Nate Oats and Chris Beard are pitted against each other as SEC rivals, but the mutual respect between them could not be any greater. The Alabama basketball coach gave a perfect example of that after their head-to-head meeting on Wednesday night, praising his Ole Miss counterpart for his “classy” pre-game move regarding former Tide center Charles Bediako.
After collecting a 93-74 win, Oats began his post-game presser by revealing Beard's pre-game gesture to Bediako, who did not even travel with Alabama to the game. Oats told reporters that Beard began by making sure the Ole Miss crowd would not chant anything at Bediako if he played, and followed it up by giving the 23-year-old one of the “classiest” letters he has ever seen.
“I [told Chris Beard] ‘No, [Charles Bediako] is at home, we didn't want him to go through the stuff he's had to go through on the road,'” Oats said. “He said, ‘Look, I assure you that's not happening here. I've already met with the cheering section and he won't get any of that here.' Major respect to him for that.
“Then he said, ‘I also got something I want you to give to him.' He came to our shootaround last night and handed me a note. It was one of the most classy notes to a kid from an opposing coach. One of the classiest moves I've ever seen… You guys are super lucky to have him as your coach here at Ole Miss.”
Nate Oats thanks Chris Beard for writing Charles Bediako a letter:
"It was one of the classiest moves from an opposing coach I've ever seen… I thought it was an extremely thoughtful thing to do… (Charles) is still a human and a young man, not an object"
(🎥: @BOL_On3) pic.twitter.com/RP4jm21NBj
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 12, 2026
Alabama loses Charles Bediako to court ruling
Bediako, who spent the last two years in the G League before signing with Alabama in January, has been one of the most controversial players in college basketball all season. A temporary restraining order allowed him to play five games for the Tide before a Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge deemed him ineligible to continue playing.
Bediako received “G League drop-out” chants from opposing fans in his two road games with Alabama during the 2025-2026 college basketball season. Oats kept him in Tuscaloosa for the Tide's first road game since his ineligibility ruling, before he learned of Beard's gesture.
Oats said Bediako will always be part of his team, whether he is ruled eligible to play or not. The former four-star recruit is considering appealing the decision.
