NCAA eligibility talks must include coaches, says NABC’s Robinson

Craig Robinson, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said Thursday that communication with coaches about the proposed timing of Charlie Baker’s five-for-five eligibility proposal that could alter collegiate sports is “non-negotiable.”

Baker has pushed the idea of giving all athletes five years of eligibility over five years, beginning with high school graduation or when they turn 19, whichever is earliest. It’s an idea echoed by an executive order recently signed by President Donald Trump. The change would eliminate the flurry of waivers and redshirts that have been at the center of legal challenges in recent years.

It could also stabilize the influx of players with professional experience in America and internationally who hope to earn college eligibility.

The Division I Cabinet, the most influential powerbrokers in collegiate sports, could vote on the measure in May and it could be implemented as early as June. That means college basketball players who were seniors this season may get another year to play. That’s potentially problematic for teams that have tried to finalize their rosters now that the transfer portal is closed and most of the key available players have committed to teams.

“The NABC shares the NCAA’s urgency to stabilize college sports eligibility, and coaches have expressed general support for an age-based model during initial discussions with NCAA leaders. However, this rapid shift requires diligent implementation, especially given the active recruiting and transfer cycles. Coach perspective is vital to any legislative reform,” Robinson said in a statement. “On matters of eligibility that immediately impact roster management, the NABC views collaboration and communication with coaches as non-negotiable. As the NCAA expedites this review, the NABC urges that all stakeholders be brought to the table, coaches included, to identify potential unintended consequences and to ensure these generational changes are structured correctly.”

Multiple seniors who’ve exhausted their eligibility under the current rules have transferred or announced their intentions to transfer while awaiting possible implementation of the new rules. Denzel Aberdeen, a member of Florida’s 2025 national title team, transferred to Kentucky last season but he’s back in Gainesville, hoping to rejoin the Gators and earn another year of eligibility.

He’s not alone. Key players around the country could completely change college basketball rosters in 2026-27 if there is suddenly a new pool of talent available for teams to sign next month.

Baker told Sports Illustrated that the stakeholders he had talked to are in favor of the measure.

“I have had a lot of people offer me thoughts about implementation, but I haven’t had anybody say to me that this is a bad idea,” Baker told the publication on Wednesday. “Almost everybody I’ve talked to has said it’s simpler and it’s easier to understand if it returns college athletics to the same window that college is supposed to be attached to. It makes it harder for somebody to show up at the age of 19 or 20 or 21 and claim to be a freshman after playing three years of professional sports somewhere else. There’s a lot of things people like about this.”