University of Alabama hires Buffalo’s Nate Oats as men’s hoops coach

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March 28, 2019

Alabama has hired Nate Oats, who led Buffalo to three NCAA Tournaments in four seasons, as its new men’s basketball coach.

Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne announced the hiring Wednesday, three days after parting ways with Avery Johnson.

Oats was the Mid-American Conference coach of the year each of the past two seasons.

He went 96-43 with the Bulls and won three MAC Tournament championships.

Buffalo won first-round games in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments. The Bulls are coming off a 32-4 season that included repeat MAC regular season and tournament championships.

Buffalo also spent 20 weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 for the program’s first national ranking.

Johnson, a former NBA head coach and player, went 75-62 in four seasons with one NCAA Tournament berth.

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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