Alabama Basketball's Darius Miles to Make Trip to Ole Miss

Miles will make the road trip with the Crimson Tide to Ole Miss after serving a one-game suspension against Kentucky.

Author:
Joey Blackwell
Publish date:
Feb 8, 2022 1:25 PM EST

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — According to Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats, sophomore forward Darius Miles will be traveling with the team to Ole Miss and will play on Wednesday after serving a one-game suspension.

Also the specific reason as to why Miles was suspended was never officially revealed, it is known to have been because of a team-related issue.

"He's practiced with us the last two days," Oats said on Tuesday morning. "He's going to be making the road trip. We'll see how many minutes he plays probably based on some more meetings on the road trip, but he's practiced with us [and] he's making the road trip with us."

The meetings that Oats is referring to are between himself and/or his staff with Miles, which Oats also mentioned following the Crimson Tide's 66-55 loss to the No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night.

“Based on our conversation moving forward — obviously how he handles himself — we’re planning on him being available on Wednesday," Oats said. "That’s the plan. We’ll see how the conversations with him go moving forward.”

Saturday's suspension marked the second time Miles has missed a game, as he was also held out of Alabama's SEC opener against Tennessee on Dec. 29. In the week following that game, head coach Nate Oats chastised the forward’s practice habits, stating they would have to improve in order for him to earn more playing time.

Miles seemed to have earned his way out of the doghouse last month as he recorded back-to-back double-digit performances in losses to Auburn and Mississippi State. However, that spurt has died down in recent weeks as he has recorded 17 points over his last four games.

Miles played just nine minutes in Alabama’s 100-81 loss at Auburn on Tuesday, netting just 3 points and one rebound while shooting 1 of 4 from the floor. Through 20 games this season, he is averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds over 17.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-6, 185-pounder is shooting 40.7 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.