By R.L. Bynum
LOS ANGELES — I’ve seen some craziness while covering NCAA tournament games over the years, but nothing like what I saw and heard on Thursday night.
Carolina fans undoubtedly heard about the sign-stealing shenanigans involving a Michigan football staffer last season. Alabama coach Nate Oats employs his brand of that, and it’s not against the rules.
Four Crimson Tide graduate assistants were seated directly behind my courtside seat, in the first row of spectator seats, for Alabama’s NCAA tournament Sweet 16 victory over North Carolina at Crypto.com Arena.
“We rely on our GAs a lot,” Oats said at Friday’s press conference. “And they’re good. They help with a lot. They help with the scouting; they help the assistant in charge of the scout put the video together. So, they’re working ahead because I’m not going to look at the next team until we are done playing the current team.”
This energetic group of young men, all wearing identical polo shirts matching the Alabama staff seated on the bench, yelled like drill sergeants, locked in for an entire game.
Those guys kept my ears burning most of the night. They screamed at the referees, offered loud encouragement, and also gave the Alabama players a heads-up about what play the Tar Heels were about to run.
They were on the opposite side of the court from the Alabama bench but had an excellent view of the UNC bench.
Many times, they would yell that something was coming. As the Tar Heels worked the ball over half court during one possession, they yelled, “Clear out, Ingram.” Sure enough, the ball went to Harrison Ingram, who tried to create something on the play.
For the Clemson game on Saturday, the grad assistants were situated in the first row of seats behind the Alabama bench.
“They’ve got everything ready to hand to the assistant in charge of it when they need to,” Oats said. “Goes from everything — trying to listen to the video with the sound up, trying to get play calls off the sound. And looking at hand signals to get play calls.”
Sometimes, it was a simple, loud call to the Alabama players to tell them what UNC was about to run, such as “double,” “rebel” or “floppy” (when a player under the basket can either cut off a single screen to one side or a double screen to the other) moments after Coach Hubert Davis made a signal to his players.
“They’ve got it all in their head,” Oats said of those graduate assistants. “They try to teach it to everybody, but they know it pretty well.”
The graduate assistants can’t sit on the bench but are in the dressing room before, after and at halftime.
“In the course of the game we chart a lot of things, offensive and defensive efficiency,” Oats said. “They’re charting that. Paint touches, different things we’ve got — I get an offensive sheet, a defensive sheet, a blue-collar sheet and the general stats. I’ve got four sheets of paper in my hand every timeout, and they’re responsible for three of those four — the offensive, defensive and the blue-collar one.”
Those guys have no doubt studied Clemson’s signals and plays and will be in position on Saturday night to clue Alabama’s players in on what the Tigers are about to run.
Photo via screenshot
tarheeltribune.com 
Why aren’t they required to wear binoculars so people around them would know who and what they are. So all this crap about how they are only interested in their players learning how to have a better future by instilling sportsmanship, a strong work ethic, personal ethics, and teamwork is a total fraud!!! Hypocrite comes to mind. The NCAA should have rules strongly directed at least type practices… In our new high-tech, depersonalize world that we live in now… I’m not surprised!!
LikeLike
When you can’t win playing fair, I guess you CHEAT. At least in Alabama. Skynyrd can KEEP IT.
LikeLike
It isn’t against the rules.
LikeLike
I’m sorry, RL. I appreciate your integrity here, but ‘not against the rules’ leaves for a lot of unreasonable conduct to be permitted. I think there is an implicit agreement here that the game is decided on the court, not by those in the stands. This doesn’t pass the smell test.
LikeLike
hey, it’s not like there’s a cloud over the bama program, right?
LikeLike
If oats is doing this it’s some bull so I just watched them do the same thing to Clemson. Is this crap allowed in ncaa sports. True bummer man. Unbelievable
LikeLike
if it’s against the rules in FB it should be in Basketball. I knew Bama was cheating.. UCONN needs to be made aware
LikeLike
knowing what’s coming helps but ultimately executing against it is what matters
LikeLike
What are you, 6 years old? What does that even mean? Knowing the plays makes it more difficult or impossible to “execute.” That’s why they steal plays in the first plays…it works. That’s why it’s considered cheating in most sports. Your post is bafflingly naive.
LikeLike
if you have to cheat to win then how much is the victory really worth??
LikeLike
It’s not against the rules
LikeLike
Perhaps not, but any true person of integrity might think it should be. Sportsmanship in Alabama has crossed over to the dark side…wait. They did that years
LikeLike
Alabama should be disqualified. If its legal then every team would do it. Alabama is just not a team that should be allowed to even participate. Teams in sec shouldnt play them next year and ncaa should keep them out.Cheating is cheating. Wouldnt surprise me if referees are betting on games and doing what they can to make sure their team wins.
worst officiating thru out entire tournament. looks more like football and wrestling vs basketball.
LikeLike
So here’s poor RJ beating himself up about a poor performance and we have an opposing coach who has to have students steal other teams signals and signs for his team. So that his team can get a one up on the opposing team. That’s not right do what most teams do look at tape and video to get your team ready not steal signs. So can you say he’s a good coach or one that need these sign stealing students to do his coaching for him. I know it’s not in the rules but you shouldn’t have to depend on that to try and give your team an advantage either. GO TAR HEELS!!!
ps we still love you no matter what RJ!!
LikeLike
If any of you really think this is not being done by every single team in college basketball, I have swamp land in Dallas to sell you. It’s cheap. House is by Jerry Jones house. Every single team is attempting to hear and know the other teams calls.
LikeLike