Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats has been extremely active in the transfer portal over the last few years, bringing in four transfers this season and getting a ton of production from guys like Mark Sears and Noah Gurley during his tenure.
As the portal era continues to expand and coaches are becoming more reliant of it, Oats has done a phenomenal job adapting.
According to one of his top players this season, guard Aaron Estrada, Oats did not waste any time contacting him when he entered the portal this past offseason:
“I entered the portal at 12pm and [Nate Oats] called me within 30-40 seconds…”@Aaron4PF_ told us he was in class at the time but once he realized it was Oats, he “left the class and said ‘I’ll be right back I gotta use the bathroom’”.@AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/h0nzeXzM1Z
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) February 14, 2024
“I entered the portal 12:00 PM, and he called me probably within 30-40 seconds, like that minute…right after that as soon as I talked to coach Oats, I kinda just felt like he wanted me really bad. He wanted to prioritize me for his roster,” Estrada said on an appearance with NextRoundLive.
“I talked to him again later that day and he said he wanted to fly and meet me. Then two days later he flew and met me and my mom. And that’s kinda how we got the ball rolling.”
Estrada, who transferred to Alabama from Hofstra, has been one of the most important offensive players for Alabama this year. He averages nearly 13 points per game along with five rebounds and four assists.
Estrada along with Grant Nelson, Mohamed Wague, and Latrell Wrightsell have all made huge contributions this season after arriving to Alabama this offseason via the portal.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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