Alabama Basketball Welcomes Return of Elite Alums Against Aggies

Nate Oats is excited to see his former assistant coach and honor one of the Tide's best teams.

The No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program has won 11 of its last 13 games and currently finds itself in first place in the Southeastern Conference standings with just weeks remaining on the schedule. 

For Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats it marks his third year competing for the conference championship in just his fifth year in charge of the program. With a a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament-bid basically secured, four conference titles won and a top-10 recruiting class on the way, its safe to say the Alabama basketball program is at an all-time high. 

Oats has built the Crimson Tide into one of the nation's most competitive programs but he knows it's just the next chapter in Alabama basketball's storied history book. 

The Tide will welcome the Texas A&M Aggies for the first of Alabama's final three Saturday home games of the year this weekend, with eyes on Oats's third SEC regular season title. But while Alabama takes on their conference-foe they'll also be celebrating the 2004 Crimson Tide basketball program. 

It's the 20-year anniversary since Alabama made its deepest run the NCAA Tournament. Former head coach Mark Gottfried led the Tide to a mediocre 20-13 record, finishing third in the SEC West, but earning a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Tide defeated Southern Illinois, top-seeded Stanford and then Syracuse in the Sweet 16 to advance to the program's first Elite 8. Alabama lost to eventual NCAA champion UConn in the Phoenix Regional Final to end it's tournament run, but they'll be honored once more for their efforts on Saturday. 

"Yeah, it'll be super cool. That team that [Antoine] Pettway was on that went to the Elite 8's coming back. They're going to honor them during the game tomorrow. They've got great tradition around here. They've won a lot of games. Depending on what stats you're looking at we're either the second or third best basketball program in the history of the SEC based on winning percentage, wins, total wins and all that. It's nice to honor the past. The teams that won a lot of the games before I was able to get here," said Oats on the Saturday festivities. "So to see those guys and to have Pettway come back - hopefully can get a win tonight and be on a two-game winning streak coming in here. Then, the uniforms look great. It's kind of nice to have an alternative uniform to play in. I think the guys are excited about them. It's not going to have anything to do with whether we win or lose the game, but it is nice to honor some teams that have won here in the past."

Alabama is debuting new uniforms with throwback elements on Saturday to honor the past as the old-school "Block A" logo will be prominently featured on the shorts. The Tide will welcome Gottfried as well as stars Kennedy Winston, Earnest Shelton and current Kennesaw State head coach Antoine Pettway. The group will be presented to the crowd in a halftime ceremony. 

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