Auburn Tigers head coach Steven Pearl had a lot to say about Alabama adding Charles Bediako to its roster in the middle of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Bediako has garnered national attention after returning to the Crimson Tide. He signed deals in the NBA but got a temporary restraining order from a Tuscaloosa judge this month to be eligible to play NCAA basketball. He previously played two seasons from 2021 to 2023 with Alabama, something that Pearl had firm stances on the topic during Thursday's press conference.
“If you can get a judge to file a restraining order against the NCAA, you are within your right to do so. Doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t make it wrong….for me personally, I think it's crazy for a couple of reasons.. it's just so outside of the scope of what we’ve done historically,” Pearl said. “I don't know what conversations that Nate (Oats) and Scott (Drew) have had with their players. If they've had the conversations of, ‘Hey, listen, we're going bring in the best talent, regardless of position, in order to win,' if that expectation's been set, then there's no problem with what we're doing. If that expectation has been set.”
“Because, I feel like if you have those conversations of, ‘We're going bring in the best players, regardless of position and regardless of circumstance, in order for us to win,' if they come in there knowing that, I would have a little more understanding of the situation. But yeah, it's crazy that the SEC and the NCAA can't really do anything about it. It'll be interesting to see if he plays this weekend and what impact he does have.”
Lengthy response from Auburn head basketball coach Steven Pearl when asked if he had any reaction to Charles Bediako being eligible and possibly playing for Alabama this weekend..
“If you can get a judge to file a restraining order against the NCAA, you are within your right to… pic.twitter.com/YPH94IP2or
— Rosie Langello-Hodgens (@RosieLangello) January 22, 2026
What lies ahead for Steven Pearl, Auburn
Steven Pearl has his concerns on how players can return to NCAA basketball despite signing professional deals in the NBA. In the meantime, he goes through his first season as Auburn's head coach.
Auburn has a 12-7 record on the season, going 3-3 in its SEC matchups so far. They sit at seventh place in the league standings, being above the Missouri Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels while trailing the Crimson Tide and Kentucky Wildcats.
The Tigers will look to ignite a solid win streak as they gear up for their upcoming matchup. They are on the road when they face the No. 16 Florida Gators on Jan. 24 at 4 p.m. ET.
