Nate Oats shares heartfelt thanks for trio of assistants after taking head coaching positions

Nate Oats is in an interesting position after all three of his Alabama assistant coaches left to become head coaches. After news broke of Antoine Pettway’s hire at Kennesaw State, Oats posted a heartfelt thanks to his now former staff.

Pettway was hired at Kennesaw State Friday, just a couple weeks after Bryan Hodgson left to become the head coach at Arkansas State. Charlie Henry also left last month to take over at Georgia Southern. That leaves three big vacancies on the Alabama bench next season, but Oats said he’ll continue cheering for his former assistants at their next stops.

“When the Tide Rises, all the boats rise!” Oats tweeted. “This is a testament to all the hard work these coaches have put in during our 4 years in Tuscaloosa! I could not be happier for @GSCoach_Charlie, @AntoinePettway & @CoachBHodgson. Looking forward to seeing what all they accomplish!”

When the Tide Rises, all the boats rise!

This is a testament to all the hard work these coaches have put in during our 4 years in Tuscaloosa! I could not be happier for @GSCoach_Charlie , @AntoinePettway & @CoachBHodgson. Looking forward to seeing what all they accomplish! pic.twitter.com/TCzLkETif1

— Nate Oats (@nate_oats) April 7, 2023

The Kennesaw State job is the first head coaching opportunity for Pettway, who starred at Alabama as a player. He was part of the Alabama staff since 2014 and became an assistant coach in 2017. Pettway played for the Crimson Tide from 2000-04, starting as a walk-on and became a starter by the 2003-04 season. That year, he averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 33 starts for the Crimson Tide.

Hodgson followed Oats to Alabama after the two worked at Buffalo together from 2015-19. Before that, he served as an assistant coach at Fredonia State from 2007-10, his alma mater Jamestown Community College from 2010-13 and at Midland from 2013-15.

Before arriving at Alabama, Henry served as the head coach of the NBA G-League’s Windy City Bulls from 2017-19 after two years on Fred Hoiberg’s bench from 2015-17. He also worked under Hoiberg at Iowa State from 2013-15 and worked as a video coordinator for the Indiana Pacers in 2012.

Now, Oats has to get to work revamping the coaching staff after a banner 2022-23 season. Alabama was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished the year with a 31-6 record. The season ended against San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen.

In addition to the departures on the coaching staff, the Crimson Tide is also preparing to lose star forward Brandon Miller to the 2023 NBA Draft. He’s seen as a potential top pick in the draft after winning National Freshman of the Year.