Alabama’s Nate Oats gets 3-year extension, big raise

<p>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. &mdash; </p>
<p>Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats has received a three-year contract extension and a hefty raise amid the program’s best season in years.</p>
<p>Athletic director Greg Byrne announced the new deal Thursday. It will run through March 14, 2027 and pay Oats $3,225,000 annually, up from $2.45 million in his previous five-deal reached in March 2019.</p>
<p>The Crimson Tide is ranked eighth nationally and has a sizable lead in the Southeastern Conference entering the stretch run of the regular season. It’s the highest ranking for Alabama since the 2006-07 season.</p>
<p>“We feel like we have a lot of positive momentum going with our team and have the program headed in the right direction,” Oats said in a statement. “Our administration is making a major statement with this extension as we all work on building a successful program for the long term. </p>
<p>“I know the winning history we’ve had with Alabama basketball, and I feel like we can add to that and accomplish great things here.”</p>
<p>Alabama hasn’t been ranked in the Top 10 in mid-February since 2002. The Tide is widely projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which would match its highest in program history.</p>
<p>Alabama, which hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday, is two wins from clinching the program’s first regular-season SEC title in 19 years.</p>
<p>Oats has a 33-20 record in his first two seasons after leaving Buffalo for the Tide.</p>
<p>He led Buffalo to three NCAA Tournament appearances in four seasons from 2015-19.</p>
<p>“We had great expectations when we hired Coach Oats,” Byrne said. “He has exceeded those expectations, and we want to ensure he is compensated among the top half of the SEC. </p>
<p>“We have put buyout measures in place that show the long-term commitment between both parties.” </p>
<p>Alabama didn’t release details of the buyout. The contract is pending formal approval by the Board of Trustees.</p>
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<p>More AP college basketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>