Court Report: Bediako Case & Virginia’s Rise in College Hoops
The NCAA clearing 2023 NBA second-round pick James Nnaji to suit up for Baylor less than a month back became a super noisy headline that prompted a flood of reaction around college basketball. Nnaji is the first former NBA selectee to reverse course and play college hoops.
Crucially, the NCAA and Baylor compliance vetted his case and found he never signed an NBA contract, which was the vital non-event that enabled him to be a (controversial) trailblazer. You can hate that he’s playing in the Big 12 (though he’s been a bit player at best), but a precedent was set years prior that allowed him to do it.There’s also been a precedent, a longstanding rule, that prohibited players who played in college, then declared for the NBA and signed a professional contract, from returning to NCAA competition.
Charles Bediako is attempting to destroy that rule, one of the last logical and morally clear statutes that keeps a line divided between college basketball and the NBA.
Unlike Nnaji, who was cleared by the NCAA and didn’t need to go to court, Bediako was turned down by the NCAA. So he went to a circuit judge in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and received a temporary restraining order that is active for just 10 days. That means he is eligible to play Saturday in Alabama’s big home game vs. Tennessee.
Oh, and: Bediako has been out of college basketball for 34 months. He left college in 2023 with career averages of 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 70 games. The next 8-10 weeks represent the final stage of his five-year eligibility clock (allegedly). The naked goal here for Alabama (13-5, 3-2) is to have a mid-January roster addition to avoid drifting back in the SEC race. Bediako is seeking more playing time and a perhaps bigger payday years after making a miscalculation about his NBA stock.
This is all a farce.
Bediako has signed multiple professional contracts in the nearly three years since he declared for the NBA. But he’s never played in an NBA game, only in the G League, which is the central part of his argument. The NCAA isn’t flinching, even if it’s losing in the courtroom.
“The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract),” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement after the nnaji case made national headlines.
Almost nobody wants this. Yet here we are again. College basketball is in the midst of
Ryan Odom has immediately returned Virginia (16-2, No. 14 in the AP Top 25) to relevancy, and in doing so, helped nudge up the ACC’s reputation after the league had its worst season in history.
Let’s sharpen the lens and quickly refresh on where the Wahoos were before they brought on Odom 10 months ago. Tony Bennett’s October 2024 retirement came amid a downturn for the program. A stat every UVa diehard knows but the average college hoops fan might not realize: The Cavaliers haven’t won an NCAA Tournament game since they won their biggest NCAA Tournament game,the 2019 national championship over Texas Tech. Since then, Virginia is 0-3 in the Big Dance.
Bennett’s surprise retirement came after a nondescript 23-11 season, making way for Ron Sanchez as interim coach. That induced Virginia’s worst year (15-17) since either Bennett’s first (15-16 in 2010-11) or Dave Leitao’s last (10-18 in 2009-10). Getting the right coach was critical to keeping Virginia as a top-20 program in the back half of this decade. In comes Odom, by way of nearby VCU, flipping the situation quickly as a Tim Reynolds solo.
Last weekend, Virginia logged its sixth win away from home by beating a sound SMU team 72-68, giving the hoos their best start since that 2018-19 title-winning epic. These new-look Cavaliers would be 17-1 if not for a triple-overtime road loss on New Year’s Eve against rival Virginia Tech.
“The group of guys we assembled here, we couldn’t be more pleased with them,” Odom told CBS Sports this week. “They’re connecting with the university and our fans. They come every day with a good attitude and are ready for work and a desire to improve. They compete to win. They compete with one another every day, which I think sets us up well for when we get into the games.”
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Getting to 16-2 in your first crack at running a high-end program takes a lot of positive alchemy. Coaches have different blueprints — and those blueprints evolve yearly in the portal era – so I asked Odom what his
The ACC is definitely better this season vs. last, but it’s still not a gauntlet. Check out what awaits for UVa in the three weeks ahead:
It’s quite possible the Cavs are 20-4, if not 21-3 or 22-2, heading into the non-con Valentine’s Day game against Ohio state. At that point it might vrey well be be a top-10 team in both the human polls and a majority of advanced metrics. Tony Bennett is still dearly missed on the sideline, but this is quickly looking like the best possible outcome so soon after his departure.
We might’ve just witnessed Bill Self’s successor in action
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Bill Self’s unexpected trip to the hospital on Monday - shortly before the team was set to depart for its game against Colorado - wound up providing Kansas fans a potential glimpse into the future. thankfully, Self is doing OK after receiving some IV fluids after experiencing chest discomfort. But the forced absence meant that self would have to choose who would coach in his stead.That decision offered a peek into some palace intrigue, as Kansas fans awaited to see which guy got the nod.
kansas has a variety of capable coaches who could’ve handled the responsibility in what wound up being a 75-69 win in Boulder.
Jeremy Case is the only associate head coach on the staff – but he didn’t get picked to be acting coach. Joe Dooley has previous experiance as a head coach; he wasn’t chosen either. Longtime assistant Kurtis Townsend, who has coached in emergency situations for Self previously, also wasn’t elevated for the evening.
The pick was the assistant whose tenure in Lawrence began just last spring: Jacque Vaughn. The KU alum spent 14 years coaching in the NBA, including as the head coach of the Orlando Magic (2012-15) and Brooklyn Nets (2022-24). His hiring turned heads,as it appeared to be a potential succession plan quietly being put in place for whenever Self decides to step away.
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In talking to sources over the past few months, vaughn is considered the favorite to eventually get this job, but it’s no guarantee, of course. However, if he does ultimately get it, then Tuesday night was the unofficial initial audition.
As for that timeline, Self’s latest health event has some kansas fans worried that this will wind up being his last season. Remember, he’s had other health/heart issues in recent years. I don’t think this is Self’s swan song. I sniffed around on this back in October,and even in talking to Bill,it sure seemed like he was reinv
Norlander’s news + nuggets
• The Court Report typically publishes on Wednesdays,but it got bumped back a day because Miami (Ohio) got the main stage treatment rather. You can read my profile on the RedHawks here.
• I’m glad HoopsHQ’s Alex squadron took the time to write a story in honor of Bill Courtney. The Temple assistant – who was Miami‘s interim head coach last season and, prior to his time with the Hurricanes, head coach at Cornell – suddenly died last week at 55. I had nothing but great interactions with Bill. A lot of people in the coaching fraternity are in shock and still mourning. The Owls will be wearing a patch in Courtney’s honor for the rest of the season as well.
• ICYMI: Marvin Menzies was the first coaching change announcement of 2026, and it sure seems Air Force‘s Joe Scott will be next. The school suspended Scott over the weekend for alleged inappropriate coaching conduct. Air Force is a bottom-two job in the Mountain West, but still: The Falcons are just 46-121 in five and a half seasons since Scott came back (he previously coached there 1999-04).
• There was a little noise last week with Sens.Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) sending a joint letter to Big East commissioner Val ackerman to lobby for Dayton and Saint Louis to (eventu
• Kylan Boswell of Illinois suffered a hand injury in Saturday’s win over Maryland. The extent of the injury is unknown,but it’s a significant blow to the Fighting Illini. Isaac Trotter evaluated the overall impact here.
• Refusing to take Cameron Boozer‘s casually dominant performances for granted. In Duke‘s 30-point win at Stanford on Saturday, Boozer had 30 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. In the last 25 years,the only freshman to go for at least 30/14/3 vs. a power-conference team are: Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony (2X). I really want to see a big race for NPOY, but Boozer (23.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.8 spg) might not let it happen.
• USC thought it had reinforcements arriving last night in the form of freshman Alijah Arenas, who made his Trojans debut. Sadly, it fell flat. Arenas finished with eight points on 3-of-15 shooting.USC lost at home 74-68 to a meh Northwestern team to fall to 14-5.I wonder if Arenas can grow into a difference-maker in a month’s time. He was the 10th-ranked guy in the loaded 2025 class and probably needs to be a key piece to getting USC to the NCAAs now that lead guard Rodney Rice is out for the year.
• If your a way bigger college hoops fan than NBA fan, chances are you’ve barely thought about Drew Timme since he left GU in 2023. (I wrote a fun longform piece on his time with the Zags in the closing month of his senior year.) Anyway, Timme’s still pushing his way to staying on an NBA roster. I’ve long felt he had the ball IQ, shooting kna
Federal Reserve holds Steady on Interest rates at January 31, 2024 Meeting
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted 7-0 to maintain the federal funds rate within a target range of 5.25% to 5.5% at its meeting on January 30-31, 2024. This marks the fourth consecutive meeting where the committee has held rates steady after a series of increases throughout 2022 and 2023.
inflation and Economic Data
The decision comes as inflation continues to cool, though remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 3.1% year-over-year in January 2024, according to data released by the Bureau of labor Statistics on February 13, 2024. This is down from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022.
The U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs in January 2024,and the unemployment rate remained at 3.7%,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation Summary released february 2,2024. Gross domestic Product (GDP) grew at an annualized rate of 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2023, as reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis on january 25, 2024.
FOMC Statement Highlights
“The Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks,” the FOMC stated in its post-meeting announcement. “It will continue to assess additional information and its implications for monetary policy.”
The committee also noted that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. They indicated a willingness to adjust the stance of monetary policy as appropriate, depending on incoming economic data and the evolving outlook.
Future Outlook
market participants are currently pricing in a roughly 40% probability of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve’s March 19-20, 2024 meeting, according to data from the CME group’s fedwatch tool as of February 16, 2024. The next FOMC meeting is scheduled for March 19-20, 2024.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stated in a press conference following the January 31, 2024 meeting that while the committee does not believe it is appropriate to cut rates yet, it is prepared to do so if economic conditions warrant. He emphasized the importance of continued monitoring of inflation and labor market data.
For more information, see the official Federal Reserve Board website and the bureau of Labor Statistics website.