Scott Drew doesn’t think he has done anything wrong after signing former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji earlier this month.
The Baylor head coach said on Sunday that, despite a wave of criticism from throughout the sport, he’s just adapting to the current state of college basketball. He isn’t making the rules, so he’s going to do what he can with them before they are changed in the future.
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“Early on, when it first came out with G League players, I wasn’t in favor of that either,” Drew said, via ESPN. “But again, we don’t make the rules and as we find out about things, we’re always going to adapt to put our program in the best position to be successful, because that’s what we get paid to do.”
Tom Izzo, others call out Scott Drew
Baylor announced on Christmas Eve that it had signed Nnaji, who was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Nnaji still has never played in an NBA game. He had his rights traded to the Charlotte Hornets and then the New York Knicks, and he’s been with FC Barcelona since 2020.
Nnaji is now the first former NBA Draft pick to be cleared to play at the college level. Two other G League players — Thierry Darlan and London Johnson — are set to play at Santa Clara and Louisville, respectively, next season.
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Naturally, the announcement drew some pretty strong backlash. UConn coach Dan Hurley posted about it on social media, calling it “crazy,” and Gonzaga coach Mark Few addressed it on Sunday, too.
“It’s wild out there right now,” Few said. “We really don’t have any organizational or any real rules right now. I think guys are just trying to do whatever they can. Until there’s a rule that says you can’t do it, it’s hard to blame anybody for doing what they’re doing. Our lack of leadership has really shown.”
Longtime Michigan State coach Tom Izzo called both Drew and the NCAA out over the issue on Saturday, too.
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“I’m a little surprised,” Izzo said. “I’ve got a call in to Scott. I’m anxious to see what he tells me. Not saying that we’re holier than thou or anybody should not do this or that, but if we’re dipping into that one, if it’s like I’m reading or hearing … and now we’re taking guys that were drafted in the NBA and everything … If that’s what we’re gonna do, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too. But shame on the NCAA. Because coaches are going to do what they’ve got to do, I guess.”
Drew, who has been leading Baylor since 2003 and led them to a national championship in 2021, said he spoke with Izzo on Sunday night.
“Coach Izzo and I are friends. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Great conversation,” Drew said. “As he said, most coaches are 99% aligned on things that we would like to see done with our game. At the same time, from my knowledge, until we get to collective bargaining, I don’t think we can come up with rules that are agreeable or enforceable. Until that, I think all of us have got to be ready to adjust and adapt to what’s out there.”
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The NCAA addressed the issue in a statement to The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, and pushed blame to Congress. The governing body has not granted any eligibility to applicants that have played in any NBA regular season games, either.
“Schools are recruiting and seeking eligibility for more individuals with more international, semi-pro and professional experience than ever before, and while the NCAA members ahve updated many rules following the House injunction, more rules must likely be updated to reflect the choices member schools are making,” the NCAA said. “At the same time, NCAA eligibility rules have been invalidated by judges across the country wreaking havoc on the system and leading to fewer opportunities for high school students, which is why the Association is asking Congress to intervene in these challenges.”
So, when will Nnaji make his debut?
It’s unclear when Nnaji will actually get to make his debut with the Bears, who sit at 10-2 on the season after beating Arlington Baptist 124-61 on Monday. They’ll kick off Big 12 play on Saturday with TCU, and then will host No. 3 Iowa State next week.
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The 7-footer arrived in Waco, Texas, for the first time on Sunday night, and he was set to undergo his physical on Monday. Once he gets out there, the 21-year-old should be able to provide better depth for the Bears inside after they lost both Juslin Bodo Bodo and JJ White to injury.
“As soon as we get him all cleared, he’s got to learn offensively, defensively,” Drew said. “He can’t play until he knows what he’s doing out there. … How quick, depends on how fast he picks up things. It’ll be great having an eight-man rotation at some point.”