Team USA basketball announced the coaching staff for their U18 national team on Monday, and one of the names was current Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats. Oats will serve under head coach Anthony Grant who is the current head coach at Dayton. They will also be joined by Matt Langel, the head coach at Colgate.
This will be Nate Oats’ Team USA basketball debut as a coach, and the team’s first event is in June during the 2026 FIBA U18 AmeriCup. The player roster for their U18 has yet to be announced.
In the meantime, Oats will continue his goal of leading the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament. This is Oats’ seventh season at the helm as Alabama head coach, and he currently holds the program record for most NCAA Tournament wins at 11.
Oats first took over the program ahead of the 2019-20 season. The NCAA Tournament was cancelled that year amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The Crimson Tide went 16-15 overall, and 8-10 in SEC play in his first year.
Since then, Oats has compiled an overall record of 165-70, counting this year. He has five NCAA Tournament appearances under his belt, including four Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, and one Final Four.
Prior to Alabama, Oats got his first head coaching job at Buffalo in 2015. During four seasons with the Bulls, he led them to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
This season, Alabama is 20-7 overall, and 10-4 in SEC play. They are two games back of the 12-2 Florida Gators for the top spot in the conference standings.
Oats has been embroiled in a bit of controversy this season after welcoming Charles Bediako back on the team following a county judge granting him temporary eligibility. Bediako played for Oats from 2021-2023 before declaring for the NBA Draft. He attempted to return to college basketball after playing professionally, and was successful until another county judge recently denied his request.
