Since Donta Hall graduated and moved on to play professionally in 2019, Alabama had a huge hole in the front court at the center position. While Jordan Bruner and guys like Alex Reese filled that void the year after Donta left, you knew that Alabama had to find a young player to mold and develop to be a 3-4 year starter like Hall. Insert Charles Bediako.
Bediako is a 7 foot 230 lb center from Canada that was the #40 ranked player according to Rivals last year. Bediako has a 7’2 wingspan and he is a great rim runner at the center position. He played his final year of high school at IMG Academy and played for Team Canada at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup with former Tide player, and lottery pick, Joshua Primo. Bediako has raw potential for someone at his size and age.
Bediako committed to Alabama on April 6, 2021, with offers from Duke, Texas, Ohio State, and others. Immediately upon arrival at Alabama, he was an instant starter for the Tide as a freshman. His freshman year was up-and-down, but for a freshman center in a power 5 conference, he really held his own in the paint. He finished with the 5th most blocks per game in the SEC with 1.6 per game and shot nearly 80% in the second half of the season. He was a reliable pick-and-roll player and solid rim protector.
One game that really sticks out from Charles Bediako’s freshman season is the game at Gonzaga. Bediako was going against future top 3-pick Chet Holmgren, as well as All-American Drew Timme. He really held his own and was a true difference maker in the game, recording 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks. He was making life tough for Holmgren in the paint and even blocked crafty Drew Timme a couple of times.
The peripherals on Bediako are very encouraging and they signal a potential breakout sophomore campaign. These are his stats from his freshman year per 40 minutes: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and nearly 4 blocks. You must realize he only played 17 minutes per game last season, but those are what his stats were expected to be if he played the whole game. You will see Bediako likely play more minutes in the 25 minutes per game range, so you will see his stats take a jump. Alabama is a significantly better defensive team when he is on the floor because he adds that rim protector that teams must account for.
With the emergence of Noah Clowney, Noah Gurley, and Nick Pringle sprinkled in, Bediako will not be forced to play the whole game with the depth of the front court Alabama’s staff has put together. However, he can handle more of a workload this year compared to last. You could see the game slow down for him and got easier for him to process things. Look for Charles Bediako to take a huge step forward this year and be a key contributor to this team.
