Alabama's suspension of forward Nick Pringle could signal shift for HC Nate Oats

The Alabama Crimson Tide used a dominant second half to come back to win over Georgia on Wednesday, but it was not all good news.

Forward Nick Pringle didn't accompany his teammates to Athens, with the ESPN broadcast attributing his absence to a suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team," according to AL.com.  And this isn't the first time this season that the senior has been suspended. Pringle was earlier suspended for several days in December, though he returned in the Tide's matchup with title contender Purdue. 

In both cases, the infraction was not anything criminal but rather seemed to be more of an attitude issue, Oats implied. 

"He’s gotta decide whether he wants to be a part of this program or not with some of his decisions and how he conducts himself," Oats explained. "Nothing bad off the court or anything like that just in practice, in games, we’ll see where he goes. We’ll meet when I get back." 

That description was quite similar to what the head coach said in December.

"Nothing serious off the court or anything, just in-house. There’s a standard we want our guys to uphold, and he wasn’t upholding it," according to a report in AL.com. 

Interestingly, Pringle's suspensions come just months after the conclusion of a tumultuous basketball season in Tuscaloosa, one in which the lack of a suspension drew intense scrutiny. The team grabbed the top seed in March Madness, but it came amid tragedy after Jamea Harris was shot and killed. 

While former Tide player Darius Miles allegedly supplied the gun to his friend Michael Davis (the alleged shooter), it was star freshman Brandon Miller who was accused of driving the gun to the scene of the crime. Miller, whom police considered a cooperating witness, was never suspended, a decision that drew national outrage. 

Oats and school officials have stood by that decision and Miller, who is currently racking up accolades as an NBA rookie, has avoided any further issues that would warrant scrutiny. But the decision to suspend Pringle – and suspend him again – could indicate Oats is taking a more hands-on approach to controlling his players' behavior. After all, last season ended with a loss to San Diego State in the Sweet 16, a finish far below expectations. 

Perhaps with Pringle, Oats is acting now to limit the type of distractions that have followed the Tide and may well have led to an early end to what could have been a spectacular season last spring.