Notre Dame Basketball Coach Charges Referee After Contentious Call

After the final whistle of the Notre Dame vs. University of California men’s basketball game on Friday, January 2, Fighting Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry charged at an official, upset over the controversial ending to the game that led to his team’s loss.

The game, broadcast on ESPN, showed a scrum near the Notre Dame bench after the game ended, with Notre Dame players and coaches holding Shrewsberry back after he charged at official Adam Flore as Flore made his way off the court.

Another angle of the incident, posted by The Athletic via X, shows a closeup of the moment as Shrewsberry charged Flore as soon as the game concluded.

Notre Dame lost the game, 72-71, after a controversial foul gave Cal free throws in the final seconds of the game.

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The referees originally called a foul on a three-point shot by Cal’s Dai Dai Ames, then reversed the call, then reversed the call again, creating confusion and frustration amongst both teams.

Cal came out on top after Ames made the extra free throw — after hitting the three-point shot that he was fouled on — leaving the Notre Dame team in disbelief of what transpired down the stretch, with frustrations boiling over.

Shrewsberry — who did not speak to the media after the game — released a statement on Saturday, January 3, showing remorse for his actions.

“I want to apologize for what took place immediately after the Cal game last night,” Shrewsberry said in a statement posted via X. “My actions were inappropriate and not symbolic of the leader I strive to be and what Notre Dame expects of its coaches and educators.”

He continued: “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 [Cal] Coach Madsen and his team, and to the ACC, as my actions were unacceptable.”

The ACC also released a statement after the incident, reprimanding Shrewsberry’s behavior towards the official.

“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 conference said in a statement. “The ACC considers this matter closed and will have no further comment.”

It is unclear whether Shrewsberry will face any repercussions for the incident.

After his team helped calm him down, Shrewsberry joined the rest of the players and coaches in the traditional postgame handshake line, stopping to talk and hug some of the Cal players.

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Cal head coach Mark Madsen addressed the incident after the game.

“There’s so much emotion in that gym — for the officials, for me, for the other team — but I was grateful Dai Dai rose up and made the shot,” Madsen said. “And I was grateful Dai Dai had the maturity and the huge presence of mind and the composure to knock down the free throw.”

He continued: “I thought there was a foul going up. [The officials] conversed a couple times, and they allowed it.”

Cal improved to 13-2 (1-1 ACC) with the win, while Notre Dame fell to 10-5 (1-1).