This might be the easiest column I’ve ever had to write.
All you would have to do is write variations of “Charles Bediako should not be allowed to return to college basketball” y “It just is” over and over again and would receive thunderous applause.
It is a popular position. However, thanks to a temporary restraining order issued by a Tuscaloosa circuit court, Bediako and the University of Alabama will get their way. Bediako, whose last college game was in March 2023, will be able to wear a Crimson Tide uniform and face Tennessee on Saturday.
But let’s go one step further. First, let’s explain the difference between Bediako, Baylor’s James Nnaji and NBA guard Trentyn Flowers.
Nnaji was selected in the NBA draft out of FC Barcelona in 2023, but never signed an NBA contract. The NCAA only allowed him to join Baylor mid-season due to the latter fact. His college eligibility, whether we liked it or not, was intact.
Bediako’s case is much more similar to that of Flowers, a forward who has participated in NBA games, whose agent floated the absurd idea that several universities were ready to sign him mid-season. (All of those universities distanced themselves from Flowers by denying involvement.)
Flowers has a bilateral agreement with a club. Bediako also had it recently.
Now let me show you a quote from a high-level head coach that came out in response to Nnaji joining Baylor.
“I think it’s taking away opportunities for kids coming out of high school,” the coach said. “I was a high school coach for 11 years. I wanted my kids to have opportunities coming out of my program. This is taking opportunities away from those kids.”
That man? Alabama coach Nate Oats.
If you can’t beat them, join them, right, Nate?
“Would I have liked to have stayed with that, being a true fan and playing college basketball? Probably. But that ship has passed,” Oats continued. “We are no longer in that situation.”
Don’t be mad at the players who want to reconsider college now that it’s actually lucrative. I guess you can’t blame them for asking.
If this makes you angry, be angry at Nate Oats. Get mad at Scott Drew. Get mad at these stupid judges who, time and time again, hand down rulings that the NCAA apparently has no eligibility rules for. (Also get angry at the unregulated player agents who fuel all this fuss to make money, although it’s harder when they hide their faces from public scrutiny.)
If the public had the sole vote, this would be a settled case. Fans of all ages respond with a NO resounding.
And by God, the NCAA is trying. For the first time in his sorry existence, he tries to stand up for what is right. NCAA president Charlie Baker made it crystal clear that someone like Flowers, who had signed a contract with the NBA, would not be granted further eligibility.
Then Bediako appeared.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you are on the wrong side of history. Not all progress is good. The path college basketball is taking now will take it all the way to the minor leagues, likely with a 96-team NCAA tournament to boot. The mid-level leagues will not survive. Neither does tradition.
In the meantime, I’ll let this inform me about the new crop of sports villains. If you oppose coaches who get angry on the sidelines, that’s your right, but you eliminate a lot of coaches. I’ll focus on the Alabamas, the Baylors, and the upcoming programs: those that prioritize short-term wins over maintaining sanity and structure for the betterment of the sport.
