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Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry Reprimanded for Charging Ref Over Controversial Call

A questionable late foul call gave California a go-ahead four-point play to beat the Fighting Irish.

Dan Lyons

Micah Shrewsberry was reprimanded by the ACC after charging refs following a controversial finish to Notre Dame’s loss at Cal.
Micah Shrewsberry was reprimanded by the ACC after charging refs following a controversial finish to Notre Dame’s loss at Cal. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame men’s basketball lost at California Friday due in part to a deeply controversial call that gave the Golden Bears a four-point play in the final seconds. However, the reaction of Fighting Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry is what has garnered much of the attention from the end of the 72–71 defeat.

Notre Dame led the Cal 71–68 with under 10 seconds to play, when guard Dai Dai Ames drilled a game-tying three from the corner with 5.5 seconds left on the clock. Notre Dame guard Logan Imes appeared to try and reach for a foul before Ames went up with the shot, but when it wasn’t called, he quickly backed away, giving Ames an open look. After an initial reversal of the foul call, the officiating crew led by Adam Flore ultimately called it a shooting foul, putting Ames on the line for what would be the game-winning free throw.

It looked like the clear wrong call, but Shrewsberry’s reaction was over the top. After guard Braeden Shrewsberry missed Notre Dame’s last second shot, the Fighting Irish coach ran onto the court and charged at the exiting officials, with staff members and players having to restrain him.

Micah Shrewsberry was reprimanded, but not suspended, by the ACC after the incident

The ACC put out a statement on Saturday morning after Notre Dame’s loss:

“The Atlantic Coast Conference has issued a public reprimand of Notre Dame men’s basketball head coach Micah Shrewsberry for violating the ACC Sportsmanship Policy following Notre Dame’s game against California on Friday, January 2.

“Shrewsberry aggressively confronted a member of the officiating crew following the game. The unsportsmanlike behavior that was displayed is unacceptable and tarnishes the on-court play between these institutions.

“The ACC considers this matter closed and will have no further comment.”

Shrewsberry apologized for his actions shortly before the ACC’s release

The Notre Dame coach released an apology through the program’s X account shortly before the ACC’s statement.

“I want to apologize for what took place immediately after the Cal game last night,” Shrewsberry wrote. “My actions were 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. I want to apologize to our team, our University and its leaders, to (California) Coach (Mark) Madsen and his team, and to the ACC, as my actions were unacceptable.”

The Fighting Irish are 10–5 with the loss, while California moved up to 13–2. Notre Dame returns to play next Saturday at home against Clemson.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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