Kevin Young's NBA G-League recruit is spurring national controversy

Another feather in Kevin Young's recruiting cap, 22-year-old G-League center Abdullah Ahmed has committed to BYU over Houston, boosting BYU's profile as a collegiate pipeline to the NBA, and adding merit to the idea that any player looking to take the next step and climb to the pros ought to stop through Provo on the way.

But as I'm sure you're finding yourself perplexed, the entire nation has plenty of questions regarding how such a move can even be legal, with the perpetual evolution of the definition of 'student-athlete'. Yes, a player who has spent time signed and playing with the NBA G-League's Rochester Knicks is next up to join Kevin Young's BYU crusade.

And sure, on paper, this move doesn't make sense. How can it be legal for an NBA-affiliated player to bounce back down to college basketball? It's messy, and the Cougars continue benefitting from still-developing regulations surrounding NIL, but the NCAA cleared the way for Ahmed to follow the college path, and he'll do just that in royal blue.

Ahmed is expected to be granted between two and three years of eligibility, per Joe Tipton.

Everything is remaining above board here -- BYU hasn't broken any rules, or greased any palms to allow Ahmed through the NCAA firewall -- and in fact, there is precedent for a move like Ahmed's in the modern NCAA. Take, for example, Egor Demin and Mihailo Boskovic, both European players who joined BYU last season after spending time with professional clubs across the Atlantic. Kasparas Jakucionis was a similar case with Illinois last season, as is Virginia Tech's breakout star, Neoklis Avdalas, who arrived in the commonwealth from Greece.

Coach Young stands behind Ahmed's recruitment, saying, "It's the exact same thing as the European players. It's literally the exact same thing. Look, if you're an NBA guy that's on an NBA contract... the G-League is no different from the Euroleague -- it's not the NBA. It's not. If you're on a two-way contract, you're an NBA player. What's the difference between this and a European club? [...] This, for me, actually makes tons of sense."

Nate Pickens' season-ending injury may have actually opened the door for Ahmed to lean BYU, as early indications suggested he'd be Houston-bound. With Pickens not counting against BYU's NIL share, Ahmed can join the program and get a full NIL share immediately. This could have been a contributing factor, and I suppose a silver lining to what's otherwise a disappointing situation.

Ahmed won't likely be joining this year's team on the court, but this is a major addition for the team to remain a competitor in the brutal Big 12 Conference after the departure of AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders.