The Alabama Crimson Tide are all in on the season ahead. However, they are also navigating the broken system within the NCAA after bringing back former Crimson Tide and G-League player Charles Bediako. In the midst of it all, Bediako was granted a temporary waiver by a judge to play.
“Former Alabama standout Charles Bediako, who entered the 2023 NBA draft and signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs that year, has been granted a temporary restraining order to return to the Crimson Tide and college basketball immediately, a judge ruled Wednesday,” ESPN’s Myron Medcalf wrote.
Now, Alabama faces a decision on whether to play Bediako, especially on such short notice with a matchup against Tennessee looming on Saturday. The belief is that the Crimson Tide plan to give him significant playing time.
“Alabama men’s basketball plans to play Charles Bediako against Tennessee on Saturday if all goes smoothly over the next two days, a source with direct knowledge of the decision told AL.com on Wednesday,” AL.com’s Nick Kelly wrote.
If Bediako does play, regardless of how long he remains eligible, the NCAA could make a statement amid the ongoing situation. ESPN’s Seth Greenberg recently explained that while jurisdictional law currently allows Bediako to play, the NCAA could still force Alabama to forfeit every game in which he appears.
“The NCAA could make a huge statement. The statement is real simple: you can play that guy because the law says you have to play him, but under our bylaws those games do not have to count. You can win the next 10 games, but those games will all be forfeits, they will not show up on your resume because you are playing an ineligible player,” Greenberg said.
Something has to change in situations like this, as college coaches are growing increasingly frustrated with how these cases are handled. Now, games could be taken away because of the NCAA’s lengthy decision-making process.
Situations like this will continue to arise if nothing is done to address the issue. The Crimson Tide are likely to use Bediako, but the potential cost of doing so may be more than they are willing to risk.