Need proof that the NCAA will hold its ground on NBA contracts?
Well, Michael Foster Jr., who played for the G League Ignite, the Sioux Falls SkyForce and Capital City Go-Go and did play in an NBA game with Philadelphia had his eligibility appeal rejected to play college basketball.
He signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia and an Exhibit 10 deal with Washington in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He never played in college, but he signed NBA deals. This is in line with NCAA president Charlie Baker’s statement that if a player signed a two-way deal and/or NBA contract, it would mean the player wouldn’t be eligible to play college basketball.
Kansas State was interested in Foster Jr., but according to a source with direct knowledge once Baker’s statement came out the Wildcats withdrew any interest.
Charles Bediako, who played at Alabama, was looking into returning to college, but he signed a deal with San Antonio after going undrafted in 2023. So Bediako is not eligible to return to college basketball under the strict rules that if you sign, you’re done.
So much energy was wasted debating whether drafted players or guys who played professionally (in Europe or the G League) should be eligible this season.
James Nnaji, the No. 31 pick in the 2023 draft, has played three games for Baylor. The Bears have lost them all. He’s playing 16.3 minutes and Nnaji is averaging 3.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Louisville didn’t end up playing G League player London Johnson against Boston College last Saturday. BYU midseason addition Abdullah Ahmed has played in four games and he’s averaging 14 minutes with 2.3 points and 4.5 rebounds. Oklahoma’s Kirill Elatontsev has played in four games, averaging 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.3 minutes a game. These are just a few of the examples of players added that have simply just been rotation players.
SPECIAL REPORT
Pros in College? A Union for Players? A Guide to the NCAA Eligibility Crisis
Baylor’s decision to sign James Nnaji, a former NBA Draft pick, produced complaints and confusion. Here are answers to the most-pressing questions facing college athletics.
Shoutouts
The Division I Basketball Oversight Committee: Love, love the proposed legislation for men’s and women’s basketball. All should likely get approved.
Schools will be allowed to play three instead of two exhibition games. The more “real” preseason games over scrimmages, the better.
Foreign tours will be allowed every year, instead of just once every four years. Love this. Taking foreign tours is always a good thing for players and staff. Having team bonding in a foreign country and getting cultural experiences is always a positive. The game is going more and more global and schools are recruiting internationally more than ever. This is all good!
Skill work can now be in any of the eight hours schools get per week with their players in the summer. The skill work was maxed at four hours in previous summers. Now coaches can determine what they do with all eight hours.
Up to six coaches will be allowed to recruit off campus for the summer of 2026, if approved. This was needed since players are on campus working out all summer. The need to divide coaches on the road to recruit while also having enough staff to work out the current team was a necessity.
Wisconsin: The Badgers had themselves a week! Wisconsin beat UCLA and then shocked Michigan in Ann Arbor. Wisconsin showed no indication that they could rise up and win a game like the Michigan game this season. But they did. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. Wisconsin was 0-5 in Quad 1 games prior to the win over Michigan. The Badgers’ NCAA resume was lifted up with the Michigan win.
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt: Tanner has been one of the best guards in the country and if the season ended today it would be hard not to give him SEC Player of the Year. Tanner is averaging 17 points and 5.4 assists for the undefeated Commodores.
Brayden Burries, Arizona: Burries was hurt earlier in the season as fellow freshman Koa Peat was getting the deserved headlines. But lately Burries has been burying opponents under an avalanche of points. He did only score six at TCU, but prior to that game he had hit double digits in 10 straight games, including scoring 17 and 28 in the first two Big 12 games, respectively. The combination of Burries, Peat, Jaden Bradley, Motiejus Krivas and Anthony Dell’Orso gives the Wildcats one of the most potent offenses in the country.
Niko Medved, Minnesota: The Gophers split the week, beating Iowa and losing to USC in overtime. But the one constant is that Medved has the Barn back. Fans have returned to Williams Arena to give it the atmosphere it so richly deserves. The Barn is one of the best arenas in the country with its raised floor, old school rafters and pounding sound that reverberates off the benches. Having excitement back in the building is a beautiful thing.
Grand Canyon: There was a bit of squawking in the Mountain West by the schools that will leave for the Pac-12 when GCU was added before the league splits. Well, there was probably a good reason for the trepidation. The Lopes are 3-1 in the Mountain West with wins at Wyoming and this past week at Boise State (a convincing 75-58 victory). GCU could be a real player to compete for the MWC title if the next three games go well. GCU is at New Mexico, then hosts Utah State and San Diego State.
Miami (OH): Travis Steele continues to push the right buttons with the RedHawks. Miami is 17-0 and is showing no signs of slowing down. The Redhawks beat likely MAC title challenger Akron and have three MAC road wins over Bowling Green, Toledo and Ball State. The question will be what happens to the RedHawks if they have a ridiculous record with maybe one or two losses and then lose in the MAC title game. It would be hard to keep them out of the tournament.
Texas coach Sean Miller: His frustration with his team was no secret after multiple postgame news conferences, including earlier in the week against Tennessee. Well, the Longhorns clearly were listening because Texas pulled off a season-changing win by beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Texas still has a mountain to climb to be in the mix for a bid, but this win will go a long way toward that goal. Up next is unbeaten Vanderbilt, which would be an even bigger resume builder.
Saint Louis and George Mason: The Billikens are cleaning up in the A-10 with a road sweep of VCU and LaSalle to go to 15-1 overall, 3-0 in the league. The Patriots are doing the same at 15-1, 4-0. The problem the Billikens and Patriots will face is that they weren’t able to get a Power Four win. Playing teams in a guaranteed game may not be what they want to do, but it at least would have given them a chance for Quad 1 wins against Power Four teams. George Mason’s one loss was in the lone Power Four game they played (at Virginia Tech). The same is true for SLU, which lost its one Power Four contest (Stanford).
Ebuka Okorie, Stanford: Okorie is yet another stellar freshman. The 6-foot-2 guard hit the game winner to beat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He scored 31 in that win and he scored 28 in the previous win over Louisville. Okorie is averaging 22.1 points for Kyle Smith’s Cardinal.
Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M: Bucky Ball is alive and well in College Station. The Aggies have turned their season around in the SEC. Texas A&M is 3-0 in the SEC, which includes a crazy ending at Auburn as well as home wins over LSU and Oklahoma. The Aggies next two games will tell a lot with road tilts at Tennessee and Texas.
Braden Smith, Purdue: If there was a week where we point to Braden Smith starting to create space as the Big Ten Player of the Year, it could be these past two home games. Smith needed to be more of a scorer against Washington and Penn State, and he delivered. In a win over Washington he scored 23 points on a season-best 10 field goals with seven assists. Against Penn State Smith scored 26 points, dished out 14 assists and had only one turnover in the win.
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