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The debate over NCAA eligibility for athletes whose background includes 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 and look to play college basketball in the U.S. 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 posed a groundbreaking theory.
“Whoever is there, you try to chase them. It’s a strange world,” Pikiell told reporters when talking about coaches, without ruling out the possibility of mid-season 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/Image Images)
Pikiell’s comments came shortly after Rutgers defeated Delaware State on Monday. He followed up his comments by jokingly adding that he wouldn’t mind having a 36-year-old man with a family on Rutgers’ roster.
“I’d like to get a 36-year-old guy with four kids and a job hungry. I’d like to get one of those guys. We’ll see if any of them are available. But yeah, you have to follow any lead you have on someone and then go through all the steps to try to make it happen. It’s very complex.”
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Thierry Darlan and London Johnson skipped the college basketball route and went straight to the now-defunct NBA G League Ignite. Earlier this year, both players were cleared for their respective NBA eligibility.
Separately, 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 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 Sports Images/Getty Images)
However, Nnaji’s move from the EuroLeague to the NBA Draft to 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 drafted as a professional, regardless of their international status.
“Very simple. Rules are rules, so if you put your name on 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, that’s just for American kids.’ What? If your name is in that draft and you were selected, you can’t play because that’s our rule.”
An official NCAA ball logo is seen on a basketball before the NCAA Division II Basketball National Championship 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, jokingly hinting that he might ask Spartans legends Ervin “Magic” Johnson and others about returning to the college court.
“Why not? I mean, if that’s what we’re going to do, it’s the NCAA’s fault,” 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. Those people on those committees that are making those decisions allow something so ridiculous and they don’t think about the child.”
Gonzaga coach Mark Few seemed to take aim at the NCAA’s leadership structure, saying, “It’s crazy right now. We don’t really have any real organization or rules right now. I think guys are just trying to do everything they can. Until there’s a rule that says it can’t be done, it’s hard to blame anyone for doing what they’re doing. Our lack of leadership has really shown itself.”
