Charles Bediako Cleared to Play for Alabama Amid Legal Battle with NCAA
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Charles Bediako is back with the Crimson Tide - at least for now. Alabama head coach Nate Oats confirmed Friday that the 7-foot center will suit up against Tennessee on Saturday, following a court ruling that temporarily reinstated Bediako’s college eligibility.
“We are planning to play him,” Oats said. “He’s eligible to play. We’re going to follow the court orders.”
It’s a twist in what’s quickly becoming one of the most talked-about eligibility cases in college basketball. Just a day earlier, a Tuscaloosa judge granted Bediako a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, effectively blocking the organization from punishing him - or Alabama - for his return to the college game.
Bediako, 23, had declared for the 2023 NBA Draft but went undrafted. Since then, he’s bounced around the professional ranks, most recently suiting up for the Motor City Cruise in the NBA’s G League. Despite that, he’s now back in Tuscaloosa, practicing with the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide and preparing to contribute on the court once again.
The legal ruling, handed down by Judge James H. Roberts Jr., states that Bediako is “immediately eligible” to participate in all team activities.
Roberts also barred the NCAA from imposing or even suggesting penalties against Bediako, his coaches, or Alabama’s program. The order is temporary, valid for 10 days, with a full hearing on a preliminary injunction scheduled for Tuesday.
Oats didn’t hold back when discussing the broader implications.
“First of all, the system’s clearly broken,” he said. “I’m all for figuring out a way to fix it. But since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play… you tell me how I’m supposed to tell Charles and the team that we’re not going to support them when he’s been deemed legally eligible to play.”
Oats pointed to the case of Baylor’s James Nnaji as a precedent. Nnaji, a 2023 NBA Draft pick who never signed an NBA contract, had been playing in the EuroLeague with FC Barcelona before being granted eligibility to play for Baylor in December. Oats questioned why international professionals seem to have a smoother path back to college hoops than their American counterparts.
“Really what it does, it gives very preferential treatment to the international players and penalizes American players for choosing to go to an academic institution,” Oats said. “And we are in the NCAA, which is a conglomeration of academic institutions.”
Bediako’s return has sparked reaction from around the college basketball world - and not all of it supportive. Florida head coach Todd Golden didn’t mince words during his school’s radio show Thursday night, calling the Tuscaloosa judge an Alabama booster and adding, “We’ll beat ’em anyways.” The Gators host Alabama on February 1, and that matchup just got a little more interesting.
Golden followed up on Friday, saying the situation underscores the need for clearer guidelines.
“We do need some intervention, someone to say, ‘Hey, this is why it’s OK; this is why it’s not OK,’” Golden said. “Right now, we’re just kind of sitting in no-man’s land. Everybody has their opinions, but it feels like nobody can do anything because a judge ruled this - in Tuscaloosa, which is kind of crazy to me.”
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, whose team will face Alabama on Saturday, also weighed in.
“When you make the choice to give up your college eligibility, you’ve given it up,” Barnes said. “And I don’t care if it’s someone that has been in the service, come back. Once they start that clock and they make that choice, they’ve made that choice.”
For now, though, Bediako is back in the fold. The Crimson Tide are adding a rim protector with size, experience, and a deep understanding of their system. In two seasons with Alabama from 2021-23, Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament twice.
Whether he remains eligible beyond the next 10 days will depend on how the legal proceedings unfold. But make no mistake - Bediako’s return could have a real impact on Alabama’s frontcourt rotation, and the ripple effects are already being felt around the SEC.