“Kids aren’t the problem, we’re the problem,” said Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo.
When do you ever hear an old guy say that? Only when the NCAA does what it is an expert at: making dumb decisions. The most recent such decision is the NCAA allowing NBA G-League players to transfer into NCAA basketball.
After that decision, London Johnson, who’s been playing in the G-League since 2022, announced that he was committed to the University of Louisville, where he will have two years of eligibility starting in the 2026-27 season.
After playing professionally for three years, and forgoing college offers from the likes of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina State, and Clemson, the 6’3” guard can now attend college and face off against college athletes. Johnson averaged over 8 points per game in his three seasons in the G League and is expected to shine at Louisville.
Apparently nobody at NCAA HQ has the brain power to recognize that this might be one of the worst decisions they’ve ever made.
One would think that, in the midst of the whirlwind that is NIL, the NCAA would do their best to not keep digging the hell hole that is that unregulated disaster. Although collegiate athletes should always be able to profit off their own fame and likeness, allowing players who have done nothing but play professionally transfer back to the collegiate ranks is simply mindless.
And one of the most legendary coaches in collegiate athletics agrees.
“Maybe it’s me, maybe I’m the dummy, but I’ll never agree to that stuff,” Izzo said. “I think we’re really hurting the seniors in high school, giving them a chance. What’s the age limit now? Is it 30? If you have three beards and two mustaches, are you illegal? You’re not allowed to play? What’s it gonna be? It hit a sore spot for me because the transfer portal is enough. We have no rules. And now we’ve just taken no rules and just added some more no rules.”
If Johnson were to simply attend as a student, that’d be one thing. However, the NCAA has just confirmed that the only thing they truly care about is making more money from their athletes by allowing them to compete after playing professionally.
These are players who have done nothing but play basketball since high school, against a much higher level of competition, that would be coming back with a significant edge over athletes who wanted an education.
“Well, what about the freshmen you recruited there?” Izzo said, “That’s somebody’s son, and he thinks he’s got himself a good place, and all of a sudden, shazam, they pull out of their hat and bring a 21- or 22-year-old in [from the G League]. To me, it’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing, and I love my job. I don’t respect my profession, and I don’t respect whoever is doing that. Whoever made those decisions because they’re afraid that a lawyer is going to sue them, sooner or later, you’ve got to fight the fight.”
Izzo represents the last of the old guard of college basketball, but his callout of the NCAA should be heavily taken into consideration before the association ruins college basketball as a whole.
Alex Deimel is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer.
