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Report: Nate Oats, Alabama to hire Pelicans coach Ryan Pannone as top new assistant

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•04/15/23
nate oats
(Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)

Alabama coach Nate Oats is set to fill another position on his coaching staff after losing all three assistants this offseason. According to a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Oats will hire New Orleans Pelicans assistant Ryan Pannone.

Pannone has been with the Pelicans since September.

The two sides had been in discussions about the job for a few days, with Oats and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne spotted in New Orleans on Thursday.

Alabama had openings on its coaching staff after it went through the unusual occurrence of all three assistant coaches leaving for other jobs this offseason. Of the coaches who departed, Charlie Henry left for Georgia Southern, Bryan Jodgson left for Arkansas State and Antoine Pettway left for Kennesaw State.

The Crimson Tide have already hired Nicholls State head coach Austin Claunch to fill one of the holes, and now Pannone will fill another.

Ryan Pannone has been a long-time assistant in basketball at various different levels. The 2021-2022 campaign was his first in the NBA, working alongside head coach Willie Greene. New Orleans finished two games over .500 and ninth in the Western Conference but bowed out to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the play-in game.

The state of Alabama is actually somewhat familiar to Pannone, getting his coaching career underway. He served as an assistant at Wallace State CC, which is located in Hanceville, Ala — about two hours northeast of Tuscaloosa.

Pannone worked in what’s now known as the G-League with the Memphis Grizzlies organization. He even went across the Atlantic Ocean to work in Israel. Hapoel Jerusalem won the Israeli championship and made it to the Euro Cup semifinals.

Now at Alabama, Ryan Pannone will be joining a program looking to continue its positive momentum. Two SEC championships made their way back to Coleman Coliseum this past season plus a second weekend at the NCAA Tournament.

Finding a way to push into the Final Four will be the ultimate goal and grabbing somebody from the NBA ranks should fit the kind of system Oats is running.