Alabama Basketball Head Coach Nate Oats Issues Apology Following In-Game Altercation with Missouri Player
Following an altercation on Tuesday night where Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats shoved Missouri forward Aidan Shaw in front of the Alabama bench, Oats issued a postgame apology. The incident occurred with 7:34 remaining in the first half of the 93-75 victory over the Tigers, as Shaw became entangled with Alabama guard Aaron Estrada near the Crimson Tide’s bench. During a dead ball, Oats intervened and pushed Shaw away from Estrada, directing him towards the Missouri bench.
Despite Alabama’s comfortable win, the focus after the game centered on the shoving incident. Oats expressed his regret, stating, “I have all the respect in the world for the job [Missouri coach Dennis Gates] has done as an assistant and head coach. No disrespect to him or his program. I apologized to both Coach Gates and Aidan Shaw. Aidan seems like a great kid. It’s an unfortunate situation, but I apologized to both of them.”
There is a likelihood that Oats may face repercussions from the SEC due to his involvement in the altercation. The victory elevated Alabama’s season record to 12–5, with an undefeated 4–0 record in league play. Meanwhile, the loss dropped Missouri to 8–9 overall and 0–4 in SEC play.
