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Alabama

Nate Oats bemoans NCAA's decision to rule Charles Bediako ineligible after NCAA Tournament elimination

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs03/28/26grant_grubbs_

On Friday, Alabama suffered a season-ending 90-77 loss to Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen. In the loss, Alabama was out-rebounded 46-32 by Michigan. After the game, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats discussed the rebounding disparity and brought up Alabama’s loss of center Charles Bediako in February due to eligibility issues.

“We know we got to get bigger. Some of it was some injuries and stuff that happened,” Oats said. “We saw the opportunity to bring some size on, after all the adversity we went through. After [Baylor forward James] Nnaji was declared eligible, most people, including ourselves, thought if they’re going to declare Nnaji eligible, that Bediako would be eligible. And, had one judge that thought so. He would have definitely helped the situation with the rebounding.”

“We would not have gotten out rebounded by 13 tonight had we been able to continue to play him, because him and [Aiden] Sherrell would have played together a lot more and they can both rebound. But, it wasn’t meant to be. Got had something different in store for us. Our guys handled the adversity with the lineups well. I mean, I couldn’t be more proud of a group.”

In January, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge James Roberts granted Bediako a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, allowing him to play at the collegiate level again. Bediako played in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Alabama.

However, after his second season with the Crimson Tide, Bediako declared for the NBA Draft. Bediako went undrafted. In turn, Bediako played for three separate G-League teams and signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs in 2023. Bediako never played in an NBA game and ultimately sought a return to college.

Bediako played five games for Alabama this season. He averaged 4.6 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game. Despite Nate Oats’ comments, Alabama was out-rebounded in four of Bediako’s five appearances this season.

On Feb. 9, Bediako’s eligibility was revoked after Tuscaloosa County judge Daniel Prue denied him an injunction. After exploring multiple avenues, Bediako dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA on March 16.

In the end, the 6-foot-11 center averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his five appearances this season. This season is the first since the 2022-23 campaign that Alabama will not advance to Elite Eight.