Back to the Alabama Crimson Tide Newsfeed

Nate Oats believes he struck gold with another Alabama freshman like Labaron Philon

Related Topics: Nate Oats

Labaron Philon immediately outperformed his recruiting ranking with Alabama a year ago. Nate Oats believes he has another freshman who is going to do the same this year.

Nick Cammett/GettyImages

Nate Oats has proven himself as one of the nation's top recruiters. He has routinely landed elite players for Alabama basketball every recruiting cycle. But Oats' greatest strength isn't the 5-stars he's brought in; it's his ability to evaluate those ranked lower who consistently outperform their ranking.

Guys like Noah Clowney, who wasn't on NBA Draft radars when he arrived at Alabama, but ended up being a one-and-done with the Crimson Tide before being drafted by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA Draft.