John Calipari leaving: 5 Kentucky MBB head coach candidates
Nate Oats
A familiar name for Kentucky fans, Oats has done wonders over his five seasons as head coach of fellow SEC program Alabama. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Oats has led the Crimson Tide to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two regular season SEC championships, two SEC Tournament championships, two Sweet 16 finishes and a Final Four finish this past season. His 213-97 career record as head coach at both Alabama and Buffalo reflects that Oats is a proven winner no matter where he goes. Oats has shown he can both recruit and win in the SEC so a transition to Kentucky wouldn鈥檛 be a difficult one and the coach could perhaps take the team back to glory after doing more with less leading the Crimson Tide.
The biggest question surrounding Oats is his $18 million buyout which would be a massive hit for the Wildcats to pay. However, if the Kentucky administration adamantly feels that Oats is their guy, they would likely be more than willing to pay the steep price to set the program up for greater future success.
