Todd Golden opens up on Charles Bediako case: 'We will lose support if we continue down this path'

No. 19 Florida is set to play host to No. 23 Alabama on Sunday afternoon. And the Gators can now expect to face big man Charles Bediako, the former NBA G League player who joined the Crimson Tide midseason.

Bediako’s case for eligibility has been tied up in court and his latest hearing has been set for Feb. 6, well after the meeting between the two programs in Gainesville. Florida coach Todd Golden has been outspoken about the situation with Bediako.

First off, he said that Florida will beat Alabama even with Bediako. He also called the entire situation a “slippery slope.”

“I do think one distinction that has to be (made), like international guys have to be treated differently than American guys,” Golden said on Field of 68, expanding further on the Charles Bediako situation. “It’s a much different system. There’s no high school in international in terms of you don’t go through 12th grade, whatever, most places. So I don’t think it’s a fair comparison to say a guy that played youth pro at 17 is the same as a guy that’s played in the G League. I don’t think that’s a fair comparison.”

Golden emphasized that he loves Alabama coach Nate Oats, saying simply that Oats found a circumstance he could take advantage of to better his team. He doesn’t sound overly worked up about what the Bediako news means for his Gators team this season, but rather for the overall impact on college basketball.

“I think after this year with all that’s happened from a (James) Nnaji at Baylor, now with Bediako at ‘Bama, we just have to have some sort of situation figured out after this year,” Golden said. “Everybody knows right now it’s kind of the wild, wild West through the end of this year. But I think after this year, we as coaches, administrators, the NCAA, we’ve got to figure out the best way to move forward where we’re holding onto the best tenets of college basketball.”

Golden issued a warning if situations like the Bediako one are allowed to become the norm in college basketball. He claims it would be bad for the sport as a whole.

“I think having young guys be able to sign and grow in a program is part of what makes college basketball so great,” Golden said. “I think that’s going by the wayside right now and I think that’s going to be an issue. I think we will lose support if we continue down this path in terms of fans.

“They want to see guys grow in a program, they don’t necessarily… they’ll be happy to see one guy come in and maybe help the team one year, but they don’t want to see eight new guys in the rotation every year. That’s just really hard to create that loyalty to the team. I don’t have a great solution, but I know we’ve got to get something figured out here soon.”