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Alabama Head Coach Nate Oats Apologizes for Shoving Missouri Forward Aidan Shaw

Originally posted on FanNation Mizzou Sports Talk
By Mathey Gibson | Last updated 1/16/24

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On Tuesday, Missouri Basketball fell to Alabama 93-75, failing to 0-4 in conference play and 8-9 overall.

As the Tigers continued their struggles, a chippy-night at Coleman Coliseum was in the cards, with the Crimson Tide holding a homecourt advantage in a classic, physical road matchup.

Halfway through the first half, Alabama guard Aaron Estrada and Missouri forward Aidan Shaw were involved in a scuffle in front of the Crimson Tide bench. In the midst of it, Alabama head coach Nate Oats was seen shoving Shaw away from the commotion.

After the game, Oats took to the podium to apologize to Shaw and Tiger head coach Dennis Gates.

"I wanted to address the scuffle that happened next to our bench," Oats said. "So I've known coach [Dennis Gates] for a long time. When I was a high school coach. He was one of the best recruiters in the country. I have all the respect in the world for the job he's done as an assistant and head coach. Before he got to Missouri as head coach here, you know, he had one of the best first years in the SEC since I've been here [...] a long time. So it's no disrespect to him or his program. So I apologize to both coach Gates and Aidan Shaw. Aidan seems like a great kid and it was an unfortunate situation, but I apologize both of them."

With the loss, Missouri now returns home to Columbia, with a matchup against Todd Golden’s Florida Gators coming on Saturday.

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This article first appeared on FanNation Mizzou Sports Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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