Alabama coach Nate Oats to play former pro Charles Bediako

Alabama coach Nate Oats said Friday that he plans to play former professional player Charles Bediako in Saturday's home contest against Tennessee.

Bediako, a former professional player, spent two seasons at Alabama before going unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Bediako filed suit against the NCAA earlier this week, requesting immediate eligibility to play at Alabama. The following day, a Tuscaloosa (Ala.) judge issued a 10-day temporary injunction that makes him eligible to play, pending a hearing on Jan. 27.

"He's eligible to play," Oats said at a Friday press conference. "We're going to follow the court orders."

The 7-foot Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 70 appearances over two seasons for Alabama. After going undrafted, he signed a free-agent deal with the San Antonio Spurs and was later released. The following season, he signed with the Denver Nuggets and was again released.

This season, Bediako went to training camp with the Detroit Pistons and was released in mid-October. He has been playing for the Motor City Cruise of the G League. He has played in 82 games over three G League seasons.

The NCAA denied Bediako's recent eligibility request before he pursued the legal route. After the judge issued a temporary injunction, the NCAA strongly criticized the situation.

"These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students," the NCAA said Wednesday. "A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules."

A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Oats defended his actions, stating that European professionals had previously been allowed to play college basketball. He said the current system is "clearly broken."

"My personal opinion on all of this is we need a uniform and transparent system that doesn't punish the Americans, that takes the hypocrisy out of it, that gives equal treatment to Americans and international players both, while also allowing high school players the opportunities they need coming out of school," Oats said. "Someone should be able to come up with a system that checks all those boxes. But for now, we're going to continue to support Charles."

Oats said Bediako is being penalized for playing college basketball directly out of high school, unlike international players who start their careers as professionals before playing college ball.

"Since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play -- virtually every team we've played this year or will play has a former professional player on their roster -- you tell me how I'm supposed to tell Charles and the team that we're not going to support them when he's been deemed legally eligible to play," Oats said.

"Charles shouldn't be punished for choosing to go the academic route out of high school rather than the professional route like the international players did."

Shortly after Oats' press conference, NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said that the current rules give a player 10 days after the NBA Draft Combine to decide whether to remain in the draft or go back to college.

"Players who remain in the draft forfeit college eligibility," Gavitt said.

That rule is well known among college coaches and draft-eligible players. Gavitt said the system had been working -- until the past few months.

"The NCAA membership has a set of rules in place regarding the pre- and post-NBA draft eligibility that have clearly been in place and supported by all parties until these recent court challenges," Gavitt said.

Earlier this season, Baylor coach Scott Drew added James Nnaji to the roster. Nnaji was a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft but never played in an NBA game.