The second stint of Charles Bediako’s Alabama career lasted just five games before a Tuscaloosa circuit court judge denied his motion for a preliminary injunction on Monday.
Bediako was able to return to college basketball thanks to a temporary restraining order that effectively ignored his three NBA G League seasons and his two-way deal. For Alabama, the experiment didn’t necessarily change the fate of their season as they went just 3-2 with him, but it certainly stirred up plenty of drama.
Regardless of the backlash, head coach Nate Oats revealed it was absolutely worth taking a chance on Bediako.
“100%,” Oats said. “There was an opportunity to help one of our former players out. He was within his five-year window, he was trying to get his degree…My job as a head coach is to do the right thing by our guys. Charles is one of our guys. That was the right thing to do by one of our guys. Like I’ve said before, it’s not some mercenary deal…A 23-year-old coming in for a semester that nobody knows for a random semester.
“He was deemed legally eligible to play,” Oats said. “We’re going to absolutely support him.”
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After three straight years of 25+ win seasons, the Crimson Tide are sitting at 17-7 with seven games remaining.
In the latest update of Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, they were projected to earn a No. 5 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. While the team likely enjoyed having a big man with as much skill as Bediako, they will need to rely on the guys they started the year with to make a run.
Related: Alabama Makes Statement After Court Rules on Charles Bediako-NCAA Eligibility Battle