Alabama’s Nate Oats facing roster reconstruction amid heavy expectations
By David Wasson
Published:
When a college basketball team wins 25 games and advances to the Sweet 16, it is almost universally considered an above average-to-great campaign.
And until Nate Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa, that single-season résumé would have indeed been lauded in the history books as one to remember. But after the program’s first-ever Final Four run in 2023-24 and an Elite Eight appearance last season, expectations rightly have changed with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
No longer just a football school, Oats now must retool and reload the Tide in a hyper-competitive SEC and in the even more hyper-competitive NIL/transfer portal college basketball environment to which he elevated the program.
So how does Oats do it? We have some suggestions…
1. Get a big man who can shoot
Granted, 7-footers with range don’t exactly grow on trees here in America. But they seem to in Europe, where coaches are now turning to cherry-pick pro ballplayers of advanced age to start their collegiate clock back here at home.
Alabama certainly suffered from a lack of height in 2025-26, especially after The Charles Bediako Experiment went awry after just 5 games. But if Davidson can pluck Ian Platteeuw from Spain, Creighton can deliver Aleksa Dimitrijevic from Serbia and Illinois can lure Tomislav Ivišić from Croatia… you better believe there is a 7-footer that can venture out to the arc and hoist the 3 somewhere on the European continent for the Tide.
Finding a reliable big – or 2 – became even more important Tuesday when 6-10 junior forward Taylor Bol Bowen announced he was hitting the transfer portal. So it is time for Oats to fire up the University of Alabama jet and roam the European countryside looking for some big-time big talent.
2. Portal up to replace Labaron Philon Jr. and Latrell Wrightsell
Philon’s decision Tuesday to forego his remaining 2 seasons at Alabama and head to the NBA Draft (the second time in 2 years, incidentally…) doesn’t come as a huge shock to Oats and the Crimson Tide coaching staff. But replacing Philon’s 22 points per game won’t come easy, and it could be compounded with a potential NBA loss of forward Amari Allen (11.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg) – who has yet to decide if he will turn pro.
Wrightsell’s eligibility expired, which means there is 13.2 ppg out the window as well. The Tide have 3 talented small forwards coming in as freshmen – Tarris Bouie, Qaden Samuels and Jaxon Richardson – but they probably won’t be immediate fixes. Which means Oats is probably waving around the checkbook in the portal as you read this looking for a 20 ppg scorer.
Two potential targets out there are LSU guard Dedan Thomas Jr. and Colorado’s Bangot Dak. Thomas just finished up his junior season in Baton Rouge, a campaign that saw him deliver 15.3 ppg. Kentucky is also in the mix for Thomas, though, so he isn’t a guarantee for the Tide quite yet. But Alabama’s “finding a 7-footer who can shoot” problem might just get immediately solved by Dak – a 7-foot forward who is departing Colorado with 2 seasons remaining and after averaging 11.5 ppg this season with 28 3-pointers made in the last 2 seasons.
3. Hope Aden Holloway can contribute
Ah yes, Holloway. When last we checked with the Crimson Tide’s suspended junior guard, he was planning to enroll in fall classes and return to the team pending the outcome of his legal case – which stems from police finding 2.1 pounds of marijuana in his apartment days before the NCAA Tournament began.
Holloway was indicted by a grand jury April 2 on a Class C felony drug possession charge, “not for personal use,” but the campus ban on him has since been reversed after a hearing – meaning he can now attend classes and enroll in future courses.
Holloway’s status as a basketball player will likely hinge on how the court system adjudicates his case – and whether his legal team can arrange a settlement negotiation or pretrial diversion, because a trial on a felony case like Holloway’s might not come to fruition for 2 years.
But if Holloway can return to Alabama’s roster in 2026, not only does he bring the 16.8 ppg from last season with him, but also the continuity of Oats’ system along for the ride. If Oats decides Holloway’s return is just too big a risk to take, he could well target a guard like Washington’s Zoom Diallo or Villanova’s Acaden Lewis in the portal.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
