LOUISVILLE – It isn’t easy to stage an Alabama sporting event without Nick Saban being mentioned in some capacity, but there was no reason to reach for a reference when the Crimson Tide arrived Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center to prepare for Friday's game against San Diego State in the Sweet 16. It was right there.
At a moment when it appeared everything that could be said had been spoken about the incongruity of the Tide men's basketball team celebrating an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run after one of their (now former) players was arrested for murder and their star player’s attorney acknowledged the future NBA draft pick had transported a firearm to the site of the shooting, Saban announced the suspension of an Alabama defensive back by employing a familiar phrase in a different context.
“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban told reporters, following the punishment that resulted from defensive back Tony Mitchell’s arrest on drug and weapon charges. “There’s no such thing as the wrong place at the wrong time. It is what it is, but there is cause an effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”
TSN's MARCH MADNESS HQ
Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Predictor tool
It is easy to get the impression Saban has become irritated by the damage to Alabama’s reputation and wishes to make it clear he does not approve of how Alabama has handled the circumstances surrounding the death of Jamea Harris, the arrest of Crimson Tide forward Darius Miles and subsequent revelations regarding All-America freshman forward Brandon Miller.
When a police detective testified at a February hearing Miller had been asked by Miles through a text message to transport his weapon, which was in the rear seat of Miles car, basketball coach Nate Oats responded to questions about this revelation by stating Miller had been in the “wrong spot at the wrong time.”
Although he insisted at an Alabama football “pro day” Thursday that he had paid no attention to any previous statement from Oats, it’s impossible for Saban to be unaware of the damage done to the reputation of Crimson Tide athletics over the past two months.
“That was strictly about our program and what we do,” says Nick Saban at Alabama Pro Day #alabamafootball #alabamabasketball #rolltide #rtr pic.twitter.com/reHPkjMy8e
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) March 23, 2023
It was certain Oats would be asked about this juxtaposition during his media session Thursday at the NCAA Tournament South Region, and he responded by declaring he has tremendous respect for Saban and his visit at a practice Wednesday in Tuscaloosa was welcome. He acknowledged they spoke later that night.
“I didn’t take it that way at all,” Oats said. “I got a ton of respect for Coach. I said, my opening press conference when I got hired at Alabama, that he may be the best coach for team sports in modern sports history.
“I’ve got a ton of respect for him. He has been tremendously supportive of our program since we got here. He says it all the time: He wants the entire athletic department to do well. He has been at multiple games this year. He came yesterday to speak to the team.
“He was good. The players loved it. He and I have got a great relationship, and I’m really thankful for the support that he has given us and continues to give us with the basketball program at Alabama.”
DECOURCY: Ranking the 16 teams still standing in the NCAA tournament
It appeared Thursday that, after so many horrific public missteps and miscalculations relative to his program, Oats and his players had been instructed on a better way to manage their communication with the public.
Oats was asked if he and his team have been able to enjoy their recent basketball success, which includes an SEC Tournament championship, the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and a spot in the Sweet 16 – given all that has transpired of late.
Oats emphatically declared, “Yeah, we’re having a blast,” and explained the team has been winning games and becoming closer because they “lean on each other,” a phrase that had been employed, as well, by two of the Crimson Tide players who spoke with reporters.
And then Oats redirected his answer toward the tragedy that has come to define Alabama basketball’s season.
“We’ve never lost sight of the fact that we have a heartbreaking situation surrounding the program,” Oats said. “The fact that we have such a good group of guys enables them to keep that, as they should, to be a serious matter, and it has been. But you know, you play basketball from the time you were young to get to these moments, and we’re going to enjoy these moments. They’ve earned the right to enjoy the moment they’re in, and I think our guys are having a lot of fun.”
DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT: Miller has makings of NBA star
Oats also was careful not to be specific when asked about whether the Alabama basketball players had been addressed by an outside speaker about issues relating to guns. (Alabama is a permitless carry state, but guns are prohibited on the university campus. The shooting of Jamea Harris occurred more than a mile away from campus in an area known as The Strip.) It is common for university athletic teams to bring in experts in a variety of fields to broaden their athletes’ understanding of opportunities and potential problems.
“That’s been addressed, certainly,” Oats said. “And we’ve got an unbelievable administration with us, and they take the opportunities when it’s appropriate to reemphasize certain things that have been previously talked about and need to be emphasized …
“We emphasize you have to follow university policy. There’s university policy. As a student-athlete, you should be above reproach on all university policies regarding any of that type of stuff.”
Alabama is not hiding behind the controversy to keep Miller hidden. He was one of three players to speak at the Crimson Tide’s press conference and frequently answered questions that were directed to the panel generally, not just those presented specifically to him.
He said he felt he would be “100 percent” recovered from a groin injury that bothered him during the tournament’s first weekend. He talked about San Diego State’s lineup and approach to the game and was impressed the Aztecs employ true big men at the center and power forward positions. When asked about whether there’s a common thread to the games in which he has struggled this season, he redirected that toward praise of his teammates. “Just knowing I have guys behind me to back me up when I’m not on each night – it’s kind of a great thing to have,” Miller said.
Before he departed, Miller was asked how the team has been able to perform through the “distractions” that resulted from the arrest of Miles and the revelations during the February court hearing, including that Miller and freshman guard Jaden Bradley had been present at the shooting.
“I feel like we just lean on each other,” Miller said.