Nate Oats Credits Work Ethic, Dedication in Kira Lewis Jr. as Key Factors in NBA Draft
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Last night, Alabama men’s basketball made history with guard Kira Lewis, Jr. going at No. 13 overall to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Just two years ago in 2018, guard Collin Sexton also went as a lotter pick in the NBA draft, going No. 8 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For the Crimson Tide, that’s now two lottery draft picks on three seasons. While that might not be news to larger, more established programs like Duke or North Carolina, it means a lot to the continually up-and-coming program that coach Nate Oats is building on the court of Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
On Thursday afternoon, the day after Lewis’ draft, Oats spoke the media and relayed his thoughts on Lewis being drafted by the Pelicans.
“I thought it was a great day for Alabama basketball last night,” Oats said. “Kira going in the lottery is huge for Kira. We want our players to end up with the best situation they possibly can so we were pulling for him to go as high as he could go. I think he’s in a great situation down in New Orleans. Just to see how fired up his family were at their draft party last night was special.
Lewis, a product of Hazel Green High School in Madison, Ala. had a long ladder to climb. According to recent interviews with Lewis, playing in the NBA has been a dream of his for his entire life.
Oats said that soon after he took the job as the new head coach of Alabama last spring, it was very quickly apparent that Lewis was willing to put in the work to make it to the next level.
“As you got to know him throughout the course of the year he was a lot more of a competitor than maybe what you’d guess being how quiet he is,” Oats said. “I thought he competed pretty hard. I think you just kind of learned his work ethic and desire to make it to the NBA. I mean he really was all about becoming a pro the entire year we had him. He was in the gym on his own all the time, studying video all the time, he’d ask you questions. He wants to be great. He wants to be good.
"So his work ethic, his competitive nature, his ability to really hone in on everything it took to be a pro was pretty remarkable over the last year that you got to know him better.”
While work ethic and natural athletic ability are keys for athletes to make it to the pros, the constant desire for self-improvement and determination through learning plays and film study are equally as important.
For Lewis, these things just came as second-nature through conditioning himself to become the best player that he could possibly be.
On Wednesday night following him being picked No. 13 overall, Lewis said that to him, not going to the NBA was never an option.
“I had one dream, and that was to make it to the NBA,” Lewis said. “I never had a Plan B, never had a backup profession I wanted to do. It was always get to the NBA. I just know if I work hard, keep nose clean and stay focused, one of these days it was gonna happen. I’m glad it happened today.”
Lewis shows that almost anyone from almost anywhere can achieve their goals if they are willing to put in the time and work. While many achieve their goals of making it to the professional level of sports, many more fall by the wayside through lack of determination or failure to take advantage of opportunities presented to them.
For Lewis, he made the most of his abilities at a small high school in Madison County, Ala. From there, he stuck it out with Oats and withdrew his name from the NCAA transfer portal. He believed in himself and his program, and worked incredibly hard the entire way.
For Oats, Lewis is a prime example of just how far hard work can take you.
“It shows you what hard work will do for you,” Oats said. “I think he’s one of the hardest-working kids I’ve been around with all the amount of time he’s spent in the gym over the last year that we had him. All that hard work payed off and you kinda saw how emotional he got after the cameras were off. It was huge. It was great. [I] kinda get goosebumps just thinking about it.
"He’s that kid that’s had that lifelong dream of making it to the NBA and he finally made it so really happy for him.”
