“They Shouldn’t Be Asking that Now”: Alabama Coach Nate Oats Dismisses “Who’s Grant Nelson” Question with Pride

Published 03/29/2024, 6:29 AM EDT

March 28th turned out to be a historic day in Alabama’s history. The Crimson Tide were able to hold off the No.1 North Carolina 89-87 in a thrilling regional semi-final game to advance into the Elite Eight for only the second time ever. A tremendous second-half fightback after trailing by 8 points in the first half had numerous talking points. Amidst them is the game-winning performance put up by their senior forward, Grant Nelson. Following this, proud head coach Nate Oats reflected on his superstar’s performance.

In the team’s post-game media address, he said, “They shouldn’t be asking who is Grant Nelson anymore. Maybe in the middle of the game. But I don’t think they should be asking who is he anymore.” This was after a reporter pointed out that a lot of people had been asking, “Who is Grant Nelson?”

The 22-year-old outshined and outperformed big North Carolina names like RJ Davis and Harrison Ingram and ended up bagging the best numbers for the night. His tremendous double-double, which included 24 points and 12 rebounds, proved to be one of the deciding factors in Alabama’s close win. Oats further added, “We’ve been in one Elite Eight in the history of Alabama basketball. This dude showed up tonight in a big way against one of the best bigs in the country.”

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Consequently, this performance speaks volumes not only from the team’s perspective but also for his own personal growth.

How did Grant Nelson turn the tables in his favor?

Coming into the contest, the 6 ft 11 in athlete was going through a tough phase. Nelson could only register three points each in the first two games. In addition to this, he was having a horrid time shooting with a combined 1-of-7 efficiency from the field. But tonight, not only did he score 12 of the final 14 Alabama points, but he was also 6-of-9 from the field.

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Oats pointed this out and said, “I was very proud of him. Like he said, he was struggling first two games. To see him carry us to get this win, it was very amazing because, at the end of the day, all I care about is winning. I don’t care about points or all the accolades. At this time of the season, it’s all about winning.”

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As it turns out, it was his late surge that ended up being the difference between both teams at the sold-out Crypto.com Arena. They now have a great chance to go one step further than their previous best campaign. Will they be able to pull off another magical night? Only time will tell.

Dominating With 47 Points, Aaron Estrada and Grant Nelson Extend Alabama’s Perfect Start

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Written by:

Shahryar Fazal is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports. His specialisation lies in his scrupulous Live Coverage of the events like NCAA and WNBA tournaments. A former sportsman himself, Shahryar used to contribute stories for publishing houses like TOI before taking up American sports as his field of interest.

Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

“They Shouldn’t Be Asking that Now”: Alabama Coach Nate Oats Dismisses “Who’s Grant Nelson” Question with Pride

How did Grant Nelson turn the tables in his favor?

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