After sputtering in an albeit tough non-conference schedule, Nate Oats decided 2024 would bring new roles for Alabama men’s basketball’s assistant coaches.
In the offseason, Oats needed to restock the Crimson Tide sidelines, not just with talented players, but with a new batch of coaches after his three prior assistants each took top jobs elsewhere. The plan, at least on paper, was supposed to go: Ryan Pannone with the defense, a role that used to be Charlie Henry’s. Austin Claunch, a former head coach at Nicholls State, led the offense. And Preston Murphy was charged with personnel and scouting akin to Bryan Hodgson’s duties.
Yet, a myriad of factors would disrupt that plan, notably injuries to a nearly brand-new roster which delayed chemistry, and forced Oats to pivot following an 8-5 start ahead of SEC play. Most notably, a defense that ranked among the worst nationally led to frustrating losses against Purdue, Creighton and Arizona. Following a beatdown of Liberty on Dec. 30, Oats reassessed.
“We had to get a comfort level,” Oats said Tuesday. “... We all had to kind of figure out what our niche was gonna be. I think it took us a little while.
“It wasn’t like the sky was falling, but we needed to make some changes. ... We kind of just tried to match what it looked like the last four years around here. Well, it’s not that cookie-cutter.”
Claunch and Murphy now split scouting duties. Pannone and director of scouting and analytics Adam Bauman are charged with offensive game-planning. And Oats, in a throwback to his high school days at Romulus (Michigan) High, took the lead on coaching defense to stem UA’s biggest problem. The flipped roles have helped UA to an 8-1 run to the top of the SEC, which No. 16 Alabama has a chance to win for the third time under Oats.
Alabama coach Nate Oats cheers on the team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Auburn, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)AP
Compared to the rest of its league opponents, Alabama is fourth in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom, up from the “100s,” as Oats previously described it. Overall, Alabama is 261st nationally with 75.2 points allowed per game, tied with San Jose State. But, aside from a blowout loss to Tennessee on Jan. 20, just one SEC offense has cracked the 80-point threshold against the Tide.
“We weren’t gonna win a conference championship with the defense being that bad, “Oats said. “I flipped over there and kind of let them know, ‘Look, if you’re not gonna guard, not paying attention to it every day in practice, I’m just not going to play you. Period.’
“When the head coach is much more involved in the defense they tend to take it a lot more seriously.”
On the floor, Alabama has mostly stayed with a nine-to-10 player rotation, just with different bodies filtering through. Rylan Griffen, often credited as the team’s best perimeter defender, has fluctuated in and out of the starting lineup. Nick Pringle, suspended for a second time, has ceded minutes to first-year players Jarin Stevenson and Mo Wague. Forward Mouhamed Dioubate is coming off a season-high in points (14) and minutes (19) against Mississippi State.
Its next test will be on Wednesday night at No. 12 Auburn, the last game UA is predicted to lose in the regular season per KenPom. The Tigers have the best defense in the conference and are ranked top-12 nationally in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency metrics. When the teams met in Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 24, a four-point UA win, Alabama held Auburn to five-of-25 from 3-point range. But Auburn’s shooting numbers are drastically better in Neville Arena and forward Johni Broome will look to build off his 25-point outing.
Pannone, who Oats said watches more film than anyone he knows, still has the opportunity to give recommendations on both sides of the ball. And Oats was quick to say later in his news conference that it’s too early to evaluate the job he’s done this season, which still has nine games before the SEC tournament.
“They can all coach basketball, offense, defense whatever. They let me kind of shuffle a few things around. ... We wanted to try new things (in non-conference play) look at this, look at that. .... We had to learn what the guys are good at.”
More Alabama basketball coverage
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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].