Alabama basketball head coach makes claim about his 2024 roster

Two years ago, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats led Alabama to the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The year after, his squad overcame No. 1 seeded North Carolina to reach the Crimson Tide's first-ever Final Four.

Oats might already be the greatest coach in the program's history, and his career is far from over.

With the return of All-American Mark Sears, guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and forward Grant Nelson, Alabama is a near lock to reach its fourth straight NCAA Tournament. However, with the additions Oats made through the transfer portal and high school recruiting, the head coach sees his roster as much more than just a tournament team.

"I think it's our best roster we've had since we've been here," Oats said . "This is the deepest one we've had. We've got experience, we've got youth and athleticism, we've got depth at every position."

Oats highlighted the fact that even with some nagging injuries, his confidence in the depth of his roster has only increased.

Backing up Sears and Wrightsell are transfer guards Aden Holloway (7.3 ppg at Auburn) and Houston Mallette (14.7 ppg at Pepperdine) along with freshman guard Labaron Philon.

On the interior, Alabama nabbed one of the most impactful transfer centers as former Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi will be anchoring the Crimson Tide's defense. Nelson will likely start alongside Omroruyi, with sophomore forward Jarin Stevenson being the first big off the bench.

Alabama's two highest-ranked recruits play in the front court, with forward Derrion Reid (former five-star) and forward Aiden Sherrell (former five-star) pushing the aforementioned three big men.

The Crimson Tide's historic run last season was magical, but that team never went more than seven or eight deep in its rotation with Sears carrying a massive load on offense. This season, it's possible that Oats plays 13 different players on a normal night, which will help Sears be at his best when closing time rolls around.

That strategy, paired with the roster and Oats' coaching acumen, has led to the highest expectations in the history of Alabama basketball.

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