Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo strongly criticized the NCAA in response to the latest controversial enrollment, as 2023 NBA Draft pick James Nnaji joined Baylor.
One of the more controversial transfers happened in the NCAA recently, as 21-year-old 2023 NBA second-round draft pick James Nnaji enrolled at Baylor and received four years of eligibility with permission to play immediately.
James Nnaji
James Nnaji
Position: C
Age: 21
Height: 211 cm
Weight: 113 kg
Birth place: Nigeria
This sparked significant controversy across the basketball world, with many believing this is unacceptable and represents the wrong direction college basketball is heading toward.
One of the people who slammed the NCAA for allowing this to happen is Hall of Famer and current Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
The coach believes this is a shame on the NCAA, saying it tops everything he has ever seen.
“I thought I’d seen the worst. Then Christmas came,” Izzo said after practice on Saturday, Dec. 27, via the Detroit Free Press. “It topped it. It just topped it. What happened just topped it.”
“Now we’re taking guys that were drafted into the NBA and everything?” Izzo said. “I said it to you a month and a half ago—c’mon Magic (Johnson) and Gary (Harris), let’s go, baby, let’s do it. Why not?”
“I mean, if that’s what we’re going to, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too. But shame on the NCAA, because coaches are gonna do what they gotta do, I guess. But the NCAA is the one. Those people on those committees who are making those decisions to allow something so ridiculous and not think of the kid,” he stated.
Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con/Scanpix
“So everybody talks about me thinking of my program or that I’m selfish. No. Get that straight, all of you. I’m thinking about what is best for my son if he were in that position, and I just don’t agree with it.”
The coach joked that with all the rules allowing this to happen, they could try bringing back former players currently in the NBA, using former Spartan Miles Bridges as an example to replace current forward Coen Carr.
“I asked Coen, ‘Would you be OK if I went and got Miles and brought him back and I sat you?’ I mean, you laugh, but that’s what we’re doing. Somebody’s sitting, somebody’s not playing,” Izzo said. “I just don’t think that’s fair for the players.”
This latest round of rules interpretations on the fly has Izzo—one of the few legendary coaching voices remaining and one of the most influential nationally—seething and rethinking the future of his profession and the time he has left in it.
“Write this one down: It’s gonna get me,” he said. “I’m just not gonna let it bother me. But it’s gonna get me sooner or later. Sooner or later, it’s gonna get me. Not that I’m too stubborn to never do anything. But I’m not going recruiting Miles. I love Miles, I’d love to have him play. I just think—what is wrong with that statement? ‘Go and replace Coen.’”
Izzo said he would love to poll the 361 Division I coaches to see how many favor the fluid eligibility rules, projecting that maybe 5–10% agree with the shifting standards. He also expressed concern that fans are growing increasingly frustrated and tuning out, as college sports become more professionalized without clear guidelines.
“What we’ve done in the NCAA has been an absolute travesty to me. We’re just worried about getting sued, and we’re not going to fight anybody. And I think leadership means you fight and you make decisions that are sometimes unpopular.”
“If that’s the way it is, and if I have to make those adjustments, then let’s make them. Let’s go pro if that’s the way it is,” he said. “But let’s not be half you-know-what. Because there’s no such thing as being half that.”
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