Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Daniel Pruet on Tuesday denied a motion by attorneys for University of Alabama center Charles Bediako to continue playing while his eligibility lawsuit is on appeal with the Alabama Supreme Court.
Attorneys for Bediako asked the Alabama Supreme Court on Monday to overturn a recent ruling stating Bediako is no longer eligible to play college basketball.
Pruet ruled recently that Bediako was no longer eligible to play for the Crimson Tide. The attorneys also asked Pruet to allow Bediako to begin playing again until the Alabama Supreme Court rules on his eligibility.
A different judge who later recused himself granted the former NBA G League player immediate eligibility to rejoin Alabama's basketball team in January before Pruet’s reversal.
Bediako’s lawsuit in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court against the NCAA, seeking to play for the Crimson Tide again, was briefly successful. A judge granted a TRO allowing him to play for five SEC games until the recent legal setback. The case caught the nation’s attention as an example of the further professionalization of college athletics. Proponents of letting Bediako play argued that many college teams already have foreign players with professional experience.
Bediako, a seven-footer who played for the Tide in the 2022-2023 season before entering the NBA Draft, averaged 4.4 points per game for the Motor City Cruise in the G League. According to the complaint, he's currently enrolled at the University of Alabama.
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