Nate Oats clarifies his Cliff Omoruyi quote had nothing to do with Auburn
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama head coach Nate Oats spoke highly of Cliff Omoruyi after the Texas A&M game when the center exited with an ankle injury but was later able to return.
“A lot of guys would have just sat that one out after they rolled their ankle like he did,” Oats said Saturday. “And he manned up, wanted to play, wanted to be there for his teammates.”
Omoruyi appeared to step on teammate Jarin Stevenson’s foot and rolled his right ankle early in the second half. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound big man stayed down on the floor at Reed Arena and needed help off the court from Alabama trainer Clarke Holter. Omoruyi didn’t put pressure on his right leg as he slowly made his way to the visiting team’s locker room.
But Omoruyi returned to action and pulled down four second-half rebounds to help the Tide earn its eighth straight win. Alabama’s center finished the road victory with seven points, a team-best 10 rebounds and one block in 16 minutes and was key in the Crimson Tide out-rebounding A&M by eight, 54-46, including a slight 24-23 edge on the offensive glass.
That led to praise from his coach, but it also resulted in rival fans thinking it was a shot.
Auburn big man Johni Broome suffered an ankle injury earlier in the day on Saturday and didn’t return to the Tigers’ win over South Carolina. Oats made it clear his comments weren’t directed toward the early favorite for national player of the year, only about his center.
Top 10
- 1New
Transfer Portal window
Coaches propose big change
- 2Hot
Sanders addresses rumors
Prime talks Cowboys job
- 3
Fake injuries
New rule under discussion
- 4Trending
Kiffin jabs Saban
Sydney Thomas pic sparks shot
- 5
'Bullshit'
Mario Cristobal defends Cam Ward
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“Apparently, there was some misunderstanding. People obviously wanted to take some stuff I say and twist. I’m fairly used to that, but when I referred to Cliff being tough coming back from an ankle injury, I had nothing in my head at all about Johni Broome’s injury. When I saw the video of Johni Broome’s injury, it looked like he broke it. Significantly different injuries.
“Saying that one of our guys is tough does not insinuate that somebody from another team is not. It’s two totally separate injuries. So if somebody misconstrued that, it’s similar to when I say that Holloway is playing well for us. That doesn’t mean that it had anything to do with the coaching staff at his previous school. Some players need a year in college and they play a little bit better.
“Holloway’s been playing great. Cliff’s tough. It doesn’t insinuate anything about the other great program in our state who is currently the best team in the country. Get that straight moving forward for anybody that tried to twist my words on Cliff’s injury.”
Alabama will return to action on January 14 when it welcomes Ole Miss to Coleman Coliseum. The matchup between the Crimson Tide and Rebels will tip off at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!
Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $11.99! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!
