GLENDALE, Ariz. — Exactly 60 days separated these two comments from Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats about  forward Nick Pringle:

Jan. 31: "He's got to decide whether he wants to be part of this program or not."

March 30: "(His) leadership over these last four games has been the best Nick’s played since he’s been here."

A lot had to transpire over those 60 days for the Crimson Tide senior to go from the brink of being dismissed from the team — he began serving his second suspension of the season with Alabama's 85-76 road win at Georgia — to an inspired leader in UA's remarkable NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four. Pringle sat in his locker at State Farm Stadium earlier this week, where Alabama will take on UConn in its first-ever Final Four appearance, and pointed two lockers to his left when asked about the transformation.

"My guy Scotty," Pringle said.

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Pringle's guy, in a way, is every Alabama player's guy. Scotty Hollins has been the program's chaplain for 15 years. Hollins holds a series of one-on-one meetings with every player Oats brings into the program to start building an off-court relationship. And when Pringle came in from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College two years ago, he and Hollins made what Hollins described as an "instant connection." It doesn't work that way between Hollins and every player. The relationship he tries to forge with each takes more time to establish with some players, less with others.

With Pringle, it took no time at all. He is majoring in communications largely to hone his relationship-building skills, he said. And by all accounts, Pringle is a trusting soul with an outgoing personality. Perfect, in other words, for Hollins' outreach. For players, Hollins can be a friend, a mentor, a sounding board, a guide, a spiritual advisor, a voice of reason, and when necessary, a dose of reality. He's been all that and more for Pringle.

"When Nick and I have had tough conversations, I've built a bridge that can handle the weight of those conversations," Hollins said.

That bridge, Pringle believes, played a big role in his attitude improvement over those 60 days. Exactly what got Pringle suspended has stayed in the UA locker room, but Oats shed some light on the issues Friday before a team practice.

"One of the statements he made to be when he came back from being suspended, he said 'I didn't realize what a distraction I was to my teammates.' He's always wanted to there for his teammates, and he has been," Oats said. "He's been a good teammate, but he didn't realize some of the stuff he was doing was a distraction to them. And he didn't want to be that. … Scotty's been a great mentor to Nick and to a lot of our guys. He helps him stay grounded."

Pringle said reshaping the circle of people around him was also a part of his transformation, but that doesn't necessarily mean his issues were off the court. To the contrary, when Oats announced his second suspension after the Georgia game, he was clear that the issues were on-court.

Now, Pringle's just an on-court problem for opponents.

Last weekend, he ignored a painful heel injury well enough to turn in his best performance of the season — 16 points and 11 rebounds — in UA's Elite Eight win over Clemson. Pringle is convinced that the suspension, and the personal growth that came from it, prepared him for moments like this weekend's Final Four clash with defending national champion UConn. Hollins, he said, was central to that.

"He keeps my faith high. If things are going well, he's there too, not just in the bad times," Pringle said. "His son's got a great dad, I'll tell you that."

A lot can happen in 60 days.

Especially with his guy, Scotty.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Final Four: Alabama's Pringle credits chaplain for personal turnaround