Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats' biggest fear in college hoops right now

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What concerns Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats the most about the state of college athletics is what raised the eyebrows of most sports fans when the concept of rev share was introduced.

In a recent survey of the country’s top college hoops coaches by 247Sports, Oats answered the question: “What worries you most about college basketball right now?”

Some like Michigan State’s Tom Izzo lamented the lack of “camaraderie” among coaches and players. Others like Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Miami’s Jai Lucas expressed worries about the lack of stability and inconsistency in the framework required to build a roster.

Oats said he also wants answers on the gray areas of eligibility, but his greatest worry comes down to the dollar.

“Just the difference in rev share between the haves and have nots,” Oats explained. “The money, it’s getting to be a wider gap between the haves and have-nots.”

Oats was asked about his stance on Class of 2022 student-athletes gaining an extra-year of eligibility after a federal court ruling in Colorado on Friday, July 31, in another 247Sports article and said “… our money’s gone, so I’m not really going to do anything.”

In January, The Tuscaloosa News reported that the University of Alabama‘s revenue share contribution to men’s basketball totals out to approximately $2.9 million, or 14% of the $20.5 million required to be paid to student-athletes as part of the House v. NCAA lawsuit settlement.

“It’ll sort itself out eventually, but there’s definitely a big gap, even within conferences,” Oats said. “That’s probably the biggest thing. and then figuring out who’s eligible and who’s not and actually getting a real answer on who’s going to be able to play. Especially with the fifth-year thing, the foreign kids, the Euro League. We don’t have a great answer on who’s actually eligible to play college basketball.”

Alabama basketball’s season officially begins on Tuesday, Nov. 3 against Sam Houston.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.