The SEC moved quickly to shut down Lane Kiffin’s latest roster stunt, and in the process it handed Texas A&M basketball an unexpected hit.
After the conference’s presidents and chancellors met by video conference and then joined the league’s athletics directors in Birmingham, the SEC announced a new policy aimed at the kind of player movement LSU had been pursuing. The conference made clear it will not allow a player who has competed in the NBA or G-League to turn around and play in the SEC.
That language matters for more than football. The rule was crafted in response to the broader issue, and basketball got pulled into the same net. For Texas A&M, that creates a problem because Bryson Warren was supposed to be part of Bucky McMillan’s roster this season.
Warren, a former G-League player, had never played in college. He went straight to the G-League and was expected to arrive in Aggieland as a major perimeter weapon. The source of the concern is obvious: he was viewed as the most talented outside shooter on the roster.
The SEC’s new stance blocks that path. It does not apply to foreign professional leagues, but Warren’s situation is different. His most recent stop was with the Westchester Knicks, which puts him squarely under the new restriction.
His eligibility had already been an issue before the conference stepped in. Warren’s waiver was recently denied, meaning he was already headed toward a legal fight just to get on the floor for Texas A&M. Now that battle is more complicated, because he would have to deal not only with the NCAA but with the SEC as well.
There’s still a chance the rule gets challenged by players affected by it, but the road looks steeper now than it did a day ago. The conference clearly wanted to draw a line, and it did - just not in a way Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M will like.
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