Nate Oats defends Charles Bediako move amid widespread consternation
Published:
In the days since a Tuscaloosa circuit court judge ruled in favor of ex-Alabama big man Charles Bediako rejoining the Crimson Tide, a chorus of angry coaches across college basketball has erupted. Some have pointed to past comments made by Alabama coach Nate Oats that look hypocritical in light of recent events. Some have claimed games Alabama plays with Bediako shouldn’t count toward Alabama’s NCAA Tournament résumé.
Oats does not care.
In a regularly-scheduled press conference on Friday, Oats confirmed that Alabama plans to let Bediako play on Saturday against Tennessee and defended his decision to bring the former G League player back onto his team.
“First of all, the system is clearly broken, and I am all for figuring out a way to fix it,” Oats said to open the presser. “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.
“Charles is still within his 5-year window. He’s 23 years old. He’s pursuing his degree here at Alabama. We’ve got a roster spot open, so this is not taking any opportunities away from a high school recruit or anybody else. Charles shouldn’t be punished for choosing to go the academic route out of high school rather than the professional route like the international players did.”
AL.com’s Nick Kelly was first to report earlier this week that a judge had granted Bediako a temporary restraining order in his case against the NCAA, opening a 10-day window of eligibility for him. A preliminary injunction is set for Jan. 27, where it will be determined if Bediako will continue to be eligible.
While helping the Crimson Tide to SEC titles and a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23, Bediako started all 37 games and averaged 6.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 20.8 minutes per game. After that season, he declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, but was not selected.
He did go on to sign a 2-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs, and has subsequently signed several other professional contracts, but he has not yet appeared in an NBA game. He played in 34 regular-season games for the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League last season. He also had several appearances for the Motor City Cruise this season.
Oats pointed to the return of Baylor’s James Nnaji, who was drafted in the 2023 NBA Draft but returned to the school earlier this season.
His case on Friday essentially boiled down to this: while he feels the current set of rules needs a major overhaul, he won’t sit on his hands if he can help his team.
“My personal opinion in all of this is we need a uniform and transparent system,” Oats said, “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.”
Oats was directly asked what made him comfortable with moving forward with Bediako on the team amidst the fervor surrounding the decision. Simply, he said it makes sense to him to do so. Both sides had interest after watching the Nnaji situation unfold the way it did at Baylor.
“The James Nnaji situation was really what put it over the edge, in my opinion,” Oats said. “You see all these players in the EuroLeague being eligible to come play. They’re pros. They’re professionals playing in the second-best league in the world behind the NBA.”
Oats added that he assumed the NCAA would deem Bediako eligible. When it did not, they turned to the legal system.
“We’re comfortable with what’s happened so far,” he said.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
