The head coach and star player of the University of Alabama men’s basketball team received notice this week that they are finalists for the awards given each year to the best coach and top player in the college ranks.
Nate Oats, in his second year leading the Tide, has accrued a 20-6 record and the regular-season SEC Championship. He was announced Friday as a semifinalist for the Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year award.
Herbert Jones, Alabama’s undisputed leader on the court, is averaging 11 points per game while hitting 44.9% of his shots. He leads the Tide in assists and three-point shooting percentage. Per an announcement on Thursday, Jones is a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award.
The lists of semifinalists published this week consisted of 10 coaches and 10 players, respectively. The eventual winner of the national wards will be chosen from among those listed.
Jones is the only player from the Southeastern Conference to be named a semifinalist for what is college basketball’s most prestigious award.
Jones was also named a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year this week, one of only two players to make the list of Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year.
National analysts have identified Iowa’s Luke Garza as the favorite to take home the Player of the Year Award, with some mentioning Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois and Jared Butler of Baylor as contenders.
The four finalists for Player of the Year will be announced on March 19 with the winner to be made public on April 4.
Blessings 🙏🏾 https://t.co/X6R73YV7Yx
— Herbert Jones (@_hoopinglife) March 4, 2021
On the coaching side, ESPN analyst Myron Medcalf identified Oats as “on the short list for national coach of the year.”
Eric Musselman of Arkansas joined Oats as SEC coaches among the semifinalists, which include names familiar to hoops fans such as Bob Huggins of West Virginia and Juwan Howard of Michigan.
On March 17, the four finalists for the coaching award will be announced, with the winner being made public on April 4.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
