Where Does Will Wade Stand on Latest College Basketball Drama?
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RALEIGH — The most dominant storyline in college basketball has taken place away from the court over the last week. Center Charles Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order early in the week and became eligible to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide after spending the last three seasons playing in the NBA G League.
The subject of G League players returning to the collegiate ranks has been a hot-button issue throughout the first three months of the season, with many coaches expressing their feelings through the media. NC State head coach Will Wade offered a unique perspective given his prior issues with the NCAA.
What Wade said about Bediako
Bediako last played college basketball in 2023, not long after Will Wade was fired by LSU for recruiting violations committed during his time with the program. Now with the Wolfpack and operating in a system that allows many of the transgressions he was fired over, Wade believes that the chaos dominating the news cycles and the sport can only be solved by one thing.
"Until there's collective bargaining, all of this stuff is going to happen," Wade said on the Wolfpack Weekly radio show. "Until there's that, this is what it is. Everybody's trying to get the best players they can get."
Bediako isn't the first member of the G League fraternity to make a return to college basketball, as Baylor already has James Nnaji rostered after he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. While the G League loophole has drawn the most public attention, Wade pointed people in the direction of a different approach to recruiting more experienced players that hasn't received the same backlash.
"People have a much better understanding of the system in the United States... G League and NBA," Wade started. "There are 30 kids playing college basketball that came from overseas that have played way more pro basketball and at a way higher level than Charles Bediako has. People just don't understand how it works overseas... Everybody is outraged because it's something that they know."
The Wolfpack is no stranger to the flood of international players opting for the American college basketball experience and the financial benefits it might bring in the long run. Wade and general manager Andrew Slater added Gambian forward Musa Sagnia, who was playing professionally in Spain, just before the enrollment deadline. He has been an important part of the rotation in his first season in Raleigh.
Wade added that teams have been taking advantage of the eligibility rules for international players for "10 years." The ACC is riddled with such players, some of whom are leading their teams to greater success. Ryan Odom, now in his first year with Virginia, completed a total roster overhaul, bringing in two centerpiece players from Europe in Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grünloh.
Some coaches, such as Michigan State's Tom Izzo and even Alabama coach Nate Oats himself before Bediako's return became a possibility, have voiced their disappointment in the G League loophole and its threat to the integrity of the sport. Wade didn't share that sentiment, as the importance of winning stands out most.
"It was a smart move by Alabama... Their one weakness is defensive rebounding and shot-blocking and they just fixed that," Wade said. "He's really good for what they need... I don't know why anybody wouldn't do it as long as it's legal and it's legal. Everybody can cry and moan."
Wade expanded on the larger issues facing the NCAA. The governing body seems to be looking for a sweeping legislative change and has been lobbying for congressional help in that process, along with some universities. The NC State coach doesn't believe that a one-size-fits-all change to the rulebook is possible, as there are too many conflicting parties at the table now.
"Most people would agree on the eligibility rules, that (the NCAA) should be able to enforce some level of eligibility rules," Wade said. "They hide behind all of this stuff... They could get a narrow thing passed... The problem is, they don't want to just do eligibility rules. They want the antitrust exemption, they want to be able to limit compensation."
NC State has yet to face one of the programs with a former G League player, but there's no doubt other teams across the country are looking into adding players from that pool. Would Wade consider it?
"I wish we had one laying around somewhere," he said.
Unfortunately for Wade and the Wolfpack, there doesn't seem to be a G League knight in shining armor coming this season, but the coach won't be afraid to look into the loophole in the future, should it remain open.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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