On Wednesday, former Alabama center Charles Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA by a Tuscaloosa County Judge, making him immediately able to participate in practices and games for the Crimson Tide. That TRO is in place until January 27th, when a preliminary injunction hearing will take place to determine whether he will be eligible for the remainder of the season.
Armed with the restraining order that explicitly states that the NCAA is barred from any penalties associated with Bediako's participation, Nate Oats plans to play his former-turned-current center against Tennessee on Saturday, according to the Field of 68's Jeff Goodman.
The news of Bediako's return has been met with scorn nationwide. From media members to fans to other coaches, there have been plenty voicing their displeasure that Alabama is adding a player who has signed multiple NBA contracts, as if there is truly a difference between playing professionally in the NBA's G-League and playing professionally in Europe. There is, actually, in that European pros are higher paid and play in a better league than the G-League. But those players have infiltrated college basketball this season, and everyone has just accepted it.
And while there was a small outcry over Baylor's addition of James Nnaji, the former 31st overall pick in Bediako's draft class, it has paled in comparison to the vitriol being thrown at Oats and the Crimson Tide over this move.
One Oats quote in particular has made the rounds as fans call out the Alabama head coach for hypocrisy. Following Baylor's addition of Nnaji, Oats said:
“I think it's taking away opportunities from kids coming out of high school. I was a high school coach for 11 years. I wanted my kids to get opportunities when they left my program. This is taking opportunities away from those kids."
Which is a real quote. But those fans conveniently leave off the end of that quote. Oats went on to say the following:
"Would I have liked to have just kept it you're a true amateur and you play college basketball? Probably. But that ship sailed. That's not where we're at anymore."
Everyone is angry at Alabama for playing by the new set of rules
And by a new set of rules, I mean there's not really any rules. The NCAA opened Pandora's box and is now frustrated that they can't keep everything inside. The moment you allowed a professional basketball player play college basketball, this was the national progression. Because, unlike the NCAA, judges don't view things through the same arbitrary lens.
Should Bediako be allowed to play college basketball again? No, he shouldn't. But neither should Nnaji nor any of the former European professionals who are littered across the sport. It stopped being amateur athletics the moment that was allowed to happen.
Chances are, you're just angry that it's Alabama using the loophole that has been created.
That's certainly true of UConn AD David Benedict, who released a strong statement against Bediako's eligibility and urged the NCAA to defy a court order and not count Alabama's wins toward NCAA Tournament selection. Benedict is the former Chief Operating Officer at Auburn, which is important context to know.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope urged the same thing, which makes sense considering Kentucky could end up being a bubble team, and one less team being in the tournament gives it a better shot of getting in. Pope is 0-4 against Oats without Bediako playing.
If the NCAA chose to go that route, punishing Alabama by either not counting any wins that come with Bediako playing or just outright excluding them from their tournament, then you would see a historic lawsuit that might fund the Crimson Tide's roster-building efforts across multiple sports for many years to come.
Change is necessary in collegiate sports. The current model isn't sustainable. It's an over-inflated ball that could burst on the next bounce. If Alabama has to be the program that does something that leads to much-needed widespread changes, then so be it.
Alabama is used to being the villain.