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The debate over NCAA eligibility for athletes with NBA experience was reignited after James Nnaji joined the Baylor men’s basketball team.
As the list of athletes who have spent time in the NBA’s G League or competed internationally and are looking 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 part of that group, but in his critique he floated a theory that was outside the box.
“Whoever it is, you try to pursue them. It’s a strange world,” Pikiell told reporters when discussing coaches who don’t rule out the possibility of midseason transfers.
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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 beat Delaware State on Monday. He continued his remarks by joking that he wouldn’t mind having a 36-year-old with a family on the Rutgers roster.
“I’d like to have a 36-year-old, father of four, hungry for work. I’d like to have one of those guys. We’ll see if any of those guys are available. But yeah, you have to pursue every lead you have on anyone and then go through all the hoops to try to get there. It’s very complex.”
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Thierry Darlan and London Johnson both skipped the college basketball route, heading straight to the now-defunct NBA G League Ignite. Earlier this year, both players received clearance of their respective NBA eligibility.
Elsewhere, Baylor confirmed that Nnaji signed with the program on Christmas Eve, approximately two and a half years after the Detroit Pistons selected him in the second round of the NBA draft. He participated in the NBA Summer League but has yet to appear in an NBA regular season game.
James Nnaji of Barcelona takes a shot during Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Game 34 between LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne and FC Barcelona at LDLC Arena on April 12, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Eurasia Sports Images/Getty Images)
Nonetheless, Nnaji’s move from the EuroLeague to the NBA draft at Baylor added to the outcry from college coaches and others.
Arkansas men’s basketball head coach John Calipari said no one should be allowed to play college basketball after being recruited to the pros, regardless of their international status.
“Very simple. The rules will be the rules, so if you put your name in the [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 this draft and you were drafted, you can’t play because that’s our rule. »
An official NCAA 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 men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo also weighed in, joking that he might ask Spartans legends Ervin “Magic” Johnson and others about returning to college.
“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 the coaches are going to do what they have to do, I guess. But the NCAA is the one. These people on these committees that are making these decisions to allow something so ridiculous and not think about the kid.”
Gonzaga coach Mark Few seemed to take aim at the NCAA’s leadership structure, saying, “It’s crazy right now. We really don’t have any organizational or real rules right now. I think guys are just trying to do everything they can. Until there’s a rule that says you can’t do it, it’s hard to blame someone for what they’re doing. Our lack of leadership really showed that.”
