Look: Alabama basketball's Nate Oats shows off surfing skills after Kelvin Sampson challenge

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats may have been off the recruiting trail for the Fourth of July, but that didn't stop him from showing off his competitive side.

Accepting a "Lake Life Challenge" from Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson , Oats showed off his surfing skills by shredding some waves with a 360-degree turn on Lake Tuscaloosa on Thursday. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk were also challenged by Sampson, who looked to have done a reverse cannonball of his own.

"Love it (Coach Sampson)!" Oats captioned his video on X (formerly Twitter). "Lake days are the best. Happy 4th of July."

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Spending time on the lake is not something new for an Alabama coach. When at the helm of the Crimson Tide football program, Nick Saban famously brought recruits and players out to his lake house for recruiting visits and team bonding opportunities.

The day out on Lake Tuscaloosa also showcased Oats taking some well-deserved time off after a busy last few months. After leading the Crimson Tide to its first Final Four berth in April, Oats and his staff compiled a roster of what many college basketball analysts have tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team in the country.

On top of bringing back several key players from that Final Four team — including star Mark Sears and Grant Nelson — Oats put together the No. 2 recruiting class in the country , determined by the Crimson Tide's 247Sports' Composite ranking (No. 2 overall) and transfer portal ranking (No. 7).

Indeed, Oats dipped into the transfer portal and landed Houston Mallette (Pepperdine), Aden Holloway (Auburn), Chris Youngblood (South Florida) and Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers). The additions of Mallette, Youngblood, Holloway and Omoruyi have the Crimson Tide at No. 7 in 247Sports' Transfer Basketball Team Rankings , which ranks as the third highest-ranked team in the SEC only behind John Calipari at Arkansas and Mark Pope at Kentucky.

Then most recently, Oats filled his vacant assistant coaching position — one that was created after former assistant Austin Claunch was named the head coach at the UTSA — with Detroit Pistons assistant Brian Adams. .

Alabama also is set to play in the first NIL-driven multi-team event in Las Vegas — The Players Era Festival — during Thanksgiving weekend, where each team will receive a $1 million payout for participating. The Crimson Tide will take on Sampson's Cougars in Game 1 in Las Vegas.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Look: Alabama basketball's Nate Oats shows off surfing skills after Kelvin Sampson challenge