College basketball has not encountered such a grimy situation as it is now with the player eligibility cases. With more and more players with two-way contracts seeking to return to college basketball, the NBA decided to pull the plug on San Antonio Spurs player Charles Bediako, as he expressed his interest in returning to Alabama. But the NCAA intervened to stop it, leaving Charles Bediako no other alternative but to seek legal counsel, suing the NCAA for denying his request. Now Charles’ coach, Nate Oats, has opened up about the situation.

“The James Nanji situation is really what put it over the edge, in my opinion. And you see all these players in the EuroLeague being eligible to come play. They’re pros. They’re professionals. They played in the second-best league in the world, behind the NBA,” said Nate Oats, giving his side of the story.

By this, Oats has clearly highlighted the ineptness of the NCAA and how they were unable to differentiate between basketball played in Europe and America. That’s exactly where Bediako comes in, and with a restraining order against the NCAA, Charles Bediako is eligible to play for 10 days.

Kind of on a similar trajectory to Bediako.

James Nnaji’s, too, comes with a two-way contract, spending years playing for Barcelona. So he isn’t any less when it comes to professional expertise. The Euroleague is right behind the NBA in standards, but even then, there was no issue granting him eligibility.

As a matter of fact, Thierry Darlan (Santa Clara), London Johnson (Louisville), and Abdullah Ahmed (BYU) all got eligibility within months of each other, but the rules only applied to the Canadian basketball star, which Oats probably hinted at unfairness towards Charles Bediako and the Alabama Crimson Tide altogether, which he strongly objects to.

Ironically, James Nnaji and Charles actually sat right next to Nnaji at the draft that year. Nnaji went 31st in the draft. Played three years in Europe and was declared eligible with four years of eligibility at Baylor. But the man who sat next to him was not spared. Strange, but a reality no less. New information has come to light regarding the judge who ruled Charles Bediako eligible.

Judge Who Ruled in Favor of Bediako Has Business Relations With Alabama

Quite some unsettling news has dawned upon us amidst all this chaos unfurling in the NCAA. Apparently, the judge who granted Charles Bediako Jim Roberts has some history with the college; he, along with his wife, Mary Turner Roberts, has made six figures worth of donations to Alabama’s athletic department, as reported by Ales Schiffer of Front Office Sports.

But that is not where it ends. The affair gets a little more treacherous as Mary Turner served as a defense attorney for former Crimson Tide forward Darius Miles, who has been accused of capital murder in the 2023 death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris. Surprisingly, Miles was teammates with Charles Bediako in 2022-23.

Bediako, 23, is navigating his way to reenter college basketball after playing parts of three G League seasons, which is being met with skepticism, particularly because Bediako signed a two-way NBA deal with the Spurs in ‘23 (while never playing in the league). He is expected to “debut” Saturday evening in a home game against Tennessee, having last played collegiately in the ‘23 Sweet 16 against San Diego State, so there is a lot of murmur surrounding his return.

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The return of professional players into basketball has always been a sensitive issue, and that is understandable, as college basketball has always served as the bedrock for nourishing fresh talent, but this unfiltered access by the “pros” makes the whole purpose redundant. But Nate Oats is a coach who prioritizes winning, and for his sake and for the team, he should also be allowed the same leeway as his peers, and that is why the need for Charles Bediako is of utmost importance now.