Nate Oats has done a tremendous job at changing the basketball culture at the university. The buzz around the program since his hiring has been similar to the Gottfried days. In between the end of Gottfried and the hiring of Oats was a pretty dark time for Tide Hoops. Trust me, we’re getting back to the old days. Grant turned the program into a disaster, Johnson fixed it somewhat but was what looked to be lost in translation from his first presser to actually implementing what he wanted to do. Oats has been true to his word saying he’s going to increase pace and make the overall product on the court more entertaining. The work Nate has done so far has been as good as he could do with the roster he has. There’s very few players that fit the mold of his offense and defense completely. Trust me when I say this, the time is coming. When Nate was hired, it was never about this year, even though a majority of the fans and students thought it would be. Next year has been the motto of Tide Hoops for years now. However, next year is really going to be something special. Watching JQ struggle having to sit out this year is going to make next year a blessing. The talent that’s on the bench due to injury and eligibility is going to make next year special. The upperclassmen we have that will be back next year is going to be special. You’re looking at JQ, JPJ, Reese, Herb, Gary, Rojas, Shack, Forbes, and Davis all next year. Not to mention Ambrose and possibly Primo coming down from Canada. I would expect at least 1 forward to transfer out, a 2nd is very possible. A name to watch out for would be Patrick Tape during the grad transfer process. Dude was a stud for 2 years in the Ivy League. The 6’10 230 forward would 100% increase the post presence for the Tide. Like the title says, Don’t Panic, next year is going to be amazing.
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