“There’s a lot of selfishness in some programs” - Former Alabama player Kai Spears explains his decision to join Marshall’s basketball team

Kai Spears is the latest addition to Marshall University's men’s basketball roster. The 6-foot-2 guard joins coach Cornelius Jackson’s squad through the transfer portal after playing a season under Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats. The youngster has already been part of a team practice with the Thundering Herd, where his father, Christian Spears, is the athletic director.

Despite averaging less than two minutes of action with Alabama, Spears was part of the growing roster that made its first-ever Final Four appearance last year. So when inquired about his leaning to join the Thundering Herd, Spears praised his new teammates.

“There’s a lot of selfishness in some programs,” Kai Spears said. “But I don’t see that here and I’m excited about that. Our camaraderie and the way that we pull for each other is something I’ve not seen in a lot of teams. And that alone is going to take us a long way.”

Even though he played in only 11 games, Spears was on the frontlines of intense and high-stakes matchups with Alabama. He has had firsthand experience of the mindset, approach and chemistry it takes to mount a deep NCAA run.

It is one of the reasons that the guard always plays with confidence. He played his last game for Nate Oats during the opening game victory of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against the College of Charleston.

Nate Oats offered Kai Spears a scholarship

Kai Spears was with Alabama for two years. He was a walk-on, a player who joined a team without any recruitment or scholarship option.

Walk-on players are usually inducted upon their request and if a place in the roster is available. Moreover, they play without any compensation from the university’s athletic department.

However, all that changed when Spears received the SEC All-Academic Honor Roll. Just like the previous season, Alabama had 12 student-athletes on scholarship, leaving a spot vacant for just one more at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Nate Oats then granted Alabama’s last scholarship option to Kai Spears in early February. Interestingly, Spears had his most notable moment right after Oats’ move. He sank two free throws right before finding the net on a 3-pointer during a win against Mississippi State.