What Nate Oats Said at SEC Media Days, Part 1

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats spoke to the media Wednesday in Mountain Brook, Ala at SEC Media Days. Here are some highlights of that chat.

On defense and injuries

"[Center] Mohamed Wague... hasn't been healthy. Came with an injury from West Virginia, so we haven't been able to have him out there in live drills yet. He's about there to get him out there live. I think he can do some of that [rim protection after losing Charles Bediako].

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"Between the two of those [Nick Pringle and Wague] would be our best two options to provide some real presence at the rim like Charles had. We may have to do things a little bit differently. Maybe not quite send everything down to the rim like we were able to do last year. Maybe play a little bit more like we did three years ago when we were also third in the country in defense.

"We're experimenting with some stuff. We have a good staff. We're trying to figure it out. We do need to figure it out if we plan on winning at the level we want because when our defense has been good, that's when we've been able to win at that level.

"We've definitely got to get healthy. We had both Mohameds, Wague and Dioubate. Both required procedures once they got to campus with previous injuries that we weren't aware of.

"Dioubate has been able to participate in some live things in practice. He's still not going up and down live scrimmage. But he's close. He had a knee issue. Wague had an issue with his foot. He's still not doing anything live.

"The both of them are on pace to be able to play in game one. Both of them, the time frame was to get them healthy just in time for game one. We think they'll both be there for game one.

"Everybody else we should have by game one. Everything else is minor, an ankle tweak, a groin pull, a hip flexor. I can't go through it. We've had a lot of different just minor injuries. Everybody is not going to be available for our closed scrimmage and our exhibition game. We do think everybody should be available by game one, though.

[Transfer guard Latrell Wrightsell]; he's been one that has been in and out here and there. He's had different things. He's practicing now. He's a guy that plays so hard and so physically. He's a tough, physical guard. He doesn't shy away from anything. He kind of puts himself in there to get some nicks and bruises here and there. For people who watched practice, he may not have been practicing that particular day. He's had I think three different injuries that have kept him out of various times since he's been here.

"[Wrightsell's] practicing. He practiced today. Yeah, he should be available. Got a closed scrimmage. Should be available for that. Hopefully he'll be available for the exhibition against Wake Forest."

We'll have more from Oats later this week.

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