Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry charges at official after controversial call
A disputed call near the end of his team’s 72-71 loss at Cal on Friday night caused Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry to lose his composure.
Shrewsberry charged off the floor in pursuit of referee Adam Flore as soon as the final horn sounded. Multiple players and staffers had to restrain Shrewsberry as the third-year Notre Dame coach continued to shout at Flore and point in his direction.
Flore became the target of Shrewsberry’s rage when he controversially awarded Cal the chance for a go-ahead four-point play in the final seconds.
With Notre Dame leading by three and 9.9 seconds to play, Shrewsberry instructed the Fighting Irish to foul before Cal could attempt a game-tying 3-pointer. Notre Dame guard Logan Imes twice swiped at Cal guard Dai Dai Ames as he crossed mid-court but no foul was called. The third time, Imes got the timing wrong, reaching at Ames just before he rose and buried a 3-pointer from the left wing.
Flore initially ruled it an and-1 opportunity. Then the referees overturned that call and said the foul occurred before the shot. Then the referees huddled together once more and reversed the call a second time, deeming the basket good and sending Ames to the foul line to attempt the go-ahead free throw with 5.5 seconds remaining.
“I thought there was a foul going up,” Cal coach Mark Madsen told reporters after the game. “I saw the official signal it. They conversed a couple times and they allowed it. There’s so much emotion in that gym, for the officials, for me, for the other team. I was grateful Dai Dai rose up and made the shot and I was grateful Dai Dai had the maturity and the huge presence of mind and the composure to knock down the free throw.”
After Ames sank the go-ahead foul shot, Notre Dame had one final chance to win, but Braedon Shrewsberry’s 3-point attempt clanked off the front rim.
In a statement released Saturday morning, Micah Shrewsberry apologized for his behavior after the final buzzer, calling his actions "inappropriate and not symbolic of the leader I strive to be and what Notre Dame expects of its coaches and educators."
"I will learn from this lack of judgement and be better in the future," he added.
Shrewsberry apparently will avoid suspension for his postgame actions. The ACC called the matter closed on Saturday after publicly reprimanding Shrewsberry for violating the league's sportsmanship policy.
“Shrewsberry aggressively confronted a member of the officiating crew following the game," the ACC's statement said. "The unsportsmanlike behavior that was displayed is unacceptable and tarnishes the on-court play between these institutions."
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