Nate Oats will be able to put all of his focus into Alabama basketball‘s gameplan during this year’s March Madness run thanks to a recent decision by the NCAA.
On Wednesday, January 14, the NCAA announced that men’s and women’s basketball players would not be able to enter the transfer portal until one day after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. The change was made effective immediately.
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Oats chimed in with his opinion on Friday, January 16 ahead of Alabama‘s weekend road trip to Oklahoma, saying he thought it was “the right move.”
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“Kind of gave my two cents on it when they had the NABC meeting last spring,” Oats continued. “Even at the SEC head coaches meetings, coaches were talking about it’s not great having to prepare for your NCAA Tournament games … You know, you make it to the second weekend. You’re prepping for your Sweet 16, Elite Eight and having to do recruiting zooms the whole time. That’s not ideal.”
The NCAA also announced that the portal will be open for no more than 15 days from its onset, which is the shortest entry window yet. The window for the 2024-25 season ran for 30 days. Upon entering the portal, players have no deadline to commit.
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Oats felt certain that “plenty” of players will still be competing in March knowing that they will hit the portal. The portal window shifting can alter the stakes, though, whether allowing teams more focus for a better run and, in turn, a better campaign for prospects, or giving staffs additional time to be dedicated to not just retaining a roster and building one.
“But the fact that you can’t actively recruit them until after the season is over will be great, and you just focus on winning games, which is what you should be focused on while the season is going on,” Oats said.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats gives take on new transfer portal window
