“It brings in a lot of money” - Alabama MBB HC Nate Oats has high praise for Crimson Tide’s football program

Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball coach Nate Oats has gained recognition as one of the top college basketball coaches in the country. In his five years of coaching Alabama, he has led the team to the NCAA tournament four times, culminating in a Final Four appearance last season.

Some believe Oats would thrive more coaching at a traditional powerhouse in college basketball rather than at a school known more for its football program, like Alabama.

On an appearance in the Front Row podcast with former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried, Nate Oats explained that his basketball program has benefited financially because of Alabama's football.

"If you understand how college athletics works, and people are starting to see it in a big way right now with the money, the biggest moneymaker in college athletics right now is football," Oats said per Bama Central.

"It’s not even close. In my opinion, we have the best football program in the history of college football, in the country. It brings in a lot of money. That money is used in the entire athletic department, including men’s basketball."

Alamaba's football program is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished teams in NCAA history, with 18 claimed national titles. This past decade alone, the Crimson Tide have won three championships, resulting in a substantial inflow of money and assets for the university. Consequently, a portion of these resources is allocated to the basketball program as well.

Nate Oats' Alabama is ready for the 2024-25 season

Nate Oats will enter his sixth year as the head coach of Alabama men's basketball in the upcoming season. Last year, the Crimson Tide finished joint second in the SEC regular season and reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

Oats is building this season's team on the foundation of last season's success, and he believes the roster has the potential to make a real impact.

"It's refreshing to have a new team,” Nate Oats said per WVUA 23. "We had a great run last year and I think we have another chance to make another great run this year. We’ve got the guys on campus and we’ve started working.

Oats further mentioned the difficulties he and his staff have to face each year when recruiting. Because Alabama is so focused on football, Oats said they have to be cautious about recruits who are only interested in visiting for the football games.

"But early on, you can’t burn up official visits on guys that just want to come to an Alabama football game that we have no chance to get. There’s plenty of that out there," Oats said.

Oats' coaching philosophy focuses more on the offensive side of the game to attack at a breakneck pace. Thanks to this strategy, the Crimson Tide led the nation in scoring with 90.1 points per game.