New NCAA Eligibility Guidelines Could Have Major Impact on Penn State Basketball

Several new Nittany Lions have played professionally overseas, which the NCAA seeks to limit in college basketball.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades gestures to his team against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at United Center. | David Banks-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | The Penn State men’s basketball team is one of many to bring in professional talent from overseas, but the eligibility of those players is up in the air for next season.

The NCAA distributed guidance last month to college basketball teams updating the pre-enrollment eligibility requirements for international players, according to a report by Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated. The report said the guidance “largely surrounded compensation and professional team involvement" regarding those players.

The NCAA memo stated that players who have “entered an agreement with, competed on or received compensation from a team that participates in a league with minimum compensation that exceeds actual and necessary expenses” might lose their college eligibility. It's unclear, though, how aggressively the guidance would be enforced.

But it still could be a factor for the Nittany Lions, who are rebuilding their roster in part through international recruiting. Penn State has recruited four international players, three of whom played professionally outside the United States last season. Two players, Aleksandar Zecevic and Andy Gemao, have signed with Penn State. Roko Prkačin and François Wibaut have yet to sign. 

Penn State coach Mike Rhoades seemed unsure how many years of eligibility those players will have. Rhoades could not discuss Prkačin and Wibaut specifically because they have not yet signed with Penn State.

“That's all in the eligibility center in the NCAA, and that's all getting worked out as you go along,” Rhoades said May 29 at the Coaches vs. Cancer of Penn State golf tournament. “Everyone's going through it, and you just got to follow the process and follow the legislation and go from there.”

From 🇷🇸 ➡ Happy Valley 📍#WeAre | https://t.co/Gf5phNyOSO pic.twitter.com/127uwkwJ2y

— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) May 28, 2026

Even though Rhoades couldn’t comment on Prkačin or Wibaut, those two players also could be impacted by the NCAA’s potential new rule. The Sports Illustrated report stated that players who have participated on a team in a league with minimum compensation beyond “actual and necessary expenses” won’t have their college eligibility reinstated.

Additionally, the report said that the NCAA has “identified several international leagues in which participation by a prospect is likely to result in violations of NCAA rules and a loss of eligibility.” LNB Elite, the top league in France, and Liga ACB, the best league in Spain, could be impacted by this, which in turn would impact players who have committed to play for Penn State next season.

Prkačin, a 23-year-old forward from Croatia, played with the team Nanterre 92 for the past two seasons in LNB Elite. He also played in Liga ACB from 2022-24, so he has appeared in 108 games across both leagues.

Wibaut, a 21-year-old native of France, was with Pau-Lacq-Orthez of Elite 2, the second-tier league in France. Wibaut also played in Elite 2 in 2024-25 but played in two LNB Elite games during the 2023-24 season. 

Zecevic, a 20-year-old from Serbia, played for the organization Bilbao Basket in Spain, and while he was mostly on the club’s U22 team, he made one appearance in Liga ACB in 2025-26. He’s listed as a freshman on Penn State’s official roster.

Gemao, a 19-year-old from the Philippines, completed his high school career this year at the Royal Crown School in Ontario, Canada. He’s listed as a freshman on the roster as well.

Each of these four players forged a unique path before committing to Penn State this offseason. The Sports Illustrated report said eligibility reinstatement would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis that considers “how long the player was receiving a salary above their expenses, the quality of the league they played in and other factors.”

As such, Gemao seemingly should be clear of this guidance, as he’s essentially a typical high school recruit. Wibaut and Zecevic also could be clear due to their minimal involvement in top professional leagues overseas, especially if the rule isn’t enforced harshly.

New Penn State basketball addition François Wibaut on Instagram:

“Lets get it 🔥” pic.twitter.com/pqRguDpYlY

— Will Horstman (@WillHorstman_) April 5, 2026

Meanwhile, Prkačin’s enrollment is most likely to be impacted by this rule, because he has extensive playing time in both LNB Elite and Liga ACB. That said, the report stated that it’s early in the eligibility review process, so the “practical impact of these changes is still unclear.”

The guidance could impact players and teams significantly. The report said that some players could have years of eligibility docked, if they’re allowed to play at all. College basketball teams made significant investments into international players this offseason after they were cleared before, but the eligibility of those players now could be in doubt.

Rhoades said he loves the recent trend of adding overseas talent as it opens more opportunities to find and evaluate players. He said prospective European talent plays against older competition, which he believes gives them an advantage skill-wise over high school players.

“If we have an opportunity to go get those guys, I think we need to do that,” Rhoades said. “In today's landscape of college, you’ve got to go everywhere to find players, and Penn State's doing that. We have to do that.”

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