Alabama basketball Freshman Aiden Sherrell only saw two minutes of action for Purdue.
It wasn’t the experience of other Crimson Tide rookies like Derrion Reid, who got 13 minutes, or Labaron Philon, who made the starting five and became UA’s leading scorer in a game Defeat 87-78 on the road last Friday.
Sitting the 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man as he enters the game for Rutgers grad transfer Clifford Omoruyi was justified when it happened, but coach Nate Oats knew Sherrell shouldn’t have remained on the bench after being subbed off with more than 13 minutes left in the half.
The sixth-year skipper put it simply during Monday’s press conferences at Coleman Coliseum before No. 7 Alabama’s top-20 game against No. 20 Illinois (3-0). CM Newton Classic.
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Alabama basketball’s Nate Oats admits fault in handling Aiden Sherrell at Purdue
“I made a mistake, to be honest with you,” Oats told the media. He also said he told Sherrell he “should have had more minutes.”
Oats remembers watching Sherrell feel overwhelmed by an electric, deafening environment as Alabama (3-1) faced its season No. 1 opponent at Mackey Arena, saying he “didn’t really have the necessarily ready for that” after having drawn the match. two quick and costly personal fouls.
However, when Oats went back to watch the tape and relived Alabama’s struggles against 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who lost 26 against the Crimson Tide, he surrendered realizes that he should have given Sherrell another chance.
During the season, the Prolific Prep product saw a season-high 17 minutes in the opener against UNC-Asheville, recording six points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Oats said he told Sherrell, “Look man, if you feel like you can keep him, feel free to tell me during the game, like, ‘Give me a chance. Give me two minutes and I’ll I’ll stop.’ “
Still, Oats lamented not just asking the No. 4 center in the 2024 recruiting class to get back into the game himself. Especially in moments like the second half, where Alabama didn’t were able to capitalize on a six-point lead midway as Omoruyi found himself struggling after an injury earlier in the period.
“His attitude is great. I love him,” Oats said of Sherrell. “He makes you want to play him more because he just came in and worked really hard the last three days, and I would expect him to get a lot more minutes than that in the next game.”
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
This article was originally published on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball player Nate Oats said he ‘missed’ against Purdue
