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Pete Thamel breaks down Alabama basketball’s Charles Bediako situation
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- Pete Thamel breaks down Alabama basketball’s Charles Bediako situation
Pete Thamel breaks down Alabama basketball's Charles Bediako situation appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
With Alabama re-signing center Charles Bediako ahead of its Saturday night clash with Tennessee, nobody knows what to expect with another former professional player returning to the college basketball scene. ESPN college insider Pete Thamel does not believe it will be as egregious as some fans are bracing for.
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The optics of Alabama becoming the latest team to sign a former professional player look bad, but Thamel does not believe the results will be too drastic on the court. Not only has Bediako had limited practice time, but, as Thamel pointed out, he was not a dominant scorer when he last suited up for the Tide.
"Nate Oats told me Charles Bediako will definitely play for Alabama [but] he will not start," Thamel said on ESPN's College GameDay. "He has gone through one walk-through and one practice for the Tide, but he is expected to play minutes. Oats said, 'Look, if he plays well, we're gonna play Charles Bediako more minutes tonight.'
"It is important to note that both Aden Holloway and Amari Allen, Alabama's second and third-leading scorers, are listed as questionable for this game… There could be some minutes up for grabs. Bediako averaged about six points per game for the Tide in his first stint there. He's not going to be an All-SEC guy, but he's a great rim-runner and rim protector and a good backup five in the SEC."
Bediako is expected to play on Saturday, but he is not expected to log too many minutes in his debut. Head coach Nate Oats' comments suggest he will play it by ear on the fly.
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Regardless, fans are not pleased to see yet another former NBA player return to college basketball. The NCAA dealt with a similar situation earlier in the season involving Baylor and James Nnaji , and does not appear to have a definitive answer to the problem.
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