Skip to main content
alabama logo

Alabama's practice runs long as Nate Oats looks to avoid Ole Miss repeat

1918632_10206777287683070_1367905321192383146_nby:Charlie Potter•about 10 hours•

Charlie_Potter

Alabama coach Nate Oats
Alabama coach Nate Oats (Will McLelland / USA TODAY Sports)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Monday’s practice ran longer than expected. Nate Oats apologized for the late arrival to his press conference with reporters, his voice raspy from the workout.

But after last week’s midweek loss, Oats wanted to ensure Alabama was well-prepared.

“Trying to make sure they didn’t have a repeat of last week,” Oats said.

“So we’re gonna do it over again until we get it right. It took a few drills, a few minutes longer than we planned because I told them last week, on my end, I’m gonna hold them a little bit more accountable, and I think they’re seeing that I’m serious about it.

“I thought the defensive effort in practice picked up because we’re not having a repeat of what we had last week. I think you’ll see a lot better effort out of the group starting the game out.”

Last week was a rollercoaster for the Alabama men’s basketball team.

The Crimson dropped a home game to then-No. 21 Ole Miss, 74-64, on Tuesday but bounced back to beat then-No. 8 Kentucky, 102-97, in Lexington on Saturday afternoon. The win erased the sting of the loss, and Alabama maintained its spot at No. 4 in the AP Poll.

After the game at Rupp Arena, Oats said it is important for the Tide to “make sure this is not a one-game deal.” But the head coach wasn’t pleased with how Monday’s practice began.

“The start of it wasn’t great,” Oats said. “We got it right. We got it right pretty quick. I’d personally like to see them start it off great on their own. But like I told them before, if they can’t do that, I’m not gonna let it be a bad practice.

“It turned out to be a great practice. It just took a little longer than it should have.”

As Alabama prepares for a home game against Vanderbilt, Oats harped on three areas that are important for the Crimson Tide as it looks to build off of Saturday’s impressive showing.

“We need some leadership on the team to make sure that everybody’s locked in and playing hard,” Oats said. “We need some accountability when you’re not. And then develop the right habits in practice. Today, we practiced a little longer than I planned because we had to get it right. That’s why we were a little late. I apologize.”

Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC) will welcome the Commodores (15-3, 3-2) to Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday, January, 21 at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Vanderbilt is coming off a home win over then-No. 6 Tennessee, so getting the Tide players to focus shouldn’t be difficult.

“This is a very good Vanderbilt team as evidenced by the weekend game against Tennessee,” Oats said. “Tennessee’s a really good program. They play hard. They’re tough. And they got a good win. I would think that we’ve got our guys’ attention.

“I believe they’re No. 1 in the country in points per game off turnovers. So a huge game for us in taking care of the ball, not giving them points off turnovers.”

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $11.99! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!

You may also like