After Alabama Basketball’s 117-95 loss to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, coach Nate Oats of Alabama Basketball employed what some may consider an audacious strategy.
Oats utilized some public message during the press conference following the game to criticize his team’s poor defensive performance in the humiliating defeat.
In support of Oats, I would argue that a team should use all necessary discipline and/or motivation when they give up 117 points on more than 63 percent shooting. Furthermore, Oats said nothing offensive or erroneous; instead, he merely reiterated what was abundantly clear throughout the game—that Alabama lacks a guard.
Later, Coach Oats expressed his embarrassment at the performance and threw down the gauntlet to his players superior.
This is not the first time we have witnessed a coach use this strategy, and it has worked in the past in various situations.
Coach Rick Pitino of St. John’s and Hall of Famer made a much more pointed and even rude criticism of his own squad just last week. Pitino later issued an apology, but it seems his team was not taken aback by his remarks. Since Pitino’s outburst, St. John’s has gone 2-0, including an upset of Creighton in the Red Storm’s season-defining victory.
Coach Nick Saban, another well-known figure to Alabama supporters, has regularly employed a variation of this tactic. Although Saban has always shown his athletes respect and protection, he did notturn down a chance to use the media to communicate with his troops. Team members consistently showed increased effort and focus as a result of Coach Saban’s messaging.
On Wednesday night, Alabama Basketball will have an opportunity to address Coach Oats’ remarks through their performance. In order to maintain their chances of winning the SEC, the Crimson Tide must defeat Ole Miss in Oxford.
The team’s defense in this game should be interesting to see, and I predict that their general level of enthusiasm will be among the highest of the season.