“Mark Sears will come back”: NCAAB analyst explains how Nate Oats became a better coach than Kalen DeBoer after benching Alabama star hooper

Following the benching of Alabama men's basketball star Mark Sears, Nate Oats has become a coach capable of making tough decisions. This has garnered acclaim from college sports analyst Kyle Henderson who believes Oats has done better than Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer.

Oats decided to bench Sears during Saturday's game between the No. 4 Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers. The move was successful, as his squad won 80–73 despite limiting its top scorer to just 17 minutes of playing time.

Henderson sided with Oats' decision, wishing DeBoer did something similar during the 2024 football season.

"I'm willing to go out and say that Mark Sears will come back from whatever it is, I have no idea, I don't think anybody knows, but I think he comes back and he's like, 'Yo, let's lock in. Let's get to work,'" Henderson said on Monday, via Bama FM. "This isn't a one person team. This team is way too talented to rely on just Mark Sears.

I think that Kalen DeBoer, one of the biggest failures that he had this past season was not doing the same thing that Nate Oats did against LSU. You had opportunities to do this this past season, and you failed to do it."

What's next for Nate Oats' Alabama?

Coming off their first-ever run to the Final Four last season, Nate Oats and the No. 4 Crimson Tide have continued their momentum as one of the best teams in college basketball.

Alabama boasts a 17-3 overall record, winning six of its first seven games in conference play while having three straight wins. The team is putting up 90.4 points on 47.3% shooting from the field and 32.5% from beyond the arc, beating opponents by a solid margin of 11.9 points per game.

Mark Sears leads the way with 18.1 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.9 rpg, and 1.0 spg on shooting splits of 39.6% shooting overall and 34.8% from downtown. Grant Nelson comes next with 12.6 ppg and 8.4 rpg, Aden Holloway averages 11.8 ppg and 2.0 rpg off the bench, and Labaron Philon averages 11.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 3.7 apg.

Nate Oats and the No. 4 Crimson Tide will next face Mississippi State at the Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.