Nate Oats Unveils Valuable Details of His Call With Nick Saban After Alabama’s Disappointing SEC Exit

Nick Saban might have left Alabama, but Alabama will never leave Nick Saban! The reason we say this is because despite hanging his boots as the head coach of Alabama this off-season, the Crimson Tide still beats in his heart. Hence, when it’s the spirit of Alabama on wager, Nick Saban is the coach everyone resorts to.

Blurring the confines of the B-ball and football, and being united by the spirit of Alabama, Crimson Tide men’s basketball team head coach Nick Oats redefined what it means to be a Bama fan this season by picking up that one phone call from Nick Saban.

From one coach to another!

Nate Oats etched history by guiding the Crimson Tide program to the Final Four for the first time, almost as an attempt to bring the Crimson Tide at par with its football counterpart. Then came the big halt for Bama, bottoming out in a dejecting loss against Florida, spiraling straight down in the first tournament game.

The worst part for Oats? It was the Crimson Tide’s fourth loss in the last 6 games. That’s when Oats picked up his phone to dial up the one he confided in: Nick Saban. “Sometimes we’d be on a big run, be up on a team big, and we’d just relax on defense. It even happened to us in the NCAA Tournament (Charleston) … it’s the next action within the play, no matter what happens on offense or defense- good or bad. It’s a great philosophy in life,” Oats revealed the advice Nick Saban gave him over the phone.

A humbling loss against Florida after creating franchise history was the only ‘wake-up‘ jolt Oats needed to understand the ‘both ways‘ mentality that Nick Saban was proposing, to not let either the toughest of the losses or the biggest of the wins get to your head.”You live in the past, it’s not gonna be very good in the present,” Oats reiterated Nick Saban’s message like a proud student. However, the duo’s relationship extends way beyond the confines of a phone call !

Nate Oats is going to take what he can from Nick Saban!

Nate Oats simply gave Nick Saban all the credit for loading him up with the lessons and driving words that he needed for this season. However, it didn’t end there. Reportedly, Nate Oats is a die-hard Nick Saban fan, who has shaped his career by deriving inspiration from the Alabama legend. Which was also one reason for him to pick up the Crimson Tide job, which he had revealed earlier. “When I took the job, I loved that I would have a chance to be around him,” the coach shared.

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Since then, the dream of that fan has come true as he got to shadow Saban in team meetings, learning all that he can from him. This longstanding admiration turned out to be beneficial for Alabama’s basketball team too. And even Oats knows this too, as he shared how his proximity to Saban could prove to be an adventage for sure.”For me not to take advantage of that, I would be a complete idiot,” Oats confessed, while adding, “I am going to take advantage of that as much as possible.” 

READ ALSO: Nate Oats Reveals Nick Saban’s Impact on His Career, Admits Shadowing Him for an Entire Day

What a wholesome relationship! Wouldn’t you agree?