BIRMINGHAM — Don't ask Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats about the Final Four.
Entering his sixth year in Tuscaloosa, Oats said at SEC Media Day that he wants four championships: the Players Era, the SEC regular season, the SEC Tournament and the national championship.
"Those are the expectations," Oats told reporters at the Grand Bohemian Hotel.
Home in the Yellowhammer State, and the Crimson Tide looks a little more comfy than the rest despite the stage lights and swarms of reporters.
Picked by league and national media to win the SEC championship among a handful of preseason accolades just one day earlier, Oats and company better get readjusted to their celebrity, and ready to sign a lot more basketballs than Tuesday.
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Since Oats took the helm six seasons ago, Alabama has found itself tied with Kentucky for a league-best 62 wins.
Now, the Crimson Tide is looking to start its chase to tie the Wildcats — better yet, colleague Kalen DeBoer's crew — in another category:
National championships.
"We're still 18 national championships behind football," Oats quipped.
Granted, Alabama has to start with one before it hits eight or 18, Oats is chomping at the bit to make history again. He wasn't eager to get out of the press conference, running three minutes over, but it was clear that he'd rather be drawing up the plays and breaking down the "Bamalytics" that'll take the Crimson Tide to the end.
"I don't really want to talk about it that much," Oats said of last season. "We had the celebration Friday. We raised the banner; gave out the rings. The issue was eight of our 13 scholarship guys weren't here last year.
"It's kind of old news. It's great for the program, the fans and the University to be able to celebrate it, but it's got nothing to do with what we've got going on this year."
Oats preferred to talk about the new news, like Alabama's mission to get back to being a "top five" defense with new assistant coach Brian Adams, or standout freshman Labaron Philon.
"He's been really good on both sides of the ball," Oats said of the 18-year-old guard.
A homegrown guy out of Mobile, Philon brings a 6-foot-4, 177-pound frame to the floor for the Crimson Tide.
"He's pushing our veteran guards and making them better every day in practice," Oats said.
Returning veterans Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Mark Sears, who was named SEC Preseason Player of the Year on Monday, vouched for Philon to the media, billing him as one of the team's "toughest" to guard and get a shot off of.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats talks Labaron Philon at SEC media day
