NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
The debate over NCAA eligibility for athletes whose backgrounds include NBA experience was reignited after James Nnaji joined the Baylor men’s basketball team.
As the list of athletes who spent time in the NBA’s G League or competed internationally seeking to play college basketball in the United States grows, several prominent college basketball coaches have spoken out against the trend. Rutgers men’s basketball coach Steve Pikiell is among that group, but in his critique he floated an outside-the-box theory.
“Whoever’s out there, you try to pursue. It’s a strange world,” Pikiell told reporters when discussing coaches not ruling out the possibility of midseason moves.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Pikiell reacts at the end of the game against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena on February 16, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Craig Strobeck/Imagn Images)
Pikiell’s comments came shortly after Rutgers defeated Delaware State on Monday. He continued his remarks by jokingly adding that he wouldn’t mind having a 36-year-old with a family on the Rutgers roster.
“I’d love to get a 36-year-old with four kids and hungry for a job. I’d like to have one of those guys. We’ll see if one of those guys is available. But yeah, you have to pursue any lead you have on somebody, and then you have to go through all the steps to try to make it happen. It’s very complex.”
JOHN CALIPARI RIP NCAA AFTER NBA PLAYER ENTERS COLLEGE MIDSEASON: ‘WE DON’T HAVE ANY RULES’
Thierry Darlan and London Johnson both skipped the college basketball route and went straight to the now-defunct NBA G League Ignite. Earlier this year, both players received clearance for their respective NBA eligibility.
Elsewhere, Baylor confirmed that Nnaji signed with the program on Christmas Eve, about 2½ years after the Detroit Pistons selected him in the second round of the NBA Draft. He has competed in the NBA Summer League, but has yet to appear in an NBA regular season game.
James Nnaji of Barcelona takes a shot during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 34 match between LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne and FC Barcelona at LDLC Arena on April 12, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Nevertheless, Nnaji’s move from the EuroLeague to the NBA Draft to Baylor increased the clamor of college coaches and others.
Arkansas men’s basketball head coach John Calipari said no one should be allowed to play college basketball after being drafted into the pros, regardless of international status.
“Really simple. The rules are the rules, so if you put your name in [NBA Draft]I don’t care if you’re from Russia and you stay in the draft, you can’t play college basketball,” Calipari said Monday. “‘Well, it’s only for American kids.’ What? If your name is in that draft and you’ve been drafted, you can’t play because that’s our rule.”
An NCAA Official Game Ball logo is seen on a basketball before the NCAA Division II National Championship Basketball game between the Minnesota State Mavericks and the Nova Southeastern Sharks on March 30, 2024 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Longtime Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo also weighed in, jokingly suggesting he might ask Spartans legend Ervin “Magic” Johnson and others about returning to the college hardwood.
“Why not? I mean, if that’s what we’re going to do, shame on the NCAA,” Izzo said. “Shame on the coaches, too. But shame on the NCAA, because coaches are going to do what they have to do, I think. But the NCAA is the one. The people on the committees that make those decisions to allow something so ridiculous and not think about the kid.”
Gonzaga coach Mark Few appeared to take aim at the NCAA’s leadership structure, saying, “It’s crazy out there right now. We really don’t have any organizational or any real rules right now. I think guys are just trying to do what they can. Until there’s a rule that says you can’t do it, it’s hard to blame anybody for doing what our leader has shown.”
