Alabama HC Nate Oats outlines team's 'goal' for next season following Final Four defeat against UConn: "We're not finished"

The Nate Oats-led Alabama Crimson Tide could not defeat the Connecticut Huskies in the Final Four clash of the men's NCAA tournament. UConn was able to break free from a resilient Alabama squad in the latter stages of the second half, securing an 86-72 victory. This win sets up a championship clash against Purdue on Monday.

The Tide, on the other hand, will prepare to come back with more grit and motivation in the next season. After the game ended, the head coach of Alabama, Nate Oats, had a conversation with Mike Rodak. He expressed that, despite not winning the Final Four round, the team was not done yet.

He promised that Alabama would be stronger than ever, and it would be the team's goal to come back and win the national championship title.

"We're not finished. We'd like to get back and win this whole thing. That's what our goal is gonna be. We're gonna aim to get back here. We're gonna aim to get back here and win the final game. We've just got to keep knocking at the door."

Nate Oats also thanked the student-athletes for leading the team to the Final Four round for the first time in the school's history.

"We had an unbelievable run and these guys got us over the hump to get there. Can't say enough about the leadership of these guys, particularly in the last few weeks."

Nate Oats shared about his success with Alabama before the Final Four

Before the much-awaited matchup, Nate Oats boasted about the remarkable turnaround he's seen at Tuscaloosa. Since his arrival in 2019, the Crimson Tide have become the most successful team in the Southeastern Conference. According to the head coach, there's not a lot missing in their recruiting efforts during his tenure.

“Since I got to the SEC, they've given out nine trophies, I think we have four of them," Nate Oats said. "We've won those championships, we've got an offense, we put guys in the pros. Now we're competing on the national stage, in the Final Four to win the national championship. So, there's not a lot missing in the recruiting pitch."

He also did not shy away from mentioning the school becoming one of the fastest-growing programs, providing top NBA prospects.

“If kids don't want to be part of our winning team, I don't want to take them. We've had one of the most modern and recruitable offenses in the country over the last five years."

“We did a study. We've improved our guys' draft stock more than anybody in the country in the last five years. We've got the NBA deal, we've had more lottery picks than anybody in the country. We've got the offense going. We've won it at a high level.”

Many Alabama players have been drafted in the NBA since Oats' tenure began. Brandon Miller was selected as the second-overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the highest-drafted player in the school's history.