Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball

Alabama head coach Nate Oats has apologized for pushing Missouri's Aidan Shaw late in the first half of Tuesday's game.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Oats said he apologized to both Shaw and Tigers head coach Dennis Gates for the situation.

"I have all the respect in the world for the job [Gates has] done as an assistant and head coach," he said. "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."

The situation occurred with 7:34 remaining in the first half when Shaw and Aaron Estrada got into a skirmish after Estrada fouled Anthony Robinson II. Oats got between the two players and pushed Shaw back.

Gates confirmed that Oats apologized after the game, but he questioned why the officials didn't issue a technical foul in the situation.

Once the situation calmed down, things remained cordial between the two teams on the court. Oats quickly went over to Gates after the final buzzer sounded to speak with him one-on-one.

Alabama won the game 93-75 to keep its SEC record perfect at 4-0. Since opening the season 6-5, including a three-game losing streak from Dec. 9-20, the Crimson Tide have rattled off six consecutive victories.

Missouri remains winless in SEC play (0-4) and has fallen under .500 for the first time this season.

Next up for Alabama is a showdown with No. 5 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday. Missouri will look for its first conference win when it hosts Florida on Saturday night.

Derrion Reid, a 5-star class of 2024 power forward out of Prolific Prep in Napa, California, announced his commitment to Alabama on Friday afternoon.

Reid chose the Crimson Tide over fellow finalists Florida State and Georgia.

"I love their play style and the coaches," Reid told ESPN's Paul Biancardi. "I believe I can make an immediate impact and get better in all aspects of my game so I can get to the league."

Reid made the announcement in a public gathering at Grovetown High School (Georgia), where he played for the first three years of his high school career before transferring to Prolific Prep for this season. Reid helped Grovetown win Georgia's 6A state title during his sophomore campaign.

The 6'7", 180-pound prospect is ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect on the 247Sports Composite list of class of 2024 boys basketball players. He currently stars on a Prolific Prep team ranked No. 2 overall on ESPN's list of the nation's top high school boys basketball teams.

Multiple analysts have raved about Reid, who appears to be scratching the surface of his immense potential.

Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports also wrote in July that "Reid established himself as one of the more versatile forwards in the country this year" in his scouting report.

Now Reid will take those talents to Alabama, which has struggled this year to a 6-5 record after earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament the year before. However, Reid can certainly turn the program around and become its second lottery pick in three years after Brandon Miller went No. 2 to the Charlotte Hornets in 2023.

247Sports also loves the fit at Alabama as well.

Head coach Nate Oats has put together a loaded class of 2024 that includes 4-stars Aiden Sherrell (also of Prolific Prep) and Naas Cunningham. That gives Alabama three players in the top 50 of the 247Sports composite list.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats has suspended forward Nick Pringle indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Oats announced the decision without providing specific information about what led to it.

"Nothing serious off the court or anything," Oats said. "In-house, just there's a standard we want our guys to uphold, and he wasn't upholding it. I still love Nick. Hopefully he can get himself figured out and be back with the team shortly."

Pringle is in his second season with the Crimson Tide. He was a junior college transfer after spending the 2021-22 academic year at Dodge City Community College in Kansas.

The South Carolina native began his college career at Wofford in 2020-21. He averaged 2.0 points in 15 appearances off the bench as a freshman.

Mason Smith of SI.com noted a "rough season on the court combined with poor academic performance" caused Pringle to transfer to a junior college.

Pringle was open with Smith about his on-court struggles during his lone season with the Terriers.

"My lack of focus," he said. "I feel like I didn't really lock into the process, I didn't trust guys around me, and I didn't buy into what I needed to."

In his first season at Alabama, Pringle appeared in 36 of the team's 37 games. He averaged 3.5 points on 84.7 percent shooting and 3.1 rebounds per game to help the Crimson Tide win the SEC regular-season and tournament titles and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in the history of the program.

Pringle has appeared in each of the team's first seven games this season, including six starts. He scored a season-high 14 points in a 98-67 win over Mercer on Nov. 17.

Sophomore Mohamed Wague will likely take Pringle's spot in the starting five for the time being. He made his first start of the season in Tuesday's loss to Clemson.

Five-star center Aiden Sherrell announced his commitment to Alabama on Tuesday, choosing the Crimson Tide over Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma and Michigan State.

"I chose Alabama because I fit their playstyle perfectly and I believe that they will help get me to the next level and develop me into the player I want to be," Sherrell told Joe Tipton of On3. "It is a family environment and they have a great coaching staff."

Sherrell, who attends Pacific Prep in California, is the No. 22 overall prospect and fourth-ranked center in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

"I would describe my game as versatile and limitless because I can score at all 3 levels and defend at all 3 levels. I'm 6'11 but can do everything a guard can and not shying away from what bigs can do also," Sherrell said.

Sherrell is the first commit of Alabama's 2024 recruiting class and one of the best players in program history. He visited campus Sept. 23 and clearly came away impressed with coach Nate Oats and the rising Alabama program.

Oats has led Alabama to the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons, including Sweet 16 appearances in two of the past three years. Before Oats' arrival, Alabama only made the NCAA Tournament twice in the previous decade.

Sherrell averaged 13.5 points per game for the Vegas Elite team this summer.

Alabama point guard Jahvon Quinerly is entering the NCAA transfer portal.

The 2023 SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year posted his decision on social media Sunday.

"Sometimes as time goes on, we know it's time to move on, take risks and follow our heart," Quinerly wrote about his decision.

As a graduate transfer, Quinerly will be eligible to play next season, On3's Joe Tipton reported.

Quinerly averaged 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists off the bench for the Crimson Tide last season.

The point guard began his career at Villanova before spending three seasons with Alabama. He started 27 games in 2021-22 before being bumped down the rotation last season after a torn ACL.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported on May 31 that Quinerly said he had withdrawn his name from the 2023 NBA draft and would spend his final year of college eligibility with Alabama.

Quinerly shared a social media post the following day announcing his return to the Crimson Tide. That post was recently deleted, Nick Kelly of The Tuscaloosa News reported.

Quinerly earned his starting spot with Alabama after being named the SEC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 2021. He averaged 15.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.7 points in three tournament games to help the Crimson Tide earn the program's first SEC title in 20 years.

In 2021-22, Quinerly earned NBA draft buzz after ranking second on the team with 13.8 points per game and eighth in the conference with 4.2 assists per contest. Then, in March 2022, he suffered an injury later revealed to be a torn ACL.

The injury required surgery and an extensive rehab process. Quinerly made his return to the court in November but only made it back into the starting rotation one year after the injury, when Alabama took on Mississippi State in the SEC tournament this March. With his help, the Crimson Tide won their second conference title in three seasons.

Without Quinerly, there would be only four returning players on Alabama's roster next season. Since head coach Nate Oats took over in 2019, the program has produced six NBA draft picks, four of them first-rounders.

Five-star forward Jarin Stevenson has reclassified to the class of 2023 and has committed to playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide, he announced Wednesday.

"They have great people and facilities," Stevenson told ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi. "I like their NBA-style offense. Coach [Nate] Oats is really into analytics. He makes team decisions based on percentages. I like that. Numbers don't lie."

Stevenson was initially expected to be in the class of 2024. Before reclassifying, he was ranked the 19th-best prospect in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings.

The 6'10" power forward chose Alabama over Virginia and North Carolina. He had also received offers from Georgetown, Missouri, NC State and Wake Forest.

Stevenson, who played for Seaforth High School in North Carolina, averaged 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 16 games for Team United in the Nike EYBL this spring. However, he shot just 19.5 percent from beyond the arc and will need to develop his perimeter shooting at the next level.

Regardless, Stevenson will get the opportunity to make an immediate impact for the Crimson Tide as he told ESPN that Oats told him "there's a great opportunity to play right away in the frontcourt."

"Coach said I remind him of Noah Clowney and could play as a stretch-4 or a 5-man," Stevenson said.

Stevenson should be a nice addition for Alabama in 2023-24 following the departures of Clowney and Brandon Miller, who are projected first-round picks in the 2023 NBA draft, and Charles Bediako, who is also eligible to be drafted this summer.

He should receive a good amount of playing time alongside Nick Pringle, Sam Walters and Mouhamed Dioubate next season.

The Crimson Tide finished the 2022-23 season with a 31-6 record, but they fell to San Diego State in the NCAA tournament regional semifinal. It marked their second regional semifinal loss in three seasons.

A men's college basketball head coach whose team competed against Alabama told The Athletic's David Aldridge that reigning SEC Player of the Year and ex-Crimson Tide star Brandon Miller is better than six-time All-NBA team member Paul George.

"He's better than Paul George and that's a strong statement, but I'm serious. I mean, his mid-range, threes. People are going to start talking about Kevin Durant. He's not Durant, but he's better than George."

That coach also raved about Miller's game now and what it can be in the future.

"But offensively, he's in the 99th percentile in all of college," the coach said. "His best basketball is ahead of him. He doesn't even have the strength I think he'll gain."

Miller is widely projected to be a top-three pick in Thursday's NBA draft, with many analysts picking him to go second overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

The Miller-George comparison has been a popular one in the pre-draft process.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer wrote in his latest mock draft that Miller's game has shades of George as well as ex-Indiana Pacers star Danny Granger.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony made the Miller-George connection as well.

"NBA teams are scouring the globe, searching for 6'9" wings in Brandon Miller's mold," he said on SportsCenter.

"A Paul George, Jayson Tatum type who can get his shot off over smaller defenders, create for himself and others in the pick and roll, passes off of live dribble and brings defensive versatility, sliding from shooting guard to power forward."

Miller would seemingly be a great fit on the Hornets, which desperately need help and star power on the wing. Kelly Oubre Jr. is an impending unrestricted free agent, and Gordon Hayward has just one year left on his deal.

Miller can come in and solidify that spot for the foreseeable future with franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball running the point.

If Miller eventually develops into a Paul George-type player, then that's huge win for a Hornets team in need of help on both ends of the floor following a disappointing 27-55 campaign. We'll see which direction the Hornets go soon enough with the draft occurring Thursday.

Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears announced on Tuesday that he's returning for his senior season, bypassing the NBA draft.

In April, Sears said he would test the NBA draft waters but would maintain his college eligibility:

Sears, 21, averaged 12.5 points and 2.6 assists in his first season with the Crimson Tide after transferring from Ohio. He shot 40.6 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three and was the team's second-leading scorer behind Brandon Miller.

He also helped lead Alabama to a 31-6 record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, though the Crimson Tide were upset in the Sweet 16 by San Diego State.

Returning to school made sense. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie didn't rank Sears among his top 100 players on his big board from early May, while his Alabama teammates Miller (No. 3) and Noah Clowney (No. 30) both project to be first-round picks.

Alabama point guard Jahvon Quinerly and center Charles Bediako also entered their names into the draft while maintaining college eligibility. Neither appeared on Vecenie's top-100 big board, though ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeff Borzello reported last week that Bediako is expected to remain in the draft.

Quinerly will have until the May 31 deadline to withdraw from the draft and return to Alabama if that is the route he chooses to go.

Regardless, the Crimson Tide will have a far different look next season. Starting point guard Jaden Bradley and Nimari Burnett each entered the transfer portal, while Noah Gurley and Dominick Welch are out of eligibility.

Alabama's 2023 recruiting class is ranked No. 23 in the country by 247Sports' Composite Rankings, however, highlighted by a trio of 4-star forwards in Sam Walters, Kris Parker and Mouhamed Dioubate.

Guards Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Aaron Estrada are also joining the program as transfers. And the return of Sears is certainly good news for the Crimson Tide as they look to build on last season's success.

Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was denied bond Wednesday in his ongoing capital murder case, according to AL.com's Carol Robinson.

Robinson reported that Miles' attorney, Mary Turner, argued her client wasn't the person who shot and killed Jamea Jonae Harris in January. Turner also contended he "attempted to de-escalate the situation" and was a block away when shots were first fired.

Miles and Michael Lynn Davis were indicted on capital murder charges in March. Miles told police he had provided Harris with the gun that was used in the shooting. He pleaded not guilty in April.

In arguing to withhold bond, prosecutor Paula Whitley said Miles had the firearm delivered and "provided that loaded gun to someone agitated." Whitley also said he had moved his girlfriend away from the scene prior to the shooting.

The shooting allegedly stemmed from an argument between Davis and Cedric Johnson, Harris' boyfriend in downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Davis is alleged to have fired into her Jeep, in which she was the passenger. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Former Crimson Tide star Brandon Miller was drawn into the case when Robinson reported in February that Tuscaloosa police testified he had driven the gun to the scene.

Det. Branden Culpepper said Miles asked Miller to deliver his gun.

Jim Standridge, an attorney for Miller, said the SEC Player of the Year was already on his way to pick up Miles when he got the message, so his initial purpose in making the trip wasn't to bring the firearm.

Standridge said Miller "never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur." He added his client "never saw the handgun nor handled it."

Miller is not facing criminal charges, as Whitley told Robinson that prosecutors couldn't charge him with a crime.

The 6'9" forward is widely expected to be a top-five pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

Former Wichita State forward Jaykwon Walton announced his intention to transfer to Alabama last month, but that will no longer be the case.

According to AL.com's Carol Robinson and Mike Rodak, Walton was arrested over the weekend in Tuscaloosa and the Crimson Tide no longer will be adding him to their program.

"Alabama is no longer recruiting Jaykwon Walton and he will not be a student-athlete at The University of Alabama," head coach Nate Oats said in a statement.

The 21-year-old was one of two people arrested on Saturday night on a charge of second-degree possession of marijuana. Walton and Kameron Deshawn Harris were released after posting $500 bond.

Tuscaloosa Police Department spokeswoman Stephanie Taylor said police received multiple complaints from residents at apartment complexes off the Strip about a large number of vehicles parked in their parking lots. Officers said they approached a vehicle that smelled like marijuana and was occupied by Walton, Harris and a third man.

Upon being asked to exit the vehicle, Walton informed the officers that there was a loaded firearm under the front passenger seat. Officers reportedly found "a rolling tray, a baggie containing approximately 20 grams of marijuana and a half-rolled blunt in the passenger side floorboard" while retrieving the firearm.

Officers also said they "located two more loaded weapons in the vehicle and another baggie containing 12 grams of marijuana" that allegedly belonged to Harris. The driver of the vehicle was released with no charges.

Originally from Columbus, Georgia, Walton was a 4-star recruit in the class of 2019. He began his collegiate career at Georgia before spending a junior college season at Shelton State in Tuscaloosa in 2021-22. He then transferred to Wichita State and averaged 13.9 points for the Shockers last season.