Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats got some bad news Monday. The Tide’s center, Charles Bediako, has decided to stay in the NBA Draft.
Many thought Bediako was exploring his options and would return to the team next year, but he has decided to stay in the draft.
As of now, Alabama will be losing three players to the draft. Bediako, Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney. Clowney and Miller are both expected to be high draft choices. Meanwhile, no one knows where Bediako will be picked.
From what I can tell, folks within the Alabama basketball program are quite surprised Charles Bediako plans to stay in the NBA Draft, per the ESPN report.
Leaves a significant hole for Alabama. Bediako was the anchor of that elite defense: https://t.co/zGTGkERDJg
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) May 23, 2023
Bediako wasn’t known for scoring (he only averaged about 6.4 points per game), but the seven-footer is better known for his defense.
Someone in his camp is telling him he may be a high-draft pick. Tide guards Jahvon Quinerly and Mark Sears also declared for the draft, but there is no word whether either will return.
The three, along with Miller and Clowney, were a part of the Alabama team who won the SEC this past year, made it to the Sweet 16, and was the first team in the school’s history to win 31 games.
It would be a massive loss for the Tide if they lost all five players, but there is still hope. The deadline to return to school is May 31. So, one way or another, we’ll find out what it all will look like within the next week.
