Baylor dropped its James Nnaji decision on Christmas Eve, and four days into the new year, the noise around the unconventional move still hasn’t died down. Tom Izzo publicly called out the NCAA, name-checking Baylor HC Scott Drew in the process. Bruce Pearl then jumped in to clear the air, saying the rules are the real problem and that Izzo wasn’t going after Drew personally. Now, a few days later, Pearl has spoken again, this time doubling down and squarely defending Drew.

“You know, Scott, guys like you and me, they always gave us a hard time when we didn’t follow the rules. Right now they’re giving you a hard time because you are following the rules. That’s got to be a little frustrating. But brother, I would do the exact same thing if I was sitting in your chair,” Pearl said on TNT Sports US.

By now, the story is well known. Baylor stirred plenty of debate by bringing in James Nnaji, the No. 31 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Nnaji had been playing overseas, suiting up for NBA Summer League action, and following the usual professional pathway.

But because he never signed an NBA deal or appeared in an NBA or G League regular-season game, the NCAA cleared him to play and handed him four years of eligibility. The result turned out to be a head-scratching scenario for many: a 7-foot, 250-pound pro prospect with a 7-foot-7 wingspan stepping into college basketball midway through the season.

It was in this context that Tom Izzo spoke up. Saying that he’d need to reach out to his “good friend” Drew to understand every detail, Izzo said, “If that’s what we’re going to, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too”. However, he also added, “but shame on the NCAA because coaches are gonna do what they gotta do, I guess, but the NCAA is the one. “

Taking a stand even then for coaches and adding more context to Izzo’s words, Bruce Pearl had said, “Coach Izzo isnt just blaming Scott or other Coaches here, clearly our rules and guidelines are broke. Decisions are not based on best interests of student athletes and intercollegiate athletics, but on losing lawsuits. I don’t think Congress will fix our problem, so we must!”

And Pearl isn’t the only one talking in Drew’s defense. Kansas State coach Jerome Tang had also defended his former boss, saying,

“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…Everything he’s doing is within the rules. I don’t think – whether it’s Coach [Tom] Izzo or [Dan] 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.”

At the center of the case for Scott Drew is adjustment. He’s been open about the fact that he once pushed back on granting eligibility to players with G League backgrounds, but he now sees those calls as part of where the game is headed. He pointed to the number of undrafted international players already competing across college basketball this season as clear evidence that the rules and norms are shifting.

So, for him, it was about keeping pace in a system that’s already tilted. And instead of dwelling on the noise, Drew is now choosing to look ahead.

How Scott Drew plans to ease James Nnaji into Baylor’s rotation

The debate about who is eligible is still going on, but Drew has a more pressing issue: getting Nnaji ready to help.

Before going against TCU, Drew told reporters that he was being careful: “I can tell you that he hadn’t played 5 on 5 since summer and was rehabbing an injury. So, physically, it’s gonna take a little time. We’d like to try to put him out there, see what he can do, and then go accordingly.”

“It might be two minutes, four minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes, who knows, but we’d like to give him a chance.”

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And Nnaji did get that chance against TCU, entering the game with 11:59 remaining in the first half.

Still and all, fans didn’t make it easy for him.

Nnaji was met with heavy boos when he checked into the game and the crowd stayed on him every time he touched the ball. The noise only picked up when the 7-footer tried to argue a couple of calls. With Nnaji picking up his fourth foul and 4:42 left, Scott Drew quickly pulled him as Baylor went on to fall 69–63 in its Big 12 Conference opener.

“James did nothing wrong,” Drew said after Nnaji finished with five points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. “Baylor did nothing wrong, and I know he’s human and just making sure he doesn’t feel that. If James was an NBA player today, he would be in the NBA.”

Baylor Bears rolled into the game riding three straight 100-point wins and sitting fifth in the country at nearly 96 points a night, but none of that showed up against TCU. Baylor was held to its lowest scoring game of the season and managed just 37% shooting.