Alabama Basketball Assistant Takes Head Coaching Job

Nate Oats has produced several new head coaches in college basketball after taking over as the head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Last offseason, all three of Alabama's assistants took jobs elsewhere as head coaches.

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Austin Claunch is expected to take the job as the head coach of UTSA. The Roadrunners recently parted ways with eight-year head coach Steve Henson.

Claunch marks the fourth Alabama assistant to accept a head coaching job, joining Bryan Hodgson (Arkansas State), Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State), and Charlie Henry (Georgia Southern) in the Nate Oats coaching tree.

Claunch played high school basketball in Texas and was the head coach at Nicholls State before joining Oats in April 2023. Oats had high praise for Claunch when he was hired last April, "Austin is one of the hardest working guys in the business. His work as a head coach at Nicholls was unbelievable with one of the lowest budgets in the country. He has won two out of the last three regular season championships in the Southland Conference and that is a credit to his hard work and his energy. Austin has a bright young mind and will help out our program in many ways. Not only is he a tireless recruiter and will help us with game planning but he is also a great person who will develop great relationships with our players and have a positive impact in our community.”