“Four hours a week is not enough” — Alabama HC Nate Oats drops truth bombs about weak 2024 NBA draft class

After a historic first Final Four appearance in program history, Alabama and coach Nate Oats are preparing for another great season. Most of his players who declared for the 2024 NBA draft returned to college for another season.

In an interview with CBS Sports' Seth Davis, Oats commented on the lack of American players in the top spots of the draft. Last year, Frenchman Victor Wembanya went No. 1, and in this draft, his fellow countrymen Alex Sarr and Seth Davis went in the top two. Coach Oats cited the lack of ample practice sessions as the reason.

"Four hours a week [with players in the summer] is not enough," he said. "You look at how many Europeans got drafted in the first round. I think we've got to re-evaluate how we do basketball in the US a little bit.

"There's no restrictions in Europe. The coaches that they sign up to play for, that are responsible for their development, are not being told they can only work with them for four hours a week."

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Nate Oats provides explanations on the alleged Kentucky offer

In April, John Calipari shocked the college basketball world after he announced his departure from the Kentucky Wildcats. Many names were thrown in the mix for the vacant position, including UConn's Dan Hurley and Alabama's Nate Oats.

In the interview with Seth Davis, Coach Oats was asked about the Kentucky offer, and he said:

“That’s a good question, because for a guy like me that’s fortunate to be where I’m at — and I’ve caught a lot of breaks in life, to be even in the conversation — I mean the job was never offered to me. It didn’t get to that point at all. But there was a lot of speculation circulating around the country for part of a day there that maybe I’d be in the mix. I actually thought about it.”

Furthermore, Nate Oats believes the team has a real shot at winning the championship in the upcoming season. Most of the Final Four squad, including Mark Sears, Grant Nelson and Jarin Stevenson, have returned after testing the NBA waters.

"I think we’ve got a chance to win a national championship at Alabama. And I think it would mean a lot more winning one here than maybe it would mean winning one somewhere where they’ve won with lots of different coaches over a period of time. It’s almost expected at a place like Kentucky."

What do you think are Alabama's chances at winning the championship? Let us know in the comment section below.