Charles Bediako Will 'Play As Long As He's Eligible to Play' For Alabama Basketball

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- No. 23 Alabama looks to bounce back on Tuesday night as they host the Missouri Tigers for a midseason SEC showdown. The Crimson Tide hopes senior forward Charles Bediako will be available as he faces an eligibility hearing in court on Tuesday morning. Bediako is suing the NCAA for his eligibility after spending time in the NBA G-League.

Bediako played on Saturday night and gave Alabama 13 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals but it wasn't enough to take down the Volunteers. Nate Oats defended the decision to play Bediako amidst the drama and uncertainty of his players future.

"Yeah, 100 percent. Everywhere I've been, going back to my high school days, I'm going to do right by my players in every single situation, as long as they didn't do anything wrong," Oats said. "Charles has done nothing wrong. Charles and his agent and his attorneys have seen what's gone on in the landscape of college basketball, and all the former pros that are playing, just about everybody we play has got one. They've seen who the NCAA has allowed to be eligible, and they didn't see any reason why Charles wouldn't be eligible, and I agree with them. Yeah, no matter what all these talking heads say, and I really don't pay attention to it, I'm trying to focus on our team winning, but yeah, they came to me, and they wanted to get him eligible, and I agreed with their reasoning. The whole thing. I will stand by our guys every single time, no matter what the outside says, when they've done nothing wrong. Charles has done everything right. He's eligible to play, and he's going to continue to play as long as he's eligible to play."

Alabama has struggled with injuries and availability throughout the season. The Crimson Tide's Amari Allen appears doubtful for Tuesday's game against Missouri, making Bediako's addition even more important.

Oats emphasized the uncertainty looming over the situation but offered optimism for Tuesday's court ruling to go in Bediako's favor.

"Yeah, I don't really know, I would think so, based on what's been presented to me, why they think he should be eligible," Oats said. "I think he should be eligible, so I would assume a judge would, but I'm not an attorney or judge. I don't have a legal background. What I have been told is that both sides, maybe, present their cases, I don't know if tomorrow they actually have to get a ruling, from what I understand. It may or may not come tomorrow, I'm not sure."