Alabama's Nate Oats Says Brandon Miller Situation Being Taken 'Very Seriously'

Alabama men's basketball coach Nate Oats continued to defend the program's response to Brandon Miller's connection with the fatal shooting of Jamea Jonae Harris.

"We feel like we've done the right thing in this case," he told reporters Friday of himself and athletic director Greg Byrne.

Oats also said: "We've been taking it very seriously from Day 1. The first minute that I got the information, I called Greg and we talked about it and the severity of it. Greg, I thought, did a great job addressing those comments on Wednesday, and I really don't have much to add to it."

A police investigator testified that Miller brought the gun that was used to shoot Harris after former teammate Darius Miles sent him a message requesting it.

Miller's attorney, Jim Standridge, said the freshman forward "never touched the gun" and "never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur."

Miller was also at the scene when the shooting occurred. His vehicle was struck multiple times before he drove away.

Ex-Alabama player Miles, who was immediately dismissed from the team, and another man, Michael Davis, face capital murder charges in the case.

Although Miller hasn't been charged with a crime, Oats and Byrne have drawn criticism for how they've handled the situation.

Oats had to apologize for comments he made Tuesday, when he said Alabama "knew about" the details surrounding Miller and that the player was in the "wrong spot at the wrong time."

On Wednesday, he told reporters he "didn't have the details from the hearing that morning since I was coming straight from practice and I used a poor choice of words, making it appear like I wasn't taking this tragic situation seriously, which we have throughout the course of it."

Speaking with ESPN's Rece Davis, Byrne acknowledged it might look like Alabama was giving Miller preferential treatment because of his status on the team. He countered he felt Miller "needed to be treated fairly, like any other student-athlete should be."

Miller continues to feature for the Crimson Tide and is coming off his best performance in a 78-76 overtime victory over South Carolina on Wednesday. He finished with 41 points and was responsible for the game-tying bucket in regulation and the game-winning shot in overtime.

Harris' stepfather, Delvin Heard, told USA Today's Josh Peter that Oats' handling of the matter has been "godawful." Her mother, DeCarla Cotton, was disappointed with the lack of consequences for Miller so far.

"It's just unimaginable, and it's like his life is just going on,'' she said. "He took a brief pause and it didn't stop. It's like, OK, slap on the wrist and go play ball."