Why Aiden Sherrell Didn't Play Against Auburn

Alabama head coach Nate Oats "felt bad" for not subbing the freshman forward in against the Tigers, but a stellar showing during Monday's practice reminded him of the limited past of one of the Crimson Tide's current standouts.

Alabama forward Aiden Sherrell (22) in action against Georgia at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Feb 1, 2025. / Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama men's basketball has been known for its vast amount of depth even before the season started.

Crimson Tide freshman forward Aiden Sherrell has received the fewest minutes per game (8.0) among the active players and the former McDonald's All-American had seen time on the floor in every game.

That was until Saturday, when the then-No. 2 Crimson Tide fell to No. 1 Auburn 94-85 at home. Sherrell warmed up and was dressed in uniform, but never took off the long-sleeve shirt for the duration of the game.

“It had nothing to do with the way Aiden’s been playing because I think he’s been playing much better basketball," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during Tuesday's press conference. "I did feel bad. We tried to win the game, and I thought we went with guys who were working. I would anticipate Aiden getting minutes in the first half here against Missouri and seeing where that goes from there.

“I felt bad. I love the kid. I actually praised him a lot in a video this morning because for a kid to not play in a game for the first time all year––and [forward Mouhamed Dioubate] had multiple games where he didn’t play last year, and I thought his attitude stayed great. It’s well known, everybody in here would agree, we don’t make a Final Four run without what [Dioubate] did in the NCAA Tournament."

So, why didn't Sherrell see time against Auburn's threatening frontcourt of Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell?

“They had the two bigs that started, so we thought it may be a game he could play,” Oats said. “Cardwell got in foul trouble, which limited a lot of his minutes in the first half. I didn’t think Cliff [Omoruyi] was necessarily great early. Gave up the two threes, and Broome got off to a great start. We brought Mo D in.

“Mo D’s been a little bit of a spark plug. He hit two threes. Mo D’s a better matchup to guard Broome on the perimeter. And after Cardwell picked the two fouls up, they weren’t as big as what we initially thought they’d be, particularly in the first half.

“Then with Mo D doing a good job and then Cliff did a really good job on him after he came back in after the first stint, we kind of just went back and forth between Cliff and Mo D, who I thought were doing a great job, and then they didn’t play two bigs nearly as much as we thought they would, and it kind of shook out that way."

Oats mentioned Dioubate's attitude from last season once again when it came to practicing after not even seeing time on the floor the game before. He thought Sherrell showed very similar signs during Monday's practice.

"We have practice MVP voting," Oats said. "There were only two guys that got practice MVP votes from the team yesterday, and it was Grant [Nelson] and Aiden Sherrell. “So for him to come back and practice as hard, with as good an attitude as he did, when a lot of guys would have been immature, pouted, he’s not that.”

As Oats said, expect Sherrell to see time in the first half against No. 15 Missouri on the road on Wednesday night.

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