NCAA deserves to be under fire for chaos of its own making in college basketball

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas has intensified scrutiny of the NCAA’s eligibility enforcement, telling viewers of “Pardon the Interruption” that the governing body has created “an issue where the NCAA doesn’t have eligibility rules that are based on any principle.”

Bilas, long one of the sport’s most influential voices, highlighted stark inconsistencies in how players with professional experience are ruled. International athletes who bypassed college yet earned significant professional salaries—such as Baylor’s James Nnaji, the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after five seasons with FC Barcelona—have been granted four years of collegiate eligibility. Santa Clara’s Thierry Darlan and Louisville’s London Johnson, both former G League Ignite products, have likewise been cleared.

Conversely, Alabama center Charles Bediako was declared ineligible after attempting to return to college basketball. Bediako competed for the Crimson Tide from 2021-23, entered the 2023 NBA Draft undrafted, spent three seasons in the G League and signed a two-way NBA contract. A federal judge ultimately sided with the NCAA, ending Bediako’s comeback bid following five appearances he made under a temporary restraining order.

“There are so many exceptions out there, and the NCAA is making those exceptions, that to single out Charles Bediako … has been wrong,” Bilas argued. He proposed a transparent framework: limit participation to undergraduate athletes within a six-year window after high-school graduation. “At least that would be based on some kind of principle,” he said.

The absence of a uniform standard, Bilas contends, has produced a “topsy-turvy” environment in which similarly situated athletes receive disparate treatment, breeding confusion among programs, recruits and compliance staffs. Observers note that college football coaches are already monitoring the developments, poised to exploit any loopholes that emerge.

With the NCAA’s selective enforcement now under national spotlight, the organization faces mounting pressure to craft coherent, principle-driven eligibility guidelines—or risk further erosion of its credibility across collegiate sports.