not reach the Final Four until this season. They have previously made nine Sweet 16 outings and one Elite Eight. Their closest brush came in 2004, when they fell to UConn in the Elite Eight.

This year's journey began with a high-scoring win against Charleston, followed by a nail-biting victory over Grand Canyon.

The team finished the Southeastern Conference season in fifth place, boasting a 13-5 conference record and a 25-11 overall record.

The Crimson Tide will face the overall No. 1 seed, the UConn Huskies, for a ticket to the championship game.

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