Nate Oats clarifies his Charles Bediak comments

Alabama head coach Nate Oats he still doesn’t want former pro players in college basketball, even after his team the controversial signing of center Charles Bediak. The move drew even more criticism, given Oats’ previous comments about Baylor signing James Nnaji, which he still stands by.

When Baylor signed Nnaji, Oats openly opposed the move, citing his distaste for former pros taking away opportunities from young, homegrown talent. He still stands by it, but he doesn’t see any difference in former Euroleague players playing college basketball and Alabama with Bediak.

“I didn’t say that (I was against Nnaji) — I said I was against all pros coming in, not just the Baylor kid,” Oats said after Alabama’s loss to Florida. “I (still feel the same way). What we have now are 18, 19-year-old Americans coming out of high school, having to compete with 23-year-old freshmen from Europe. That kid was one of them. It wasn’t just him; it was all of them.

“You can’t play four years of professional basketball and come here. Eighteen, 19-year-old high school seniors are competing with them for scholarships. That was my statement. But I said and if everybody else has the opportunity to sign these European pros at 22 or 23 years old with four years of eligibility, then I don’t know what Soakoko is that’s different than Bedi first… Just because the European guys don’t go to college, they’re pros. The second thing that looking — look at how many current NBA free agents are currently playing college.

I asked Alabama coach Nate Oats about his previous comment regarding G Leaguers taking away opportunities from HS recruits and the latest player now trying to earn eligibility after appearing in 10 NBA games.

Here’s what he had to say. pic.twitter.com/uZm1HIKSOkb

— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) February 1, 2026

Alabama falls to 1-2 with Charles Bediak

The controversial signing hasn’t helped Alabama so far, as the Tide fell to 1-2 with Bediak on the roster after Sunday’s loss to Florida. Bediako started his second straight game, but he couldn’t handle the physical size of Alex Condon and Ruben Chinello on his own.

Bediako recorded a respectable six points, seven rebounds and four blocks in the loss, but was overshadowed by Condon and Chinyelo. Condon led Florida with 25 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks, while Chinello owned the paint with 14 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks.

Bediako was the subject of the game’s most viral moment when Gators fans berated him with chants of “Get out of the G League.” as he attempted a pair of free throws.