NCAA Basketball: Duke, Michigan and OSU among finalists for Charles Bediako

Alabama Crimson Tide

No NCAA Basketball program is hotter on the recruiting trail than Nate Oats and Alabama. A week ago, they beat out rival Auburn to land five-star point guard prospect JD Davison, as well as making the final four (alongside Duke and Michigan as well) for five-star power forward Caleb Houstan.

With Alex Reese and Yale grad transfer Jordan Bruner leaving after next season, that leaves top-50 forward/center Alex Tchikou in the frontcourt. It creates a great opportunity for Bediako to come in and have a major impact as a starter. Coach Oats is a tremendous offensive innovator and that kind of development could be very helpful for the five-star center in his quest to make the NBA.

Part of the Tide’s recruiting uptick has come from developing a Canadian pipeline. The country has been sending a ton of future NBA stars in recent years and has also a ton of top-100 talent. This SEC program would know since they have Josh Primo and Keon Ambrose-Hylton on the roster currently. Bediako’s familiarity with them gives Alabama another advantage in this process.

Between potential playing time and other factors, there aren’t any true weaknesses for the Tide in their recruitment with Bediako. With Davison on board and potentially Houstan, this program could end up with a top-3 overall 2021 class.