Former Alabama center Charles Bediako could be about to remove the "former" from that sentence.
According to a report from AL.com, Bediako is currently suing the NCAA for immediate eligibility to return to Alabama three years after foregoing his final two years of collegiate eligibility to enter the NBA Draft.
Bediako went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft and has only logged G-League minutes, never appearing in an actual regular-season NBA game. His case for a return to college could be even greater than that of James Nnaji, who received immediate eligibility at Baylor despite being drafted No. 31 overall in the 2023 draft. The only difference is that Nnaji hadn't played college basketball before, and Bediako has.
AL.com also reports that Bediako is already enrolled in classes at Alabama in anticipation of being ruled eligible and joining the Crimson Tide.
Charles Bediako could provide a huge boost to Alabama basketball
Bediako played two seasons for Alabama in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He was the defensive anchor of arguably the best team in school history in 2022-23. Bediako led an Alabama defense that finished No. 3 in KenPom. That team won both the SEC regular season and tournament titles, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
A cold shooting night knocked the Crimson Tide out in the Sweet 16, but top-to-bottom that team was probably better than the two teams that came after it and made the Final Four and Elite Eight.
Aiden Sherrell has blossomed during his sophomore season in Tuscaloosa, but Alabama's big man depth has been severely lacking behind him. Bucknell transfer Noah Williamson had a moment against Kentucky, but he's been a bust overall.
Bediako could come in and immediately help Alabama's defense take a gigantic step forward. His shot-blocking prowess would be a perfect complement to Sherrell's.
It remains to be seen whether the NCAA will grant Bediako eligibility to play for Alabama this year, but they've been granting these waivers left and right this season for former professional players.
Baylor adding Nnaji opened the door for Nate Oats to potentially pull an ace out of his sleeve and seriously boost the Crimson Tide's chances of competing for the National Championship.