The reunion of Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats and former Crimson Tide player Antoine Pettway is coming with a payday for the home team.
According to information obtained through an open records request, Alabama will receive $50,000 for its game against Kennesaw State to be played in the Rocket City Classic, which will be held in Huntsville on Sunday, Dec. 21.
Should Alabama elect to cancel the agreement for any reason, that amount will be paid to the city of Huntsville.
Huntsville will be responsible for paying out SEC officials and the stats crew, as well as finding a broadcast partner for the event. While broadcasting rights are typically already set in stone for major college programs like Alabama, circumstances shift for neutral-site games like those to be held in Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center.
Whichever network Huntsville opts to partner with for televising or streaming the game will be subject to Alabama’s consent.
When Alabama faced Memphis during the 2024 Rocket City Classic − which was an exhibition instead of a regular season non-conference game like this year − the matchup was shown on ESPN+.
Tipoff time has yet to be released. Alabama opens the 2025-26 preseason against Florida State in exhibition play on Thursday, Oct. 16, at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham.
Video: T-News staff takeaways from Alabama football win over Wisconsin
The Tuscaloosa News’ Chase Goodbread, Colin Gay and Emilee Smarr discuss Alabama football’s 38-14 win over Wisconsin.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.