One week after former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji signed with Baylor with four years of immediate eligibility, it’s still one of the biggest stories in college basketball. Amid a slew of reaction, Kansas State coach Jerome Tang weighed in and defended his former boss Scott Drew. Nnaji went No. 31 overall in the 2023 […]
One week after former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji signed with Baylor with four years of immediate eligibility, it’s still one of the biggest stories in college basketball. Amid a slew of reaction, Kansas State coach Jerome Tang weighed in and defended his former boss Scott Drew.
Nnaji went No. 31 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Detroit Pistons, but never signed a standard NBA contract. Although his draft rights were involved in two trades, he never played in an NBA or NBA G-League game. He also played professional basketball in Europe.
SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter
The NCAA granted Nnaji four years of eligibility, and he signed with Baylor on Christmas Eve. There has since been a wave of reaction, but Tang said Drew is simply operating within the rules currently in place. That’s why he doesn’t blame his close friend for bringing Nnaji aboard.
“Scott’s always been one of the most creative … his ability to look at a situation and figure out and be as creative and work within the rules,” Tang said. “Everything he’s doing is within the rules. I don’t think – whether it’s Coach [Tom] Izzo or [Danny] Hurley or Coach [Mark] Few, I don’t think any of them said anything wrong. But also, I don’t think Scott did anything wrong. Heck, if we can add one, I’m going to add one. That’s the rules they gave us to abide by. Utah’s added a guy, BYU’s added a guy. The guy who went to BYU, Houston was recruiting him, too.
“This is what it is. This is the landscape they gave us to operate in. And I agree with Pat Kelsey in that if it’s not against the rules, what’s anybody upset about? If you choose not to do that for your program, that’s you. And more power to you.”
Jerome Tang: ‘Nothing’s going to ruin this game of basketball’
The pushback regarding Nnaji’s eligibility led to criticism about the state of college basketball. But Jerome Tang disagreed with that sentiment. He likened it to when the shot clock came to be or when the NCAA allowed freshmen to play.
Tang’s point was the game won’t change from an Xs and Os standpoint. As far as the rules, he said coaches and programs are simply working within the current parameters. If things change, coaches will adjust accordingly.
“To the statement that was made about us messing up an American institution, come on, man,” Tang said. “They said the same thing about the shot clock. ‘You put a shot clock in. Oh my God, it’s going to ruin the game.’ You allow freshmen to play, ‘Aw, man, it’s going to ruin the game.’ You play one-and-done players, ‘Oh, man, it’s going to ruin the game.’ Nothing’s going to ruin this game of basketball. It’s a beautiful game we love to play. What basketball coaches are, are creative. We are creative and we figure ways out.
“Some people sit around and complain and other people get stuff done. I’m on the get-it-done side of things, so I’m with Scott. I called him and I told him, ‘Dogs don’t bark at parked cars.’ Keep it rolling and I’m hoping we can land somebody that makes people even more pissed off than they are right now. That’s what we’re doing. It’s just the rules they gave us to operate by. And when they give us different rules, we will operate within those rules.”
Category: General Sports
