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Myron Medcalf
Without new rules to prevent teams from adding players with professional experience to their rosters, the value of American high school players will rapidly decline, John Calipari said in a postgame rant about the state of the game Monday night.
In a six-minute response about college basketball, days after Baylor announced the addition of the former NBA draft pick James Nanaji Of his roster, Calipari said that the game’s youngest talent would be at a disadvantage if players who played professionally domestically or internationally were allowed to compete.
Calipari said after Arkansas’s 103–74 win over James Madison, “Does anyone care what this is doing to 17- and 18-year-old American kids? Do you know what this opportunity has done to them and their families? There will be no high school kids.” “Who other than idiots like me is going to recruit high school kids? I get so much satisfaction from coaching young kids and watching them grow and succeed – and change their families and lives – that I will continue to do that. But if you can get NBA players, G League players, 28-year-old guys, guys from Europe why would anyone else? Do we actually know their transcripts? Do we have someone out there? Do we actually know their birth certificate? or not?
“We don’t have any rules.”
Both Louisville (london johnson) and Santa Clara (Thierry Darlan, recently signed players with G League experience on their roster, but Nnaji – a 7-foot center who played professionally overseas after being drafted 31st overall in the 2023 NBA draft – is the first undrafted player to be cleared to play by the NCAA.
While Scott Drew defended his decision Adding to Nnaji and saying he was “glad” he was allowed to play, UConn’s Dan Hurley, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo were all critical of the rules that allowed it to happen.
“Now we’re taking guys who were drafted to the NBA,” Izzo said. “If that’s what we’re going to do, then shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too. But shame on the NCAA. Because the coaches are going to do what they have to do, I think.”
Calipari echoed those sentiments on Monday. He listed a set of proposed rules that he believes could stabilize the sport, including four years of eligibility in a five-year window for each athlete and eliminating all midseason additions.
“It’s simple. We can do it, NCAA,” he said. “Don’t tell me about lawsuits. If you join a program mid-season, you can’t play that season.”
Calipari said he would make exceptions for students who did not qualify academically during the first semester but were in good standing to compete in the second semester. However, he did not make any exceptions for players entering the NBA Draft and said that the ban should be imposed on all players in such situations.
“Simple really. Rules are 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. “‘Well, it’s only for American kids.’ What? If your name is in that draft and you get drafted, you can’t play because that’s our rule.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker posted a statement Addressing the eligibility issue on social media Tuesday, it said in part, “The NCAA has not and will not extend eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract). As schools are increasingly recruiting individuals with international league experience, the NCAA is exercising discretion in enforcing the Actual and Necessary Expenses Clause to ensure that prospective student-athletes with experience in American basketball leagues are able to afford their international Are not at a disadvantage compared to peers.”
Baker said he would work with “DI leaders in the coming weeks to protect college basketball” following “recent outside decisions” on eligibility.
It is unclear what else the NCAA will allow in the near future regarding players with professional experience as it seeks congressional intervention to fix the scenario. But Calipari said college basketball stakeholders must act now to preserve its future.
“How about if we just do this?” He said. “We can do this even without getting 60 votes in Congress and the Senate.”
