The Alabama men’s basketball team hosts South Carolina in Tuscaloosa tomorrow, and a former player is reportedly considering his legal options. Center Charles Bediako, who once played for the San Antonio Spurs’ minor league team lost his court injunction that enabled him to return to Tuscaloosa to play for Alabama. Tide head coach Nate Oats says Bediako is the victim of a broken NCAA system.
“The one thing I will say is Charles (is) a great kid,” said Oats. “Everybody knows that. Everybody knows him to coach him at any level, and some of the opposing coaches understand that we are dealing with a human, a young man that obviously is disappointed.”
Bediako’s future strategy could possibly include an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court. However, observers say that would be a time consuming option and not likely to get the athlete back on the court during the current men’s basketball season. Fan reactions to Bediako drew a negative response from coach Nate Oats. The student cheering section during the Tide’s road game to Florida chanted “G-League dropout,” in reference to Bediako’s departure from the Spur’s minor league. Or G-League, team. Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard says he instructed students to behave during Alabama’s visit to Oxford on Wednesday. Nate Oats also read from a note Beard asked him to deliver to Bediako.
“It, but it basically, on the other side of adversity and difficulty is what fuels you on to success and wish him success. He's pulling for him. You know, it's not his fault that the rules are that there's no clarity in the rules.,
Oats called the gesture once of the classiest he ever seen.
As for today’s game in Tuscaloosa against the Gamecocks,Alabama faces South Carolina after Latrell Wrightsell Jr. scored 21 points in Alabama's 93-74 win against the Ole Miss Rebels. The Crimson Tide have gone 8-3 in home games. Alabama is second in college basketball averaging 91.9 points and is shooting 45.5% from the field.
The Gamecocks are 2-9 in SEC play. South Carolina averages 9.4 turnovers per game and is 5-9 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents. Alabama is shooting 45.5% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points higher than the 45.0% South Carolina allows to opponents. South Carolina averages 76.5 points per game, 6.5 fewer points than the 83.0 Alabama gives up.
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play. The Tide’s Labaron Philon is considered a top performer, shooting 50.4% and averaging 21.4 points for the Crimson Tide. Aden Holloway is averaging 13.5 points over the last 10 games. Meechie Johnson Jr. is averaging 16.3 points and 4.1 assists for the Gamecocks. Elijah Strong is averaging 11.5 points over the last 10 games.
Crimson Tide is 6-4 during its last ten games, averaging 88.7 points, 36.0 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 5.5 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 85.7 points per game. The Gamecocks are 2-8, averaging 71.2 points, 27.1 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 6.2 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 40.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.9 points.
