Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats joined The Gary Harris Show this morning to talk about the recruiting class he signed, how he's dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and to look ahead to next season. You can listen to the entire interview on the Tide 100.9 Youtube page.

Coach Oats talked about how he's been dealing with the quarantine situation was appreciative of living in the south because it gave him an opportunity to still be active outdoors to pass the time. Thankfully the recent storm that passed through Tuscaloosa missed his property and his family escaped damage.

Oats revealed that he and his staff have been using Zoom meetings once a week with his team to stay in touch with his players. The NCAA prohibits him from requiring workouts so most of his communication has been encouragement and the recent Michael Jordan documentary, "The Last Dance."

Oats said now is a very important time for Alabama and for programs everywhere as the players have to be self sufficient. He said this period could result in his team pulling ahead of other programs or falling way behind. He said the lock-down can be used as an excuse to curtail the work ethic or as a chance to ramp it up and improve.

Oats disclosed he feels strongly that junior Herb Jones will return to the Capstone for his senior year but he said he does not have a good reading on if John Petty Jr. will stay in the draft or return to school. He said not knowing the NBA draft order complicates Petty's decision even further.

The Alabama program reeled in the 16th ranked recruiting class in the nation, coach Oats said he was very pleased with that recruiting period and the type of players they were able to add to the program. He said he feels the Crimson Tide pulled in the best graduate-transfer player available in the country in Jordan Bruner.

Make sure you check out the entire interview on Soundcloud or Youtube. You can tune into The Gary Harris Show each week from 9-11 a.m. on Tide 100.9 FM or stream it on the free Tide100APP.

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