After playing a handful of games with the Crimson Tide due to a temporary restraining order, Charles Bediako gets an answer on whether he can continue playing college basketball.
That was quick.
After a brief return to the Alabama Crimson Tide, big man Charles Bediako has been deemed no longer eligible to compete in college basketball anymore.
Bediako went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft and spent two and a half seasons in the G-League.
Most recently he had played for the Motor City Cruise, the affiliate for the Detroit Pistons, and the results were less than stellar, averaging 5.2 points per game, five rebounds and a block in 14 minutes per game.
Because of the lack of traction his professional career was generating, Bediako and the University of Alabama filed a request for reinstatement, something we don’t typically see in basketball.
When a player leaves the college ranks and gets compensated for their play, that ultimately disqualifies that player from entering NCAA play.
It happened over a decade ago when Enes Kanter attempted to play for the University of Kentucky. Kanter had played professionally in Turkey, where he had received $33,000 in benefits, and after several pleas, the NCAA rejected Kentucky’s plea for Kanter to compete.
However, we have seen many instances where the NCAA has been inconsistent with its rulings, especially after James Nnaji, who was an early second round pick in the NBA Draft, and played in the NBA Summer League, recently signed on with Baylor Basketball.
Which is why Bediako filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, citing that recent eligibility decisions had been inconsistent and unfairly restrictive.
Which then forced the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet to issue a temporary restraining order, allowing Bediako to practice and compete while the NCAA figures out this situation.
Unfortunately, for Bediako and Alabama, that has struggled to find some consistency, judge Pruet denied his motion and he will no longer be able to play for the Crimson Tide.
“(Bediako) failed to meet the first three elements required in order for the Court to issue the preliminary injunction,” Pruet wrote in his ruling.
It was a short-lived reunion for both parties, but now the Tide will look to continue on without Bediako, while Bediako aims to continue his career on the professional level.
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