TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Oats had plenty of praise for Alabama forward Clifford Omoruyi after Alabama’s 94-88 win over Texas A&M on Saturday. Omoruyi bounced back from an ankle injury and had seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds in a top-10 win for the Tide.
After the game, Oats praised Omouryi’s toughness when he came back in the game after going back to the locker room to deal with a twisted ankle.
“I’ll say a lot about Cliff, man,” Oats said. “A lot of guys would have just sat that one out after they rolled their ankle like he did. And he manned up, wanted to play, wanted to be there for his teammates. He ends up with 10 rebounds in 16-plus minutes, and you can’t say enough about it because we ended up getting 54 and he got about 20 percent of our rebounds. Good game for him.
The comment drew speculation that Oats was taking a shot at Auburn forward Johni Broome, who also suffered an ankle injury Saturday in the Tigers narrow win over South Carolina. Broome did not return after exiting with around 13 minutes left in the game.
Oats clarified that his comment was not a shot at Broome when speaking to reporters Monday ahead of Alabama’s matchup against No. 22 Ole Miss on Tuesday.
“When I referred to Cliff being tough coming back from the ankle injury, I had nothing in my head at all about Johni Broome’s injury,” Oats said. “When I saw the video of Johni Broome’s injury it looked like he broke it. Significantly different injuries. Saying one of our guys is tough does not insinuate somebody from the other team is not.
“It’s two totally separate injuries so if somebody misconstrued that — similarly to when I say [Auburn transfer] Aden Holloway playing well for us. That doesn’t have 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. So, Holloway’s been playing great, Cliff’s tough. Doesn’t insinuate anything about the other great program about our state that’s currently the best team in the country.”
Broome’s injury will not require surgery, according to multiple reports. As far as Omouryi, Oats said he is back in practice in a limited capacity and he is expecting him to be available against Ole Miss.
“He practiced in a limited role today, I thought he looked pretty good,” Oats said. “I expect him to go tomorrow. He was good for us after he twisted his ankle on Saturday.”
Oats also confirmed Alabama guard Houston Mallette will miss a second straight game due to recurring knee injuries. He previously told reporters that a medical redshirt is being considered for the Pepperdine transfer.
“Houston had two really bad knees when he came in,” Oats said. “He’s made a ton of progress on them since he’s got here, but they continue to have to be evaluated and he goes backward on some stuff we gotta keep that — he’s still got a limited practice deal. So we’re gonna actually keep him out tomorrow. So Cliff will be in, Houston will be out like it was last game.”
Alabama faces Ole Miss at 7 p.m. Tuesday night inside Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN U.
