Alabama basketball's front court was in prime shape for 2023-24. Or so it thought.

Even though Charles Bediako entered the NBA Draft, he maintained his college eligibility. The expectation at Coleman Coliseum was that Bediako would stay for his junior season alongside Nick Pringle.

Alabama expected Bediako back so much so that it didn’t really go after any bigs in the transfer portal initially.

That had to change in late May, though. Bediako decided to remain in the draft. Coach Nate Oats, talking at SEC spring meetings in Florida, said Bediako staying in the draft “surprised us a little bit.”

“Now you’ve got to figure out another option,” Oats said on May 30. “That’s kind of where we’re at. We love Charles. We wish him the best and all that. Now we’re looking for some bigs.”

Fast forward a little over a month, and Alabama has found some. The Crimson Tide landed three good ones with high upside: Grant Nelson, Jarin Stevenson and Mohamed Wague. All stand 6-feet-10 or taller.

The Bediako curveball is one of several challenges Oats faced this offseason in rebuilding a roster and a staff, but through it all, Oats has not blinked.

First, he had the unique puzzle of replacing all three assistant coaches who left for head coaching jobs. Then he had to fill the scholarships of three players departing for the NBA Draft, two players with expired eligibility and three players who left in the transfer portal.

One of the three transfer exits also served as a surprise.

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The guard situation

Jahvon Quinerly, the SEC co-sixth man of the year, decided to enter the transfer portal 24 days after he announced he would stay at UA for his final season of college eligibility.

It was the latest and final chapter of will-he, won't-he. The Crimson Tide was waiting virtually up until the May 31 early-entry deadline for the NBA Draft to figure out if Quinerly would be back. He decided he would be, and everything appeared to be settled. Then he made the decision weeks later to enter the transfer portal, effectively ending his time at UA.

Quinerly put together a memorable career with the Crimson Tide, but the way he exited — going back on his word in late June — made for a sour ending.

Nonetheless, Alabama moved on.

It had the ability to transition because of the depth at guard built through the transfer portal earlier in the offseason. Quinerly probably would not have even started. Mark Sears and Aaron Estrada (a Hofstra transfer) seem to be the early favorites to be in the two guard spots with Rylan Griffen, a candidate for the small forward spot, depending on what kind of lineup Alabama wants to use.

There’s also Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (a Cal State Fullerton transfer) as well as Davin Cosby Jr. The Crimson Tide could look to fill the final scholarship on the roster with one more guard, but the position remains in a solid spot even without one more. The open scholarship made possible by Quinerly’s departure more or less allowed Alabama to fill badly-needed front-court depth.

The Bediako surprise and how Oats pivoted

Alabama didn’t expect Bediako to stay in the draft, but Oats didn’t waste time wallowing. He had some targets in mind: Nelson and Stevenson.

Nelson, a 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward, withdrew his name from the draft process right before the deadline.

Transferring from North Dakota State, Nelson was the No. 3 player in 247Sports' transfer portal rankings. He took visits to Alabama and Arkansas. Then by mid-June, it became clear the Crimson Tide had won the recruiting battle. Nelson officially committed on June 28.

By June 21, Alabama had also added a commitment from Stevenson, a five-star big in the 2024 class per the 247Sports Composite. He picked Alabama over in-state UNC as well as Virginia, reclassifying in the process to 2023 so Stevenson could join UA immediately.

Then, in the wake of West Virginia moving on from coach Bob Huggins, Wague entered the portal in late June.

By July 5, Wague had committed to Alabama. Just like that, Alabama had three more bigs to pair with Pringle.

Putting the coaching staff together

Oats didn’t just lose assistant coaches when Antoine Pettway, Bryan Hodgson and Charlie Henry departed for head coaching jobs this offseason; Oats lost three experienced and trusted coaches who shined in different ways.

Oats filled the roles with Austin Claunch, Ryan Pannone and Preston Murphy, and each seems to be a good hire for different reasons.

Claunch is a young, up-and-coming coach who was leading a Division I program. Pannone is an elite offensive mind who was an assistant in the NBA and has quickly impressed in Tuscaloosa. Murphy is known as an elite recruiter who will help lead the recruiting charge after the departure of Hodgson and Pettway.

Oats put in some long hours, often working around the clock, to find and put together this staff and team. Plenty of work remains, but he might not ever work harder than he has this offseason.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News/USA TODAY Network. Reach him via email: nkelly@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball: How Nate Oats turned offseason curveballs into homers