Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry lost his cool after a controversial call late in his team’s 72-71 loss to Cal on Friday night.
As soon as the final whistle blew, Shrewsbury sprinted off the field in pursuit of referee Adam Flower. Multiple players and staff had to restrain Shrewsbury as the third-year Notre Dame coach continued to yell at Flower and point in his direction.
He became the target of Shrewsbury’s fury when Flower gave Carr a four-point lead in the final seconds.
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With 3 seconds and 9.9 left in the game and Notre Dame taking the lead, Shrewsbury instructed the Fighting Irish to foul before Carr attempted a game-tying 3-pointer. Notre Dame guard Logan Imes mistimed and punched Cal guard Dai Dai Ames before he rose up and drained a transition 3-pointer from the left wing.
Flor initially judged this to be an and-1 chance. The referee later overturned the call, saying the foul occurred before the shot was made. The referees then came together again and overturned the call a second time, deeming the basket a good one and sending Ames to the free throw line for a go-ahead free throw attempt with 5.5 seconds left.
“I thought there was a foul,” Cal coach Mark Madsen told reporters after the game. “I saw the referee’s signal. They talked a few times and they agreed. There were so many emotions in the gym, for the referee, for me, for the other team. I’m grateful that Day stood up and shot, and I’m grateful that Day had the maturity, cool head and composure to shoot the free throw.”
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Notre Dame had one last chance to win after Ames made the go-ahead free throw, but Brayden Shrewsbury’s 3-pointer went just outside the front basket.
It’s unclear what punishment, if any, Micah Shrewsberry will face for his actions after the final buzzer. A Notre Dame spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email from Yahoo Sports seeking comment.
