Who is Joining Nate Oats for SEC Basketball Media Day?

As the college basketball season looms, Alabama head coach Nate Oats alongside two Crimson Tide players will represent the team on Oct. 15.

Oct 18, 2023; Brimingham, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats talks with the media during the SEC Basketball Tipoff at Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

As the men's college basketball season looms, the annual SEC Media Day event will be on Oct. 15 at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook, Ala.

It was announced on Tuesday morning that the Alabama men's basketball team will be represented by head coach Nate Oats and Crimson Tide guards Mark Sears and Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who will be previewing the rest of the roster and the upcoming season. These three will speak to the media from 12:30-2:35 p.m. CT

Sears was named a First Team All-SEC member and Consensus Second Team All-American last season. Wrightsell battled through injuries during his first season at Alabama after three years at Cal State Fullerton, but he has high expectations to shine this season.

The SEC is coming off of a stellar season as five members of the esteemed conference landed spots in the final AP Top 25 Poll. Additionally, the SEC tied with the Big 12 for the most bids (8) in the NCAA Tournament, but none of them went further in the tournament than the Alabama Crimson Tide.

If someone said one year ago that the Alabama men's basketball program would finish the season at a higher spot in the AP Poll than the Crimson Tide football program (in its respective AP Poll), most would call that person crazy.

Alabama football still shined as it made the College Football Playoff for the eighth time in 10 seasons, while also finishing with a stellar No. 5 spot in the AP Poll. But Alabama's basketball program finished at No. 3 in its respective AP Poll after a 25-12 season that concluded with its first NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance in school history.

After an extraordinary season for Alabama, it's safe to say that countless microphones and cameras will be on the team whose home arena of Coleman Coliseum is less than an hour away from the venue.

A strong argument can be made that this is the most anticipated season in the history of Tide Hoops. Head coach Nate Oats and his staff, several returning players, including First Team All-SEC point guard Mark Sears, multiple experienced transfers and highly touted incoming freshmen all give Alabama realistic expectations to get two more wins than last season's NCAA Tournament to claim the school's first-ever National Title.