Magazine-Winter-2025 - Flipbook - Page 40
R O L L TI DE
When Dudley retired in 2018 and
returned to Tuscaloosa, he knew
he wanted to coach basketball, but
he had another priority in life as
well: family.
“I was helping coach my son’s
basketball team, just being a dad,”
he said. “I wanted to get into
college athletics, but I didn’t know
how it would happen. I thought the
schedule would be too hectic for
me to be able balance. I talked to
Antoine Pettway, one of my good
friends, and he told me how the
program was running. And then I
ended up talking to Coach Oats—
you know, Coach is a family guy;
he has daughters as well. So, he
didn’t have a problem with me
taking off in the afternoons for my
kids. I’ve been able to make a lot of
my daughter and my son’s games.
That’s the biggest plus for me, just
being able to do this, being able
to give back to the program, and
being able to be there for my kids.”
Dudley served as a graduate
assistant for Alabama basketball
from 2023 to 2025. During those
two seasons, the Tide won 53
games while appearing in back-toback Elite Eights and the program’s
first-ever trip to the Final Four in
2024. He was hired as the special
assistant to the head coach
in 2025.
“Man, it is a great feeling to be
a player and then come back to
be a coach in a program that I’ve
actually been a part of since I was
17, 18 years old,” he said. “I just
hope to add to what Coach Oats
has brought to the program. He’s
done some wonderful things since
he’s been here, and bringing me
in to be a part of it and try to add
my twist to it has been great. That
script A, I think it means greatness.
38
ALABAMA ALUMNI MAGAZINE
