With a new head coach comes a roster remodel and that’s not different with Alabama basketball.

Since Nate Oats arrived, a few have come and gone and the new Crimson Tide coach is fine with the movement. Rising senior Tevin Mack was the latest to enter the NCAA transfer portal and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be like Kira Lewis and John Petty who tested the process before returning.

Meeting with reporters Wednesday at the SEC Meetings in Destin for the first time since his March hiring, Oats said he has not spoken to Mack.

“I texted with him a little bit,” Oats said. “He has not actually talked to me at all. So, I’ve texted with him a little bit, though.”

It’s a natural occurrence in this situation. For some, they didn’t fit into the offense Oats is bringing from Buffalo. The story is different for others.

“I’ve been on the job two months now,” Oats said, “if after two months, you’re not comfortable with us as a staff and if there is questions in your head about whether this is the right spot for you, then this isn’t the right spot for you, which is fine. We have to get the right guys on the bus moving forward. We want guys who really want to be here.”

Oats expanded on that later in the interview.

“I think you see that with some of the kids who left us,” Oats said. “We weren’t their first school. Some guys are going to go play for their third or fourth coaches. So, at some point you can’t run from adversity every single time there’s a little bit of adversity in your life.”

Mack began his career at Texas, played two seasons before transferring to Alabama. He sat out the 2017-18 season before emerging as a shooting threat for Alabama last season He scored 9.0 points a game shooting 33.3 percent from 3-point range. After testing the NBA draft waters, Mack opted to take his name out of consideration and entered the NCAA transfer portal.

The roster management process began soon after Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa. The former high school coach said he watched game film and saw enough “to know the roster wasn’t built for the way we wanted to play.” They don’t play with many big men who aren’t also shooters like Alex Reese.

With Mack’s scholarship now open, Oats said there should be some news coming soon about a replacement.

“Now we have one open scholarship. I can’t speak about kids until they officially come in and sign some papers,” Oats said, “but I like where we’re at with recruiting and I anticipate having the last scholarship filled pretty quick here with a pretty quality player. That would be my hope. I feel like we got the right guys out of the portal.”

Jahvon Quinerly is a former five-star recruit who left Villanova who has been on Alabama’s radar recently. He’s also reportedly considering Pittsburgh as a transfer option.

Keeping some of the stars from the Avery Johnson era was Oats’ first point of order. He said he jumped on a plane immediately after his March introductory news conference to fly to Huntsville to meet with Kira Lewis’ family. Film of Buffalo’s high-paced offense was a major selling point for a point guard Oats said was among the fastest in the nation.

For Petty, an open shooting offense will fit with his style that made him one of the top recruits in Alabama’s class two years ago.

Others who looked entered the transfer portal made strong decisions, Oats said.

“Shoot, I helped someone like Daniel Giddens, a great kid,” Oats said. “I helped him. Some guys left on good terms and some didn’t. But that’s decisions they make as young men. Some of them were smart decisions. They’ll have better playing time elsewhere where ever they want. Diante Wood, I think will get a lot more playing time and Daniel Giddens will. Those two kept participating in workouts even after we discussed that it might be better for them to go elsewhere and they thought so to.”

Wood, a freshman last year, will resume his career at Jacksonville while Giddens is headed to Vermont.

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.