Clemson's Brad Brownell Says NCAA Has “Lost Control” as Former Pros Return to College Basketball

The NCAA has had a lot of problems on its hands recently, whether that's dealing with tampering in college football or with former pros returning to play college basketball.

Over the course of this season, we've seen several former G League and overseas players return to college basketball, with some even making their collegiate debuts after skipping school and turning pro earlier in their careers.

On Monday, Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell held a teleconference, and the media asked about what the NCAA can or should do to combat this, but the veteran coach doesn't know, saying the league's "hands are tied."

"Yeah, I don't know what the NCAA can do," Brownell began. "It seems like their hands are tied, because people just go around the rules, right?"

"I think it's hard, because I've heard people from the NCAA say, 'Every time we try to put a rule in and enforce things, then coaches want to go around it.' You know, everybody's looking for ways to go around things."

While the rules technically remain in place, enforcement has struggled to keep up. Coaches have learned how to work within — and around — the NCAA's definition of "amateurism," turning professional experience into a recruiting advantage.

The result is now a system where seasoned players can (re)enter college basketball with little resistance, leaving the league with limited leverage.

It has even reached the point where former five-star recruit and UCLA guard Amari Bailey — who has appeared in actual NBA games — is exploring a return to college basketball after going one-and-done in 2022.

Bailey was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft and played in 10 regular-season games before spending the past two seasons in the G League. He is now a free agent.

NEW: Former UCLA standout Amari Bailey is attempting to become the first player to return to college after appearing in NBA games, @JoeTipton confirms.

Bailey has hired an agent and attorney to fight for eligibility.https://t.co/HeBZwkcfne pic.twitter.com/4DZOlM661A
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) January 30, 2026

"So I don't know… I do think we've lost control here in terms of college sports, whether it's guys who are playing, have played in the G League, obviously, now we have a guy who's played in an NBA game that's trying to come back," he continued.

While Brownell doesn't have a straight-up answer for what the NCAA can do, he does have an idea of where they could start: an age limit. To him, it's bizarre that guys who played overseas for years can be considered freshmen.

Off the top of the head, players who come to mind that fit this category are 22-year-old Musa Sagnia of NC State, 21-year-old Malick Kordel of Michigan and 22-year-old Luka Bogavac of North Carolina, who's literally averaging the fourth-most points for the Tar Heels this season.

"There's got to be an age limit, in my opinion," Brownell stated. Some of the international kids coming over are 21 or 22 years old and are being deemed freshmen, even though they just played professionally overseas for a couple of years. That just seems crazy to me."

Finishing his point, he stressed the importance of protecting high school recruits. Still, he admitted he isn't sure what the solution is, adding that the only possible fix may involve congressional action, something he described as "very unlikely."

"I do think there has to be some protection for the 18 or 19-year-old kids that are trying to go to college," Brownell finished. "But in terms of what you can do to get there, I really don't know, and I don't think many people do beyond getting Congress involved, which seems very unlikely."