Alabama Crimson Tide Men's Basketball at Coleman Coliseum
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide played their first organized season of men's basketball in the 1912-1913 season. Between 1912 and 2022, the Tide have won 1,769 games to only 1,088 losses. With a maximum capacity of 15,383, Coleman Coliseum has been Alabama's home since 1968, when it was originally Memorial Coliseum. As a single-level coliseum that creates a wall of noise for opponents, Coleman also hosts the Tide's women's gymnastics team.
Since their first season, Alabama has 10 Sweet Sixteen appearances and one Elite Eight appearance in 24 NCAA Tournaments. In 2023, Alabama had arguably their most prolific season in school history under superstar head coach Nate Oats. On the way to a 31-6 record, the Tide were regular season and conference tournament champions in the SEC and also the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Alabama lost in the Sweet 16 to the eventual national runner-up San Diego State University.
Alabama Crimson Tide Men's Basketball History
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team has had seven coaches with at least five years of tenure at the helm. The winningest coach in school history was Wimp Sanderson, who coached the Crimson Tide from 1980-1992. He left Alabama with a 267-119 record, including four SEC Tournament Championships, eight NCAA tournament appearances and five Sweet Sixteens. Sanderson also accumulated three SEC Coach of the Year Awards ('87,'89 and '90) and one National Coach of the Year award in 1987. He resigned from his post to become assistant commissioner of the conference and passed the reins on to David Hobbs, who had been lead assistant for seven years.
Mark Gottfried, who played under Sanderson for three years, was the only other Tide coach to accumulate 200-plus wins as head coach. Gottfried coached from 1998-2009 and is responsible for the Crimson Tide's only Elite Eight appearance in 2004. In 2019, Nate Oats was named head coach. Known for his pace and space style that features an arsenal of 3-point shots, Oats won the SEC regular-season championship in just his second season. In 2023, he led Alabama to a No.1 overall ranking on the way to the school's first 30-win season.
