Nate Oats apologizes for holding up press conference, reveals reason

Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide have been in desperate need of a turnaround on the hardwood, but on Tuesday night, the worst possible outcome became reality.

After losing their last eight games and entering the SEC contest seeking their first conference win, the Georgia Bulldogs entered Tuesday’s rivalry matchup as a 14-point underdog. When the final buzzer rang, Georgia stunned the Tide, earning their first SEC win of the year with a 82-76 victory.

Nate Oats has been vocal about righting this ship, but as the media waited to interview the Alabama Crimson Tide front man, he was late. Very late.

Mike Rodak covers Alabama and provided insight into why the Tide coach was late to the press conference.

Oats apologized after spending almost an hour postgame in the locker room before talking to reporters.

“I think we’ve had some heartfelt conversations in the locker room. I think some guys know that stuff needs to be changed." https://t.co/RrJwajpPSg

— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) January 26, 2022

It’s more than obvious Nate Oats fully understands the narrative and production must change in a hurry. This has become a major theme surrounding the program over the last month.

“We’re never gonna stop coaching, stop trying to fix what’s wrong. We’re gonna try to get the right guys on the floor, get them to play the right way. We’ve shown the ability of this team,” Oats said after the loss. “We’ve shown the capability of this team early in Dec. We just haven’t played well in Jan.”

How can Nate Oats and the Tide turn around the season?

Last week, after his team began to sputter, Oats was forced with the question many have been asking around Tuscaloosa. How will his team turn the season around?

Alabama basketball hit a rough patch in its season, losing three straight and five of eight since winning back-to-back games against Gonzaga and Houston.

And that was nearly a week ago. Now, the Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off their roughest loss of the year against UGA.

While the 81-77 loss against Auburn leaves nothing to be ashamed of given their form, losses against Missouri and Mississippi State on the road set back the Crimson Tide from reaching their goal of a deep NCAA Tournament run.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have one of the most up-and-down resumes in college basketball, boasting wins over Gonzaga, Houston, Miami and Tennessee and losses against Iona, Davidson and Missouri.

Head coach Nate Oats has spent the last four days regrouping with his veteran Alabama squad, trying to right the ship before No. 13 LSU arrives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Wednesday night. He spoke about the key to getting the team back on track during a post-practice press conference.

“We beat Gonzaga, pretty much on the road, we had Auburn on the ropes,” said Oats, via AL.com’s Mike Rodak. “Had a shot there with a minute to go that would have put us up. We’re right in there. We just got to clean some stuff up. We got to bring an effort that demands a victory every night out for 40.”

Alabama’s recent success has centered on a “blue-collar” approach and the analytics of three-point shots and layups. The departure of veteran leader and defensive star Herbert Jones left a gap in Alabama’s armor which must be replaced before March.

For Alabama Crimson Tide fans, the hope is there is a major turnaround on the way. It all starts with Nate Oats.