The NCAA’s rulebook just dealt the Kansas State Wildcats a bigger blow than any opponent has this season. After an 11-10 start, they’re now staring at a realistic possibility of missing the NCAA Tournament. To make matters worse, in their January 25 Sunflower Showdown loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, they were without key contributor Tess Heal because of an NCAA violation. All she did was sign with the Keilor Thunder for the 2026 NBL1 South season.

The frustrating part is that Heal won’t even play in Australia until spring, yet the NCAA has still ruled her ineligible to compete for the Wildcats.

“We hope for a quick resolution,” Wildcats coach Jeff Mittie told reporters. “She made a mistake in regards to the timing of it, but there’s nothing else. We feel good that once we get her through the reinstatement process, we’ll have her back.”

NCAA rules simply state that it is a violation to sign a professional contract while playing in college.

Tess Heal, a native of Melbourne, transferred to Kansas State last year after stints at Santa Clara and Stanford. She was named West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2023 and is statistically the Wildcats’ third-best player, averaging 9.8 points per game.

She played well in her team’s ranked wins over Texas Tech and Ole Miss this season, scoring in double figures in both.

Losing Heal is a major blow to the program, and naturally, fans are not taking this well.

NCAA’s decision on Tess Heal draws fans’ ire and comparisons to G League returnees

“@NCAA @NCAA_PR bunch of clowns,” one fan wrote.

Another observer added, “Wildly inconsistent application of the rules here. We really should be pushing back on this/challenging in court (I know we aren’t going to, we will be rolling over instead of standing up for our athletes).”

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Fans have every right to be frustrated. We’re currently seeing G League names like James Nnaji, T.J. Clark, London Johnson, and Thierry Darlan gain NCAA eligibility, and then there’s the case of Charles Bediako as well, which is interesting to say the least.

Bediako is currently playing for Alabama despite having previously signed a two-way professional contract with the San Antonio Spurs. Under current NCAA rules, an NBA player is permitted to return to college competition even after spending time with various G League teams.

College coaches have been frustrated, blaming the NCAA for what appears to be a sudden shift in eligibility rules favoring G League players. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo branded the whole situation “embarrassing” and “ridiculous.”

Purdue’s Matt Painter said he was “at a loss for words” and initially wondered if it was some kind of joke. UConn’s Dan Hurley recently said he would leave the sport as a whole if college basketball continues the way it is.

Fans are feeling the same way, with one of them writing, “Yes joke since men can play after on NBA small league.”

G League players can return to college basketball, but Tess Heal, who hasn’t played a minute of professional basketball, is barred from the floor for now. Something about that feels deeply unfair.

But to be fair to the NCAA, they did rule Bediako ineligible.

A fan wrote, “They ruled against the Alabama player being eligible and an Alabama judge and booster ruled against them. If that’s what you’re talking about. IG wasn’t their fault.”

Judge James Roberts of Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court ruled that Bediako could return to college after the center moved the court. What raises eyebrows is that Roberts and his wife are active donors to UA. But a recent AL report suggests that he’s been asked to recuse himself from the eligibility lawsuit.

Another fan mocked the whole situation, saying, “K State should play her (Tess Heal) anyway. Call it NIL 🤷‍♂️”

All Heal did was share her plan for after she graduates. The only ‘wrong’ thing she did was reveal her future plans ahead of time. A women’s basketball coach familiar with NBL1 told USA Today that most Australian players who exhaust their NCAA eligibility make verbal agreements in advance. They only sign a deal and officially unveil it to the world after the college season ends.

The NCAA appears to have gotten wind of the deal when the Thunder and the league’s social media accounts posted about Heal’s new deal. While those have since been deleted, the Wildcats player is now in a tough spot. The agent who represented her has yet to comment on whether a deal was in place.

That’s because Heal’s teammate, Nastja Claessens, was allowed to play in college after being selected with the No. 30 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. However, she never signed a contract or played in a WNBA game.