COLUMBIA, Mo. — When he first arrived on Missouri’s campus last summer, freshman basketball player Aidan Shaw started a habit that soon became a ritual. Every time he steps on the court — it could be a practice, a shootaround or a game — he screams as loud as he can.

Why?

“I’m just trying to develop a new character for myself,” the springy 6-foot-8 rookie said earlier this season. “I see myself as a kind of nicer guy. On the court, I can’t really do that. So I’ve got to be somebody else. So I started screaming every time I walk on the court, just to show, like, I’m a monster.”

The daily primal screams are enough to startle a guest at Mizzou Arena not familiar with Shaw’s on-court transformation, but for coaches and teammates, they barely flinch these days. They’re also getting used to the kind of eye-popping play Shaw pulled off Saturday.

Shaw’s first college start produced the most spectacular highlight of MU’s showdown with Alabama and provided a glimpse of the freshman’s potential above the rim. Midway through the first half of a game Alabama mostly dominated, Shaw swooped to the rim from the court’s corner, snatched a lob from Isiaih Mosley and stuffed it behind his head for a reverse dunk to ignite the crowd and give the Tigers a short-lived lead.

After the game, an 85-64 Crimson Tide victory, Mizzou coach Dennis Gates made a comment both surprising and revealing: Shaw did not replace leading scorer and rebounder Kobe Brown in the starting lineup. Brown was out because of a sprained ankle, but, Gates said, Shaw was going to make his first start regardless of Brown’s status — because he earned it.

“He did a great job throughout this week but also (Friday),” Gates said. “And I thought he was ready to start his first game.”

“For me, I feel like I’ve just been preparing for it,” Shaw said. “So when my name was called, I was ready to play and just give my 110% on the court for my team.”

That meant junior forward Noah Carter was the player actually starting in place of Brown, whom Gates scratched shortly before tip-off. It’s uncertain if Brown will play Tuesday when the Tigers (14-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) play at Ole Miss (9-10, 1-6), a 6 p.m. tip-off on SEC Network. With or without Brown, the Tigers could score their first SEC road win of the season against a Rebels team that’s struggled offensively under fifth-year coach Kermit Davis.

As for Shaw’s offense, his dunk was his only shot attempt Saturday to go along with three rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes, his most action since Mizzou’s loss to Kansas on Dec. 10. The Tigers clearly were better when he was on the floor: Shaw finished with MU’s best plus-minus rating in the game at plus-12.

His first career start came just two games after he never left the bench at Florida, his first DNP (did not play) of his college career. He returned to the rotation last Wednesday against Arkansas and drilled two critical 3-pointers — he’s made just four all season — to supply some much-needed perimeter shooting.

Gates was especially impressed with Shaw’s response to getting benched.

“He’s the first one to take the blame,” Gates said. “Aidan Shaw is the first one to say, ‘Coach, my fault. I need to do better.’ ... It’s the learning process. And what I’m proud about is the fact that he embraces the process. He embraced his DNP. He embraced it. (His mother) Ivy didn’t like it, but he embraced it, and we saw a person come in and go two for two from the 3 with confidence. We saw him practice in a different light. It’s part of the process. It’s part of his journey.”

Shaw, from Overland Park, Kansas, first committed to play for Mizzou under former coach Cuonzo Martin and after briefly considering other programs when MU fired Martin, he recommitted to play for Gates. He’s averaged just 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, but he leads Gates’ regulars in shooting percentage (61.4%) and ranks third in blocks with nine.

He’ll take the occasional 3-pointer, but 65.9% of his shot attempts have come at the rim, per Hoop-math.com, which ranks second only to 6-10 center Mohamad Diarra (66.7%) among MU’s scholarship players. One area to improve: He’s attempted only 10 free throws all season.

“What I’m proud is how these guys challenge him every day,” Gates said. “They don’t let him take a day off. They don’t. And they make it rough for the young guy, and he does a great job of responding and receiving that type of leadership from his teammates.”