COACHING NEWS: ACA hires new softball coach; Tide basketball adds assistant
Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats announced this week the hiring of Chris Fleming as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 season. (File Photo)
COMBINED REPORTS
Alabama Christian Academy officials have announced that Greg Howard will take over the duties as head softball coach, replacing Meagan Whisenant.
ACA head of school Josh Roberts said that Whisenant would remain with the school in a different capacity and that her extended role with the school necessitated the change.
“Coach Whisenant has been a fantastic leader for the last two years,” Roberts said. “She brought ACA back to the state tournament in 2024 and coached many thrilling moments this year. Her faculty responsibilities have grown for the upcoming year and this created an opportunity for us to find new ways for her to work with students and athletes. We are grateful that Coach Whiz is going to continue to bring her expertise to bear in the classrooms and in our athletic arenas at ACA for a long, long time to come.”
Howard, an assistant football coach with the school over the last 10 years, said he was humbled by the offer to take over the softball program.
“I just feel like there is so much potential in these girls,” Howard said, “and the standard that Coach (Denise) Ainsworth and Coach (Chris) Goodman had, when a job like that comes open, you want to explore everything you can. I just felt it was another way that I could contribute to ACA and the community.”
Howard will be the fifth coach in the history of the ACA fast pitch softball program and the fourth with no previous coaching experience in the sport. Denise Ainsworth launched the fast pitch program in 1996 after having served as a slow pitch coach. Chris Goodman, ACA’s baseball coach, took over the softball program when Ainsworth became the athletic director in 2007. Goodman’s successor, Lauren Webster Veach, had played the sport at the school but had never served as a high school head coach in any capacity.
Alabama basketball announces assistant coaching hire
Alabama men's basketball head coach Nate Oats announced Monday the hiring of Chris Fleming as assistant coach. Fleming comes to Tuscaloosa with over a decade worth of coaching in the NBA as an assistant coach. Most recently, Fleming served as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2024-25 season.
“We are excited to welcome Chris Fleming to Tuscaloosa and will be a huge addition to our staff and program,” Oats said. “Chris brings over a decades worth of coaching experience in the NBA and overseas with most notably the German National Team. He is known for being exceptional at player development and brings a modern approach to the game. Not only is Chris a great coach but is also a high character individual who will be a huge asset to our program. We are excited to welcome him and his family to Tuscaloosa.”
Throughout his time in the NBA, Fleming has coached current NBA All-Stars Demar DeRozan, Nikola Jokić, Brooke Lopez, Lauri Markkanen and D’Angelo Russell. The native of Long Beach Island, N.J., has also coached in overseas including serving as the coach of the German national team.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Alabama’s great basketball tradition,” Fleming said. “Coach Oats has done an exceptional job implementing an NBA-style system and I really look forward to helping coach and the rest of the staff build for the future.”
It was also announced that Oats will be part of the coaching staff for the 2025 USA Basketball Men's U19 National Team training camp this week in Colorado Springs, Colo.
USA Basketball announced the 33 athletes and set of coaches expected to participate at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Training camp begins June 14 with the 12-member roster expected to be announced before the team departs for the 2025 FIBA U19 Men's World Cup in Switzerland.