Sports

Florida's Todd Golden Doesn't Hold Back on State of College Basketball

By Matt Wadleigh Lindys Sports

College sports have ruffled plenty of feathers lately, with players earning millions in NIL, the never-ending transfer portal saga, and coaches leaving left and right for other jobs.

College basketball has another pressing issue: Professional players returning and being allowed to play in the NCAA.

Charles Bediako kicked things off this past season as the former G League player returned and played some games with the Alabama Crimson Tide before being ruled ineligible.

Now, other G League players are following the trend. The latest one was former St. John's star RJ Luis Jr., who committed to play for Will Wade and the LSU Tigers.

Luis was the Big East Player of the Year in 2025, went undrafted, inked a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz, and was later traded to the Boston Celtics.

Yam Madar, 25, was drafted in 2020 and went overseas, but he has also signed with the LSU Tigers.

Now, Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden voiced his frustrations with the current state of the game.

"That's not what college athletics is supposed to be," Golden said during an interview with The Field of 68. "This is not what college basketball is supposed to be about."

Saliou Niang, who was selected at No. 58 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025, also committed to play for LSU, so the Tigers have been at the forefront of this controversy.

Whether it will change or not remains to be seen, but the NCAA needs to find a way to make a clear-cut rule to figure out how to fix this issue.

What is LSU Doing?

NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade walks the court
NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade walks the court Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Wade, who was at LSU before and got hit with a recruiting violation, returned after a quick stint at NC State.

Now, Wade is wasting no time bending and working the loopholes in the NCAA, and it's raising a lot of eyebrows.

So far, here are some additions Wade has made to the LSU roster for the upcoming season.

European pro players coming to the NCAA is also something coaches have frowned at, but the G League and NBA Draft going back to the NCAA is another story in itself.

For now, it remains to be seen if the NCAA makes an immediate change, but LSU is one team going all-out to bring a "pro" roster to college basketball.

Related: NC State AD 'Disappointed' After Will Wade's Shocking Exit

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 10:23 AM.

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