Nate Oats reveals engagement during radio interview
By David Wasson
Published:
Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats might not have taken his Crimson Tide back to the Final Four this season, but he revealed Friday afternoon that he secured a decent parting gift.
During an interview on the College Sports on Sirius XM channel, Oats said that he and girlfriend Alex Accetta are now engaged – dropping it casually while telling a story about attending an NBA game in New York City.
Like our coverage? Make SDS a preferred source in your searches!
“Me and Alex – my fiancee now, she was my girlfriend at the time – we were at a Knicks playoff game, and I’m sitting there at [Madison Square] Garden,” Oats said. “I’m like, ‘Hold on.’ I’m a high school coach and I got an opportunity to coach in here, and I’m gonna say no?”
The 51-year-old Oats divorced his first wife, Crystal, in 2023. Having just completed his seventh season at Alabama with a 25-10 record and a trip to the Sweet 16, Oats is 170-73 overall and 87-38 in the SEC in Tuscaloosa – including a Final Four appearance in 2024 and an Elite Eight run in 2025.
Oats previously coached Buffalo for four seasons, leading the Bulls to three NCAA Tournaments and 96 victories. Before then, he was a boys basketball coach for 11 years at Romulus (Mich.) High School.
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.
