Nate Oats Challenges Transfers Ahead of Regions Tradition

The Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program has experienced heavy roster turnover after the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. The Tide lost five scholarship players to the transfer portal and three more to the NBA Draft process, leaving head coach Nate Oats to manage the roster in preparation for the the 2022-23 season.

The Crimson Tide is already bringing in one of the top recruiting classes in the country to fill out the roster, but was still left with three vacant scholarships for the upcoming season. Alabama filled one of the holes with Huntsville-native and Ohio-transfer Mark Sears last month, but Oats and company have appeared to struggle filling the final two roster spots.

"Ya I mean, we're trying to use them, we got to get somebody that, I mean a couple guys we've gone after got a little scared with our current roster, so we need somebody that's willing to fight for minutes, and we've got a pretty good roster right now but you know with Quinerly being hurt and not available starting the year," said Oats at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am on Wednesday. "You know that we've got 10 healthy scholarship players to start the year if we don't have any more injuries so we need to add at least one. You don't have to play 13 guys but we have we like to use at least one if not both those open scholarships."

Alabama has been linked with a number of high profile transfers during this spring and can still come away with two players that will help the Tide this season.

"We want a big if we can get a big wing that they can make shots, that's ideal, you know, we'd like to add some shooting and then maybe just the best available. I don't feel like we really need any more guards, smaller guards, but bigger wings that can kind of play multiple positions," said Oats on what his staff is looking for.

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Oats told reporters that the transfer portal has kept him off the golf course this spring and today's round at the Regions Pro-Am event at Greystone Golf and Country Club was just his third round of the year.