PHOENIX, Ariz. — Talk is cheap. It costs money to buy whiskey.
My father, Chuck, didn't invent that word, but he likes to use it. He doesn't even drink much whiskey, but he has passed down words of wisdom to my sisters and me over the years. He thought there was something we could learn from it.
What about take-home? You don't need many words. The action will be so. Saying you're going to do something is easier than actually doing it.
Nate Oats demonstrated the easy and hard parts of that phrase through a process that ended this week with him reaffirming his commitment to Alabama basketball. Coach John Calipari was reported to be leaving for Arkansas, and rumors of a coaching search were almost immediately linked to the Kentucky opener given Oats' success in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
And on Monday night, Oates said something. He released his statement on his own social media, reaffirming that he will remain with the Crimson Tide.
“I am fully committed to this team and this university,” Oats wrote. “We have already accomplished some great things here, and there is nothing I want more than for the University of Alabama to win its first national championship in men's basketball. Despite rumors to the contrary, I believe everyone Rest assured that we will continue to pursue that as our goal.'' Head Coach. Roll tide! ”
This statement was the easy part. That's the same thing he's been saying all along. That was the word. But before he could utter those words, Oates had already overcome the difficult parts of his father's frequent phrases. Before Oats spoke publicly about his commitment to the Crimson Tide, he showed it by privately deciding to stay in Tuscaloosa with Kentucky's season opener looming.
In doing so, Oats demonstrated his loyalty to Alabama in the clearest way yet.
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It's one thing to sign a contract extension, it's another thing to say you don't want to leave, it's another thing to say you love where you are. Not pursuing the chance to coach one of basketball's bluest bloodlines, which could command the highest pay if given enough resources, would prove otherwise. That's always been a concern about Oats' long-term, and frankly short-term, future with the Crimson Tide. If given the chance, he would leave to follow the blue blood of college basketball.
But with Kentucky open, Oats will remain at Alabama.
He didn't even use it as a contract leverage play. My understanding is that there were no adjustments to Oats' contract prior to his statement on Monday. He wanted to stay at Alabama. Simple like that.
“My family and I have said from day one that we love this community, the city of Tuscaloosa, and this university,” Oates said in a statement upon signing his extension in March, making him a public servant. He became one of the four highest paid people in the industry. Men's basketball coach at a domestic school.
Looking at the mechanics of his contract extension, there was already evidence of serious commitment before this week. He was willing to agree to an astronomical $18 million buyout through March 31, 2026, as the University of Alabama promised a fully guaranteed contract and a raise. It has already indicated he wants to be in Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future, and Alabama wanted the same.
And this week, all parties took another step forward.
This acquisition will likely stop most programs from pursuing Oats, but Kentucky is a select few with deep enough basketball pockets to not be able to stop pursuing Oats if they really wanted him. It's one of the teams. The buyout would have been a deterrent, but not prohibitive for a program like Kentucky's.
So Oats took that effort to the next level, just like he did at Alabama. While Oats proved that by continuing to coach the Crimson Tide, UA worked behind the scenes Monday to show support for Oats and basketball. Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne mentioned his support for Oats in a statement released shortly after Oats.
“Nate and I regularly discuss program priorities, and NIL is at the forefront of our team's day-to-day development space as well.” Byrne wrote as part of a statement:“We are taking steps to address this.”
Alabama is taking such steps with Oats as its coach because he wants to be here for the foreseeable future. It's not a cheap story.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, covering Alabama football and men's basketball. Contact us at nkelly@gannett.com or follow us @_Nick Kelly on the social media app X, formerly known as Twitter..