After Arkansas cruised past James Madison with a 103–74 win on Monday, Razorbacks head coach John Calipari took the spotlight for reasons beyond the score. What started as a simple question quickly turned into a passionate, seven-minute rant about the current state of college basketball. Calipari was originally asked about the NCAA allowing James Nnaji to play for Baylor, even though the 7-foot center had already been selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. Instead of a short answer, Calipari delivered a blunt critique of what he believes is a broken system.
“We don’t have any rules,” Calipari said. “Guys are playing against 27- and 28-year-olds, and I tell my friends not to feel bad about it. Why should they? There are no rules.”
The Hall of Fame coach pointed to what he sees as inconsistency in NCAA eligibility decisions. In his view, players who enter the NBA Draft regardless of where they’re from, should not be allowed to return to college basketball if they are drafted.
“If your name is in the draft and you get drafted, you shouldn’t be able to play college basketball,” Calipari said. “That should be the rule for everyone.”
John Calipari goes OFF on the NCAA and eligibility 😳
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 30, 2025
"THE RULES BE THE RULES. If you put your name in the draft, I don't care if you're from RUSSIA, you can't play college basketball! If your name was in that draft, and you got drafted, YOU CAN'T PLAY COLLEGE BASKETBALL!" Pic.twitter.com/s6p8PoOJID
Calipari then offered his own ideas for how the system could be fixed. He suggested players should have five years to play four seasons, with a possible fifth season only if they stay at the same school the entire time. He also said players should be allowed one free transfer, and another if their head coach leaves or is fired. Any transfer after that, he believes, should require the player to sit out a year.
But Calipari’s biggest concern wasn’t about rules, it was about who is being hurt the most by the current system.
“Does anybody care what this is doing to 17- and 18-year-old American kids?” He asked. “Why would anyone recruit high school players when you can get older guys, former pros, or players from overseas?”
Calipari said he still prefers to recruit high school players because he enjoys helping young athletes grow and improve their lives. However, he admitted that most coaches don’t have much reason to do the same anymore.
“If you can get NBA guys, G League players, or older players, why would you take a chance on a high school kid?” He said.
The Arkansas coach also criticized the NCAA for allowing players to join teams in the middle of the season. He believes rosters should be locked once the season begins. When it comes to NIL, Calipari said collectives should not be used to recruit players, but should be allowed to help keep players from transferring once they are already enrolled.
Calipari admitted some of his opinions may be personal, especially with his son beginning his own coaching career. Still, he believes the NCAA has the power to fix many of these problems without waiting for lawmakers to step in.
“We can do this ourselves,” Calipari said. “We don’t need Congress to fix it. Make the rules and let people challenge them.”
For Calipari, the message was clear: college basketball needs structure, consistency, and leadership or the sport risks leaving its youngest players behind.
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