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Jeff Borzello
Alabama coach Nate Oats said Friday he plans to play Charles Bediako against Tennessee on Saturday, after the former Crimson Tide center was granted a temporary restraining order earlier this week to return to college basketball and play immediately.
«He’s eligible to play,» Oats said. «We’re going to follow the court orders.»
Bediako played two seasons at Alabama in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before leaving early for the NBA draft. He went undrafted and never played in an NBA game, spending the past three seasons playing for three different G League teams, suiting up as recently as last weekend for the Motor City Cruise.
James Nnaji, the first drafted player to be given eligibility in men’s college basketball — Bediako signed a two-way deal with multiple NBA teams, and the NCAA has previously given that as its line in the sand when it comes to eligibility.
The NCAA has released two statements on Bediako’s situation. On Tuesday, before a Tuscaloosa Circuit Court judge ruled that Bediako was eligible to play and that the NCAA couldn’t punish Alabama in any way as a result, the organization reiterated that it «has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract.»
After the judge’s decision, the NCAA again appealed to Congress for assistance in dealing with the constant threats on its eligibility regulations.
«These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students,» the NCAA said Wednesday. «A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules.»
A full hearing on Bediako’s request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
In his news conference on Friday, Oats called for an overhaul to the NCAA’s system, calling it «clearly broken.»
«My personal opinion on all of this is we need a uniform and transparent system that doesn’t punish the Americans, that takes the hypocrisy out of it, that gives equal treatment to Americans and international players both, while also allowing high school players the opportunities they need coming out of school. Someone should be able to come up with a system that checks all those boxes,» he said. «But for now, we’re going to continue to support Charles.»
Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in his two seasons at Alabama.
