The James Nnaji situation has already rattled the NCAA coaching world, sparking backlash, confusion, and growing frustration over where college basketball is headed. Now, as Baylor head coach Scott Drew faces mounting criticism for his role in it, an unexpected voice has stepped in. The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball head coach, Cori Close, has weighed in on the controversy, and her perspective cuts straight to the heart of the chaos of the current NIL era.

In a recent media availability, coach Close has chosen to go on a different path compared to her colleagues, as she went on to defend Drew’s decision to bring Nnaji to Baylor despite widespread pushback. And in her view, the outrage is misplaced.

“I think we, as coaches, have no choice. If it’s legal and we are fighting to be an advantage to our programs and to compete, and it is ridiculous, and we’re not just trying to buy teams if we don’t have a big oil guy that’s funding your team,” Close said. “The reality is that I don’t blame him for doing that if it’s within the rules and it’s the landscape we’ve been given. We didn’t ask for those.”

Her comments come as Nnaji returns to the college basketball world. The 7-foot center was selected No. 31 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and has since played professionally overseas and in the NBA Summer League. Yet because he never signed an NBA contract or appeared in a regular-season NBA or G League game, the NCAA ruled him eligible to return, clearing the way for Baylor to add a pro-caliber big man midseason.

But rather than blaming coach Drew, Cori Close pointed to a system that has rapidly shifted under coaches’ feet, driven largely by NIL and the lack of clear guardrails.

“The reality is it’s such a chaotic mess, and the rules change every couple weeks, and there’s no accountability, and what they said was going to be true about revenue share and caps and what third parties were going to be allowed to do and not allowed to do… hasn’t transpired,” she further added.

With players now able to build brands, monetize their name, image, and likeness, and earn substantial income while still in college, the traditional timeline from college to the pros has blurred. For some players, returning to campus, or simply increasing their eligibility, can now be more lucrative and stable than grinding through uncertain professional paths.

However, while this is something Coach Cori Close would do herself if the rules allow, the move hasn’t sat well with everyone. After all, a 250-pound professional prospect with a 7-foot-7 wingspan is now suiting up against college players.

All eyes turn to James Nnaji as Baylor finally sees him in action

When Nnaji finally stepped onto the floor in a Baylor uniform on January 3rd, the moment came with noise, both literally and figuratively.

The Bears center made his debut in the Big 12 opener against the TCU Horned Frogs, checking in midway through the first half. But if you were expecting the fans to be excited, you couldn’t be further from the truth. As he stepped onto the court, the crowd welcomed him with boos that echoed through the stadium. But for coach Drew, the game itself was secondary to making sure his newest player didn’t feel defined by the backlash surrounding his eligibility.

“James did nothing wrong,” the coach said after the 69-63 loss. “Baylor did nothing wrong. He’s human, and we just want to make sure he doesn’t feel any of that. If James was an NBA player today, he would be in the NBA.”

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The 21-year-old hadn’t played a competitive game in nearly seven months and was still working his way back from injury, something Drew made sure to emphasize as expectations swirled around his first game of the season. Nnaji ended up playing for 16 minutes in that game and scored 5 points. Since then, he has played one more game against the Iowa State Cyclones, where Drew’s team faced their second consecutive loss, as Nnaji went on to score just 2 points.

For now, Baylor is taking a measured approach, allowing Nnaji to work his way back after injury and several months of being off a professional court while the noise around his eligibility continues to swirl. The points may come later, but whether fairly or not, every minute he plays will remain tied to a debate that stretches far beyond the box score. And while coach Cori Close defended this action, the truth is the majority of the fans and the coaches remain against it.