Nate Oats opens up on balancing NCAA Tournament with ongoing legal investigation

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•03/13/23•

BarkleyTruax

Alabama swept the SEC Championships and is entering the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed, but head coach Nate Oats isn’t forgetting the terrible tragedy that will forever blemish the 2023 Crimson Tide basketball season regardless of how they finish.

“Obviously, we never lose sight of the tragedy that’s kind of marked our season. It’s always there,” Oats said after winning the SEC Tournament. “Today, with the team, we’re going to celebrate this win without losing sight of that. Moving forward, we’re going to try to keep the team focused on the task at hand, just like we have, without ever losing sight of the fact it’s an unbelievably sad situation.

“Our guys have been able to do a pretty good job of that, I think. [I’d] love to celebrate what we were able to accomplish together as a team.”

The tragedy Oats is referring to is the murder of Jamea Harris that involved Alabama basketball players Brandon Miller and Darius Miles, who was accompanied by Michael Davis, the man that pulled the trigger. Miller was not charged and both Miles and Davis remain in the Tuscaloosa County Jail and continue to be held without bond.

CLICK HERE to WIN March Madness Prizes in On3’s Bracket Challenge

Police testimony revealed Miller received a text Miles asking him to bring a gun to the scene of the shooting. The gun belonged to Miles, as previous court records said, and Miller’s attorney later released a statement sharing his side of the story.

Miller has since commented on the matter himself, saying that he has never lost sight of the fact that a family has lost their loved one. He said the situation is heartbreaking and that he has been leaning on his teammates and focusing on basketball in the meantime.

Now as a two-time SEC Champion in the same season, Miller and Alabama will head into the NCAA Tournament for their opening game on Thursday at 2:45 p.m. ET live on CBS. They will play the winner of Texas A&M-CC and Southeast Missouri St. in Tuesday’s First Four opening matchup.