How about a mid-season plot twist: We're about to flip the calendar to January and suddenly find ourselves unranked. Baylor became the “Black Hat” of college basketball.
Before I explain why BU coach Scott Drew got sick, here's the information you need to know about how college basketball has reached a new level of quirkiness in an increasingly volatile roster-building environment.
On Christmas Eve morning, the NCAA informed Baylor's compliance staff that 7-foot center James Nnaji, who was born in Nigeria, had been cleared to compete. This controversial decision was groundbreaking in men's college hoops. Nnaji is the first person to change course and play college basketball. after being selected in NBA Draft. And it's not that this guy was simply kicked out of the game last June. Nnaji was selected 31st overall in the 2023 draft. He played for the Charlotte Hornets through the 2023 season. NBA Summer League that year.
It's important to note that Nnaji has never played in an NBA game, which is said to still be a key distinction for a player to make it to college. (Though we should be prepared for that rule to be tested in 2026, I'm sure.) However, this guy defended Victor Wembanyama in Summer League and was even part of the big deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves in October 2024.
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Although the Knicks still own Nnaji's draft rights under the terms of the Towns/Randle trade, Nnaji has not signed an NBA contract. More important context: Nnaji was never paid outside of Summer League and travel allowance during his short time in the NBA. He has been playing EuroLeague basketball for most of the last five years.
In this case, he had a chance to become eligible for college as he never played college ball until 2023. (Nnaji was part of the FC Barcelona program years before he was drafted). Because Nnaji never went to college here in the States, and because he has five years left of high school, his five-year NCAA eligibility window begins now.
Yes, it's crazy, but it's worth emphasizing that while Baylor has been the subject of a lot of outcry about the state of college basketball, Drew's program is far from the only one doing so. The rules keep changing as the threat of legal action sparks one movement after another.
BYU (Abdullah Ahmed), Dayton (Sean Pude), Washington (Nikola Dzepin) and others also attracted roster additions from other professional ranks during the season. The only difference between them all and Nnaji is that over two years ago he promised enough to have NBA team select it in draft. Even within the Big 12 Kansas State Women's team lineups Nastia Claessens, who ranks second on the Wildcats in scoring with 10.6 points per game.
Did you know that Claessens is originally from Belgium? was selected 30th overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.?
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Drew did what many (but certainly not all) coaches in his position would do in a time of need. In Oklahoma, Porter Moser just took on Russian center Kirill Elatontsev with a 6-11 record. It was overshadowed by the Baylor news, but the newest Sooner arrived on Christmas Day. Moser told me he would probably play him immediately. The Sooners have lost their starting centers to injury the past two seasons. Now Elatontsev is an insurance policy. His reasons were the same as Drew's.
“I've never made a mid-year transfer that was playable right away, it was never part of the game, but if the NCAA approves it and says it's OK, you're going to have to look at it and see if it's right for your situation,” Moser told CBS Sports. “In my situation, I have two fives in the squad, and one is currently injured. We did it for depth. And if he helps us win one game, it will be worth it. We've been losing our starting five for years on end and no one has pulled out a fiddle to talk about our lack of depth.”
But because Baylor added a guy who was drafted to the NBA over everyone else, that doesn't sit well with many college sports fans who look around and see the fundamental nature of the sport changing to a level unrecognizable from what college basketball has been like for decades.
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Scott Drew, fifty-five years old and in his 23rd season with the Bears, isn't trying to be the villain or the poster boy for the renegade roster. He's simply doing what many, many other coaches have done – all within the rules. You can love it, hate it or be indifferent to it, but Baylor did nothing wrong here. Nnaji has been vetted at the NCAA level. He is allowed to play under the current (swinging) structure of college basketball.
Drew recognizes that some will nonetheless view him and his program in a negative light. He told me his guiding principle was to do what was best for Baylor.
“We (coaches) don't make the rules, and whether we agree with them or not, I equate it to a speed limit,” Drew told CBS Sports. “You drive through a construction zone, it changes. You get on the highway, it changes. Right now the NCAA has speed limits and it is changing. I don't blame the NCAA because a lot of it has to do with what they think they can win in the courtroom. In my opinion, until we reach collective bargaining, there will be no solution. Until this time, I am a coach for our program and we needed to add a player during the semester break because we had two season ends. injuries to two of our biggest players and the absence of a third player. If you're coaching a team, aren't you going to add the best player you can add that fits your program?
High Point broadcast Juslyn Bodo Bodo He was expected to be the Bears' starting center, but he has been injured since the summer and will not play this season. The same goes for the other front line player, Maycol Perez. Keep in mind that the Big 12 is probably the best league in the country in the 2025-26 season—and definitely the strongest league at the top. Drew had endured a couple of seasons with major roster issues due to injuries, and with a potential stopgap measure in place, he and BU general manager Jason Smith began reviewing Nnaji's eligibility starting in early October. The connection comes because Smith has a working relationship with Nnaji's agent, who also represents former Baylor lottery pick Jeremy Sochan.
“I think for the good of the game, most coaches are about 99.9 percent on board with what we would do to change things,” Drew said. “The NCAA and athletic directors would feel the same way, but until we have collective bargaining, that won't happen. If it's solutions based, how long have we been talking about congressional help? It doesn't look like that's going to happen.”
Michigan State's Tom Izzo had some harsh words about the situation a few days ago, although he didn't talk to Drew, when asked about Baylor/Nnaji in the media huddle after Michigan State's practice. According to Drew, Izzo and Drew spoke over the weekend.
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“Me and Izzo are friends, I respect him, and it was a great conversation,” Drew said. “At the end of the day, we both agree on what we would like to see in the rules going forward. When he first came out and started talking about the G League guys being able to play, I was against it too, but it's a lot like NIL and the portal. You may agree or disagree, but you have a job to do. We can wait for Congress to decide, or we can get to the inevitable collective bargaining.”
Drew doesn't expect anything from Congress in the coming months/years. He's willing to take a hard line on who is and isn't allowed to play college basketball, but until there's clarity, can you blame him?
“If you say you can get 5 points in basketball, who would say no?” – he said.
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Drew won't be the last coach to do this, that's for sure. It's just the latest, and the problem could worsen in the coming weeks. Consider the case of the ex Louisville commit/top 40 prospects coming out of Trentin Flowers High School. Like Nnaji, he never played in college. But unlike Nnaji, Flowers logged real NBA minutes for the Chicago Bulls earlier this month. And in recent days, his agent has been looking for opportunities to try to get down into the college ranks. Flowers currently plays in the NBA G League but is on a two-way contract. And although the initial report on the number of schools “interested” in Flowers went viral on Sunday was inaccuratesome kick the tires.
“We don't have a choice in doing our due diligence in the new world,” one aide told CBS Sports at a power conference about the possibility of Flowers' recruitment. “At the moment it’s a little bit of both: agents are reaching out to us and schools are finding out and reaching out. It's more of a two-way street than some people think.”
Now we wait for the next stage of this story: the moment when Nnaji steps on the floor for Baylor. Drew told me he needs to get a physical before taking any further steps, but clearance is expected Tuesday. Baylor's Big 12 tournament opener is Saturday at TCU. Will Nnaji see the floor then?
“I definitely could,” Drew said. “But unless he knows our offense, doesn’t know our defense, it doesn’t matter how good someone is, you can’t put him out there.” [for too long]. I think it will be a gradual process. If he was ready for the NBA, he would play in the NBA.”
Don't expect Nnaji to play more than 25 minutes for the Bears in the coming weeks. But later in the season? Let's see. In the end, he was good enough to be selected 31st overall. It's not too far-fetched to think he could be the key to Baylor reaching a sixth straight NCAA Tournament. In-season free agency is now officially a reality in college basketball, and it may stay that way.
