GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Rowdy Reptiles were ready for Charles Bediako.
Florida’s raucous student section taunted Alabama’s 7-foot center unmercifully with chants of “G League dropout” during a 100-77 loss in Gainesville on Sunday. It provided a glimpse of what the most controversial player in college basketball should expect at road games in the Southeastern Conference — and potentially the NCAA Tournament.
“You have very passionate fan bases in the SEC, and fans are going to do what they do,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said. “I expected something similar to that.”
Bediako is suing the NCAA in an attempt to regain college eligibility despite leaving school early in 2023 and entering the NBA draft. He was not selected, but he signed a two-way contract with San Antonio later that year and spent the past three years in the developmental G League, playing as recently as two weeks ago with the Motor City Cruise in Detroit.
He rejoined the 23rd-ranked Crimson Tide after a Tuscaloosa judge, who has since recused himself from the case, granted a temporary restraining order that allows Bediako to compete – at least until an injunction hearing can be held.