A player who just three weeks ago competed in an NBA game could soon be suiting up in college.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Trentyn Flowers, a 6-foot-9 forward on a Two-Way Contract with the Chicago Bulls, is being recruited by a number of high-major programs, including Washington, NC State and USC, according to On3.com.
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Just three weeks ago, on Dec. 7, Flowers played 4 minutes and scored 4 points in the Chicago Bulls’ 123-91 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He also played briefly in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 3.
Flowers also appeared in six games for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2024-25, averaging 1.8 points and 0.7 rebounds in 4.5 minutes per game.
“He’s a good player, he would be a great player in college,” one NBA executive familiar with Flowers told NJ Advance Media.
The NCAA sent the following statement to NJ Advance Media:
“Each eligibility case is evaluated and decided individually based on the facts presented. Schools continue to recruit and enroll individuals with professional playing experience, which NCAA rules allow with parameters. As NCAA eligibility rules continue to face repeated lawsuits with differing outcomes, these cases are likely to continue, which underscores the importance of our collaboration with Congress to enable the Association to enforce reasonable eligibility standards and preserve opportunities to compete for future high school student-athletes.”
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Flowers reclassified and initially committed to Louisville in the 2023 class. He spent a few weeks on campus and was slated to be their starting point guard under former coach Kenny Payne but that never panned out and he never actually played a regular season game for them. He then decided to play with the Adelaide 36ers (Australia) in 2023-24 before signing with the Los Angeles Clippers and splitting time with their G League team. He signed with the Bulls in October.
Baylor recently added 7-footer James Nnaji, who played NBA Summer League with the Knicks this year but never played in an NBA game.
If Flowers – or another NBA player – lands in the college ranks, he would become the first player to go from the NBA to college, essentially the opposite of what many players long dream of.
“We have college basketball coaches, my friends, right now out there who are recruiting guys off of NBA rosters,” former Alabama and NC State coach Mark Gottfried said in a recent Instagram video.
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While Nnaji is the only former NBA Draft pick to join a college roster, other former pros have also entered the college ranks.
Several schools have added European pros, while BYU added big man Abdullah Ahmed, a former G League center who played 54 games with the Westchester Knicks.
Former Georgia and Indiana coach Tom Crean believes more are coming.
“I think we will see a couple probably before the upcoming semester starts this year,” he told NJ Advance Media.
The NCAA’s evolving rules, influenced by Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and a desire to keep talent in college, have made it possible for these new “pro-to-college” pathways.
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“The NCAA is totally clueless, lost,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said last week. “It’s like, it’s a joke. I just tried to sign, like, a 47 year old Chinese guy in some European League. I’m sure he’ll get eligible.”
Michigan State Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo, a staunch opponent of this new trend, told NJ Advance Media it would push more coaches out of the college game.
“Has anybody looked up? It already has,” Izzo said.
The NBA executive also pointed out that college teams are now making major roster moves in December, three months before March Madness.
“College signings in late December is so wild,” the executive said. “They basically have 2 1/2 months to get everything together into March.”
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The executive added: “If any of these [NBA] guys get cleared, they could completely change the NCAA Tournament.”
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