Grits to glory: Nate Oats leads Alabama to March Madness through turbulent waters

Nate Oats, the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team, is leading his team through the best and most scrutinized season of March Madness in their history. With his success on the court, Oats has been praised for twice leading the team to cut down the nets and for leading the Crimson Tide to the No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed.

However, the off-court challenges and most-questioned decisions are what have attracted the most attention, as Oats had to navigate his team through a crisis when one of his players, Brandon Miller, was charged with capital murder in mid-season, while two others were involved, including one of college basketball's biggest stars in AP All-America freshman Jaden Bradley.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Oats stated that he was going by what the police told them, and that Miller and Bradley were fully cooperating witnesses who had never broken any laws or violated any school policies. "So I’m not sure what they would have been suspended for," Oats said. This decision drew criticism, even as the Tide marched to the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament titles and the program's first No. 1 seed.

Despite the attention, Oats has led the Crimson Tide to unprecedented heights, turning Alabama into a basketball powerhouse alongside Nick Saban's juggernaut football program. Oats, who received a new six-year, $30 million contract in February, has built a championship-caliber roster that is fun to watch with its tempo, athleticism, and barrage of 3-pointers.

However, former players say that there is far more to their old coach than just his success on the court. To Valdez Green, Oats is "a great man," coach, father, and husband. Green was taken in by Oats for two years after his mother was jailed four years after his father was shot to death. Green believes that without Oats, he would not be where he is today. Filmore Bouldes, another former player, said that Oats helped put him on a path to the ministry while in college. "That man changed my life," said Bouldes, who is now an associate pastor at C3 NYC.

Despite the criticisms that Oats has faced for his decision to keep Miller and Bradley playing, Bouldes believes that Oats made the decision not to make himself look better, but to champion Brandon. "Obviously every coach wants to win, and I can see how the optics make it seem like that," said Bouldes. "But what people have to understand is that the decision he made is a decision not to make him look better, but he's actually championing Brandon."

Oats has made it "crystal clear" to his team that the only victims were Harris and her family. "That's it. That's where our prayers need to be. This is sad, awful," Oats said, describing himself as "torn up." He has been stung by criticism and apologized multiple times for a comment saying Miller was in the "wrong spot at the right time" shortly after police testimony tied Miller and Bradley to the scene. He also apologized for not halting Miller's pre-game patdown ritual with a teammate.

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Through it all, Oats has shown his commitment to his players and his team, both on and off the court. As they head into the March Madness, Oats and the Crimson Tide will look to continue their success and make history once again.

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