Believe it or not, Alabama football‘s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack and basketball coach Nate Oats have known each other prior to their time at the Capstone.
Wommack joined Kalen DeBoer’s coaching staff at Alabama earlier this year in January but said on Wednesday he has known Oats for a few years, dating back to his time coaching at Indiana under Tom Allen.
Oats went to the same college as Allen, Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsion, which is how the two know one another. Wommack was the defensive coordinator at Indiana for two years under Allen. DeBoer also worked under Allen at Indiana, alongside Wommack, as the offensive coordinator in 2019.
“I got to know coach Oats a few years ago,” Wommack said. “… I made that connection years ago. I’ve always been impressed with him, I love the way he carries himself, the way he leads his team.”
Now, Oats is leading the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four in program history on Saturday against No. 1 seed and defending NCAA tournament champions UConn. Alabama is coming off an 89-82 victory over Clemson in the Elite 8, while the Huskies are coming off a 77-52 win over Illinois.
Getting to watch Oats and what his team has done this season, Wommack said, is special.
“It is fun to watch people that do things at a really high level, and do things the right way, have success,” Wommack said. “To see coach Oats and what that team has done and how hard they have worked. You see a bunch of guys that are seniors now that have worked a long time to get to this point to be rewarded on the back end of their career is really special.”
Alabama football is in the midst of spring practice, holding its first scrimmage last Thursday in preparation for A-Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium on April 13.
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Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama softball and football recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2
