How Nate Oats' Former Assistants Have Performed as Head Coaches: Just a Minute

Nate Oats has had massive success as Alabama's head basketball coach over the last several years.

He has acquired the Crimson Tide's most NCAA Tournament wins and victories over AP Top 25 opponents and has led Alabama to its first-ever Final Four appearance. Oats has also reached the second weekend of March Madness for four consecutive seasons.

Nevertheless, the 51-year-old has had a lot of help from his coaching staff over the years to help achieve these accolades. Lead assistant Preston Murphy has been with Oats since 2023, but there have been five former assistants who left the Crimson Tide to become head coaches.

Oats has faced three of them, including Bryan Hodgson twice, and holds a 4-0 record against his former assistants. Here's a look at how each of them have performed as head coaches.

Bryan Hodgson

Hodgson was hired as Providence's head coach during the offseason after spending a year at South Florida. He led the Bulls to a 25-9 record, including a 15-3 clip against the American Conference. USF won the conference tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011-12. Hodgson and company were the No. 11 seed in the East Region before falling to 6-seed Louisville 83-79 in the first round.

Hodgson was an assistant under Oats at Buffalo (2015-19) and UA (2019-23), as his first head coaching job was at Arkansas State from 2023-25. The Red Wolves had won at least 20 games just once in a season this century before Hodgson arrived, but he accomplished this feat in both of his years there.

Antoine Pettway

Pettway's first and current head coaching job at Kennesaw State started before the 2023-24 season. The Owls finished last season 21-14, including a 10-10 record in Conference USA play. More importantly, Kennesaw State won the CUSA Conference Tournament, which propelled it to its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Owls were the No. 14 seed in the West Region, and their season ended at the hands of 3-seed Gonzaga, 73-64.

Pettway was an assistant at Alabama from 2008 to the 2022-23 season, which included four years under Oats. Pettway also played at UA from 2000-01 to 2003-04. It was announced on Wednesday that Pettway and the Owls will travel to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 17, marking the second time he will go head-to-head with Oats.

Austin Claunch

UTSA's first year under Claunch was far from perfect as the Roadrunners went 12-19 (6-12 AAC) in 2024-25. Year 2 was even worse, as after an intriguing 4-4 start, the Roadrunners lost to Alabama and proceeded to win just one more game the rest of the season.

Claunch was an assistant under Oats in 2023-24 and helped lead the Crimson Tide during its historic Final Four run. Before his time at Alabama and UTSA, Claunch served as Nicholls State's head coach from 2018-23, where he logged a total record of 90-61, including two years of claiming the top record in the Southland Conference.

Charlie Henry

Henry has been Georgia Southern's head coach for the last three seasons and has shown steady progress. He went from 9-24 to 17-16 to 21-16 in 2025-26. It's his second head coaching stint, as he held the title for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago's G League affiliate.

Henry was an assistant under Oats from 2019-23, as he helped lay the foundation for what Alabama's basketball program has become. But his time with Oats was much earlier, as Henry served as his assistant at Romulus High School in 2009-10.

Ryan Pannone

The Arkansas State head coach is the most recent of the five to leave Alabama, as he filled Hodgson's role after taking the South Florida job. Pannone continued the Red Wolves' streak of 20-plus wins last season, with Arkansas State going 20-12.

Alabama led the country in points per game during both years of Pannone's tenure. The Tide also had the most possessions per game in 2024-25, giving it the title of the fastest-paced program in college basketball. Pannone's first season at UA was the Final Four campaign.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google