Former coaches with at least five years with the Crimson Tide include the following:
Hank Crisp (1923–1942, 1945–1946),
Hayden Riley (1960–1968),
C. M. Newton (1968–1980),
Wimp Sanderson (1980–1992) – Alabama's winningest coach (.692),
David Hobbs (1992–1998),
Mark Gottfried (1998–2009), and
Anthony Grant (2009–2015). Other coaches include
John Dee,
D.V. Graves,
Floyd Burdette, and
Charles A. Bernier. In 12 seasons at Alabama, Newton led the Tide to a record of 211–123. The Crimson Tide won three straight SEC titles under Newton (1974, 1975, and 1976), the only program besides Kentucky to accomplish this feat. Just as he did at Transylvania, Newton recruited Alabama's first black player,
Wendell Hudson, in 1969, integrating his second team in as many coaching stops.
Wimp Sanderson Newton resigned as head coach after the 1980–81 season to become assistant commissioner of the SEC. He was succeeded by his top assistant,
Wimp Sanderson. He had been at Alabama since 1960 as a graduate assistant to Newton's predecessor,
Hayden Riley; he was named a full-fledged assistant in 1961. In 12 years as head coach his teams averaged 21.8 wins a year, with a 267–119 record, and they won 4 SEC tournaments. They played in one NIT and eight NCAA tournaments making the "Sweet 16" five times. Sanderson is the only coach in Alabama history to win 200 or more games in his first 10 years. He was the SEC Coach of the Year in 1987, 1989 and 1990, and was the National Coach of the Year in 1987. Sanderson was best known for wearing garish
plaid sports jackets on the sidelines. At one point,
Coleman Coliseum was known as the "Plaid Palace", and the mid-court logo was painted in a crimson-and-white plaid pattern.
David Hobbs Hobbs was hired at Alabama as an assistant coach for Wimp Sanderson in 1985 and spent seven years as an assistant in Tuscaloosa helping the Crimson Tide win one SEC Championship and four SEC Tournament crowns while the Tide made four appearances in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. As an assistant, he had the opportunity to coach such All-SEC performers as
Robert Horry,
James "Hollywood" Robinson and
Latrell Sprewell. When Sanderson left Alabama following the 1992 season, Hobbs was named head coach. In his first season, the Tide finished 16–13 and advanced to the NIT. In 1994 and 1995, Alabama recorded 20-win seasons and advanced to the NCAA tournament behind the play of future NBA All-Star
Antonio McDyess. In 1996, Hobbs led UA to a 19–13 mark and a berth in the
NIT Final Four. He resigned his post following the 1998 season after compiling a 110–76 (.594) career record and producing nine All-SEC players.
Mark Gottfried Mark Gottfried served as the Crimson Tide's head coach from the 1998–99 season until midway through the 2008–09 season. Grant came to Alabama after serving as the head coach at
VCU from 2006 to 2009. After a mediocre first season, Grant led the veteran
2010–11 team to a SEC West title and a 2nd-place finish in the
2011 NIT. The
2011–12 team endured the suspensions of several star players to finish with a 21–12 record and a berth in the
2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they lost in the round of 64 to
Creighton. This was the Crimson Tide's first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2006. In March 2015, Grant was fired by Alabama after six seasons. Assistant coach John Brannen served as interim head coach for the 2015 NIT tournament.
Avery Johnson On April 5, 2015,
Avery Johnson agreed to become Alabama's next head coach. The former
NBA coach said he was attracted to the position because he perceived it as "a big challenge" in that Alabama is not a "perennial favorite" and has never won a championship before. Johnson's 2017–18 team finished with a 20–16 (8–10) record and was invited to the
NCAA tournament. The next season, the Tide finished 18–16 (8–10) and Johnson was let go at the end of the campaign.
Nate Oats On March 27, 2019,
Nate Oats was named Alabama's next head coach. Oats was previously the coach for the
Buffalo Bulls, and had led them to three NCAA tournament appearances in the past four years. After a 16–15 record in his first season in 2019–20, Oats'
second season brought Alabama the first SEC regular-season title since 2002 and the first SEC tournament title since 1991. The Tide were a No. 2 seed in the 2021 tournament, where they fell to
UCLA in overtime in the Sweet Sixteen. Then in
2023, Oats coached Alabama to their second SEC regular season and tournament championship in three years. Alabama returned as the No. 1 overall seed in the
2023 NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time under Oats tenure before falling to
San Diego State who advanced to the National Championship game. In
2024, Alabama once again made the
NCAA tournament and advanced to their second Elite Eight in program history after defeating
North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. Bama beat Clemson in the West Region finals to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history. By the end of the
2024–25 season, Oats had led Alabama to two Sweet Sixteen finishes, one Elite Eight finish, and one Final Four, the most sustained runs of tournament success by the school. Oats also holds the best record against AP top 10 teams in Alabama history. ==Roster==