Happy Friday, folks. As we mentally prepare for Ohio State to begin a stretch of three home games over the next nine days, we’re stepping to the side to discuss something that’s not super relevant to the Buckeyes (yet), but very relevant to the game at large.
The biggest debate in this sport over the last few months has been the sudden influx of foreign and American professional basketball players into college basketball. Foreign — typically European, but not exclusively — players have been playing
college basketball for a long time, but it seems that there’s been an inordinate amount of attention on older overseas pros this summer and fall; think 21, 22, even 23-year-old professional players from overseas coming to America and being granted three or four years of collegiate eligibility. That means that, hypothetically, a 21 or 22-year-old could play college basketball until they’re 25 or 26.
The madness and outrage hit a peak last month, when James Nnaji, a 2023 NBA Draftee, was approved by the NCAA to play college basketball because he never actually played a game in the NBA. He committed to Baylor shortly thereafter and has played in a few games for the Bears this year.
Around the same time, Trentyn Flowers, who is currently on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, was reportedly seeking eligibility to play college basketball, and over 20 college programs were in contact with him. This reporting was quickly refuted, the reporter had to update his information, and the NCAA denied him eligibility because he had already played in the NBA.
Things have gotten kind of crazy with “non-traditional” college athletes being granted eligibility, but now we know that not all cases will be approved. However, much of it is still gray, and many coaches don’t fully know what’s allowed and what’s not.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which player would “take advantage” of Brandon Noel’s absence the most and start contributing at a higher level. Justin said it would be Colin White, because the sophomore has the correct size to play small forward and is a high-level defender. Connor said that nobody would step up — instead, Ohio State will just have to lean on its starting five even more.
Let’s dive into the whole “pros going back to college” thing. Who should be allowed and who shouldn’t? Should they all get four years? Does prior experience matter if they never went to college?
This week’s question: Where do we draw the line with overseas, American pros in college basketball?
Connor: No professional/former professional players in college basketball
Alright, I’ve been waiting years to have my “Old Man Yells at Cloud” moment, and here it is.
If someone has already played professionally somewhere, they shouldn’t be playing college basketball. That applies to everyone from an 18-year old riding the bench in a low-level Slovakian league to LeBron James with 21 years of experience in the NBA. If someone has already been paid to play the game of basketball, they should not be playing college.
College basketball is — or was, at least — a collection of amateur players representing their respective universities to compete with other universities across the country. The players on college basketball teams were traditionally 18-22 years old, and on top of being able to play on the basketball team, their bonus was that their education was paid for. Nowadays, graduation rates have plummeted, and redshirt years and the bonus COVID year have skewed how old players are, but that was how it was meant to be in the beginning, at least.
College athletes are also amateurs by definition — they aren’t paid by their employer to play their sport. In 2026, college athletes are able to make NIL money, which has completely changed from what it was initially meant to be, but that’s a different debate. College athletes — including basketball players — can earn money to benefit off their name, image, and likeness as athletes at large universities. The players aren’t paid a check by their school every two weeks for being basketball players.
They’re not hourly or salaried employees of their school. Technically, the money they earn is compensation — typically from third parties — for their name, image, and likeness benefiting a company or large organization.
For that reason, I think that once you’ve played professionally, you should burn your collegiate eligibility. That means overseas pros too, not just American. Allowing a 23-year old Croatian center to come to America and enroll as a “college freshman” and join the basketball team feels directly against what college athletics was meant to be. Letting a player who intentionally bypassed college to get drafted sooner — and then did get drafted to an NBA team — should not get to turn around and “start” college at age 21.
Yes, that means multiple Ohio State players — Ivan Njegovan and Mathieu Grujicic would hypothetically be ineligible to play if this were the rule. I’ve got nothing against those guys personally, but we can’t pick and choose where we would apply this rule; it would apply to them, too.
It just feels like we’re getting dangerously close to a situation where a 28-year-old former college player who left before using up all his or her eligibility is going to try to come back to college and get approved. Then they’ll end up guarding an 18-year old freshman in a conference game the following, creating a 10-year age cap between “college students.”
It just feels like we’re straying further and further away from what made the college game awesome. I don’t typically say much about this kind of thing, because once the ball tips, it’s all just basketball to me. But if I had to take a stance, this is where I would be.
Justin: Nobody who has played an NBA game
There is no doubt that this is a growing problem in college sports, and if it isn’t regulated early, then it can become a big problem. And knowing the NCAA, it won’t be.
However, I do not think what has transpired yet is cause for concern.
The main focus around this is James Nnaji, who recently signed with Baylor. Nnaji is 21 years old and never played a minute in the NBA. He was drafted in the 2023 draft with the 31st pick by the Detroit Pistons.
His rights were later traded to the Charlotte Hornets and then the New York Knicks in the Karl Anthony Towns trade. Since he was drafted, he has only played overseas for Barcelona and Girona.
I don’t think this is as bad as some people are making it out to be. He never played in the NBA and had eligibility left. This isn’t like LeBron James or someone who has had an NBA career coming back to fulfill their collegiate eligibility.
Now, I do see where people are arguing that this can be a slippery slope, and if there aren’t some guardrails put in, what this can lead to. But as long as the NCAA steps in, I think it is okay.
And so far, they have. The NCAA recently said, “In basketball, midyear transfers are not eligible to compete at a second school if they enrolled at an NCAA school during the first academic term, regardless of whether they competed there.”
So, they are already getting ahead of it. And I think they will put the necessary guardrails in place. As long as guys never played in the NBA and there is an age limit, I am okay with it.
