Tuscaloosa Judge Grants TRO Extension for Bediako

On Monday, Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge James Roberts granted an extension on the temporary restraining order filed by Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako. Bediako filed the restraining order last week, allowing him to play for Nate Oats and Alabama men's basketball after he filed a lawsuit against the NCAA early last week.

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The reason for the extension of the restraining order, which was set to be heard by Judge Roberts on Tuesday, January 27, stems from a virtual status conference held on Monday afternoon. Taylor Askew, an attorney for the NCAA in Tennessee, was unable to attend Tuesday's hearing due to the record storm and freezing temperatures raging over the southeast over the weekend and the early parts of this week.

Judge Roberts ruled this was "good cause" to extend the temporary restraining order, based on counsel's unavailability for the hearing set for tomorrow, according to court records.

Bediako played on Saturday in Alabama's 79-73 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers for his first game action for the Crimson Tide since March 2023. He played 25 minutes, scoring 13 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor, collecting three rebounds, and adding two steals to his stat line.

On Saturday night, Bediako said he wasn't focusing on the hearing, which currently has no reset date, but rather on Alabama's next game on Tuesday against the Missouri Tigers.

"Right now, I'm just focused on the team," Bediako said. "I'm just gonna dissect what happened today and just continue to do film. Right now, my main focus is on this next game, just getting better with this team."

"I thought he was good, I thought he meshed well with our guys early," Nate Oats said on Bediako's performance on Saturday night. "Labaron [Philon] found him on some lobs, got the dunk to start. His first block was great. For a guy that's only been here a few days to fit in with the team. He hadn't actually played with any of these guys even though he's been in our system before, I thought he was good. He almost led us in Blue Collar Points. He's gotta get a few more rebounds for us, he knows that. The guys love him, he's a great teammate, and he's gonna help us out moving forward."

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.