Florida basketball coach Todd Golden calls for clarity as former pro players gain eligibility

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In recent weeks, the recruitment of college basketball players has become a concern, as schools have signed and targeted former NBA and G League players.

Baylor recently signed former NBA draft pick James Nnaji, while reports have circulated that current NBA/G League player Trentyn Flowers is pursuing college eligibility.

Florida basketball coach Todd Golden told reporters on Friday, Dec. 2, that there’s a need for more clarity on the framework of recruiting.

"I’d say it's an interesting time in regards to the player acquisition part of our business,” Golden said. “And the rules are ever-changing. At times not being adhered to or implemented in terms of whether guys are eligible or not.

“We just want to know what kind of the framework is that we're working between and not get into a season where we have a roster and then other teams are adding pros in the middle of the year.”

Baylor announced the signing of Nnaji, who was the 31st overall pick in the 2023 draft on Christmas, and who even played in the NBA Summer League. However, Nnaji never played in an NBA game, but had been playing in the Euroleague, yet was not previously enrolled in a college.

Golden stated that his program will not follow the recent trend, but if it continues, he’ll explore it.

“We're just not going to do that, at least not right now,” Golden said. “Now, if this is a continuing trend over the next three to five years, maybe the mid-season edition is something that we'll look at.

“I don't think that's necessarily what the idea behind college sport is, but I don't have any issues with teams trying to do everything they can to put themselves in positions to be successful, and if they're able to get guys eligible, it's fair at this point."

NCAA president Charlie Baker issued a statement regarding players’ eligibility with NBA experience, “The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract."

For Golden, the main issue he has stems from the current declaration date.

"The issue with that is we have a declaration deadline in college, right?” Golden said. “So we've always operated on the assumption that if somebody stays in the draft past the deadline to come back to college, that they're just done. And they're moving on. And now guys are retroactively being able to -- guys that have clearly stayed in past the deadline.

“I don't necessarily have a problem with guys that have been drafted playing, but they shouldn't be allowed to play after we've declared these guys as not being eligible up until now.”

However, Golden compared the issue to how Major League Baseball handles drafting high school players, but still has the option to go to college.

“I think that would be unique and that would be kind of an interesting thing where now NBA teams are having to decide, like, all right, am I taking this guy?” Golden said. “What's the likelihood that he actually goes to the NBA or goes back to college? There's a lot of different things that are going to pop up. And again, l think we think we're pretty nimble, and we think we have the ability to adjust pretty well, but I just want to know what the rules are."

Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida’s Todd Golden calls for clearer recruiting rules as schools target pro players

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