The 5 College Basketball Players Who are Also NBA Free Agents

Okay, after reading that headline, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Wait...what?!" Let me explain.

Under NBA draft rules, NCAA players are eligible after one college season and age-eligible through their fourth year of college play; international players become auto-eligible in the year they turn 22. With NIL luring more 20- to 22-year-old internationals to the NCAA, the NBA clarified this summer that some of those players are no longer draft-eligible; they’re effectively free agents. That means a handful of college newcomers can be signed by NBA teams at any time, even during the season.

Pretty cut and dry, right?

Well, it's a little more complicated when we add in players from overseas. They aren't going to college (typically) so the rules for international players are based on their age. Again, it's the rule that the player has to be at least 19 during the calendar year of the draft.

Here's where things get interesting.

The last year of draft eligibility for players overseas (who play for an overseas pro team rather than an NCAA squad) is during the calendar year when they turn 22 years old.

However, NIL is throwing things for a loop.

NIL is causing lots of overseas players to leave their home country and come to the US to play college basketball. These players are joining NCAA teams not only for the potential to make more money but also because there's probably more exposure to NBA front office executives and decision makers. Plus, they may get to play against more athletic players in the NCAA which could help them prepare for the NBA.

It used to be that overseas players would come to the US to play college basketball when they were 18 or 19 years old. But NIL is changing that. Now, we're seeing more and more players come from overseas and sign with an NCAA team when they are already 20, 21 or even 22.

That's why the NBA stepped in and made a rule change when it comes to draft eligibility. They said wait a minute, some of these players who are coming over at age 22 - the 2025 draft should have been their last year of eligibility, a.k.a. the draft where they were "auto-eligible" (which means the player doesn't have to declare for the draft or withdraw from the draft. They are automatically eligible for it since it's the last year they're eligible as either a 22 year old overseas player or an NCAA player without college eligibility left).

Essentially, it was almost like this group of players was trying to game the system. They knew that as an overseas player, their draft eligibility was used up. But they saw an opportunity to earn more by playing a year of college ball and making NIL money. Plus, they thought this would allow them to gain an extra year of draft eligibility.

If you gain an extra year of draft eligibility, you essentially have five chances to get drafted. That's five chances to impress NBA scouts enough. Five years to improve your game, get stronger, faster, etc. rather than only four.

So as the article we linked to above states, the NBA stepped in and basically said that no, these players are not eligible for the draft. The NBA sent a memo to the 30 NBA teams and said that instead, they should treat these players as free agents. That means that these players are free to sign a contract (a standard contract or a 2-way) with an NBA team at any time.

It's possible (but not likely because frankly these players are not quite good enough for the NBA and there's other free agents NBA teams can sign who are simply better) that one (or even all) of these players could leave their NCAA team at some point in the middle of the upcoming college basketball season to join an NBA team.

They could be playing vs Villanova one night and then play against the Chicago Bulls the next 🤯

There might be others we're not aware of but these are the five players who this new rule applies to:

Sananda Fru of Louisville, Luka Bogavac of North Carolina, Illinois guard Mihalo Petrovic, Ole Miss guard Ilias Kamardine and Thijs De Ridder of Virginia.

Next, let's talk a little bit more about each player. Then, we'll reveal which one we think has the best chance to play in the NBA and make the most impact for their college team this season.

The Five NCAA Players Treated as NBA Free Agents

Sananda Fru - Louisville - PF/C - 6'10"

Out of the five players this rule applies to, the one playing on the team with the highest preseason expectations is Fru. Many people are calling Louisville a top 10 team in college basketball. Head coach Pat Kelsey was a recruiting mad man, adding an influx of talent to the roster. He grabbed Fru, who was playing heavy rotation minutes last season in Germany's top pro league. He pulled in one of the top 5 freshmen in the country in point guard Mikel Brown Jr. In the transfer portal,, he added shooters Adrian Wooley, Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely.

The Cardinals are loaded. And Fru was a crucial pickup since most of the other guys they added were guards or wings. So they really needed another guy up front who could play the 4 and/or the 5.

Fru is from Germany. He's undoubtedly trying to follow in the footsteps of other German big men who have successfully made it to the NBA in recent years, like Daniel Theis, Moritz Wagner, Isaiah Hartenstein, etc. And watching Fru on film, his game is somewhat similar to those guys.

We've grown accustomed to seeing Theis make plays like this. Here, Fru dives down the lane, catches the pass and throws down the dunk. A basic play but guys with this combination of size, strength and athleticism long with the feel to know when to cut often have a place in the NBA.

Here Fru catches the lob and dunks it. I'm sure Louisville fans can already picture Mikel Brown Jr throwing lobs to Fru and taking advantage of his size + finishing ability. If the defense focuses too much on Brown Jr, he can pass it to Fru for a dunk. If they collapse on Fru, that leaves Brown Jr with plenty of space to score it himself.

All teams these days (college, pro, etc.) seem to like bigs who can pass. Here we see Fru crash the offensive glass, grab the rebound - then all in one motion he fires a pass to the open shooter who knocks down the 3-pointer. Impressive stuff!

Fru is a good player. He's not an elite though. if he was, he would have been drafted by now. He'll be able to help Louisville win games. How good he can be, how quickly he can acclimate himself with the NCAA style of play and how quickly he can gel with his new teammates could be a factor that determines just how good this Cardinals team will be this season.

Then when the season is over, Fru won't be draft eligible but he could very well end up being one of the first college players that signs with an NBA team after the draft concludes.

Thijs De Ridder - Virginia - SF/PF - 6'8"

What stands out with De Ridder is the combination of his strong physique paired with his mature game. Physically he looks like a guy who's already been playing pro basketball for awhile. And in terms of his poise on the court, the way he just knows how to play the game at a high level (even when the game gets faster and/or more physical) also indicates he's got quite a bit of pro experience.

It also feels like De Ridder has been around for a long time - I'm looking back at my notes leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft and have notes on him in there. Here we are four years later and he's just now entering college basketball. Proof that NIL has changed the landscape of college basketball.

One thing De Ridder brings to the table for Virginia (and whatever pro team he goes to after this season) is his ability to hit open 3-pointers off the catch. That's a valuable skill which allows the floor to be spaced and it allows the team's offensive creators to drive the basketball - if the defense collapses on them, they can kick the ball to the open shooters. De Ridder shot a respectable 36.4% from 3-point range last season on two attempts per game, while playing for Bilbao in Spain ACB - considered the best domestic pro league in the world, after the NBA.

The Cavaliers added De Ridder (from Belgium) and also Johann Grünloh (from Germany) to their roster for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Both of them are bigger players who have a good amount of pro basketball experience. Both of them can also shoot it from deep. Clearly it was a point of emphasis for new Head Coach Ryan Odom to get sufficient shooting - especially after Virginia lost their two best shooters from last year's team - Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde.

De Ridder is more than just a shooter. He's a capable rebounder, defender and passer as well. He can score in transition and make the right basketball play on both ends.

De Ridder could be one of the better players in the ACC this season. Like Fru, he could also be one of the first college players who signs with an NBA team after June's draft concludes.

Luka Bogavac - North Carolina - Guard - 6'5"

Speaking of shooting, that's what Bogavac does best. Last season for SC Derby in the Adriatic League, he shot 41.4% from 3-point distance on 4.9 attaempts per game to go with a blistering 86.6% from the free throw line (which indicates he has good touch).

Here Bogavac shows his good touch, connecting on a three ball from NBA range. He's got a smooth release and shoots the basketball with confidence.

While Bogavac is best known for his perimeter shooting, the most underrated aspect of his game is his slick passing. He makes smart decisions with the ball and reads the floor well.

Here's a few clips from last season which showcase Bogavac's playmaking prowess. We see him make a couple of nice touch passes which indicate the ability to make quick decisions (0.5 basketball). We also see Bogavac making an effective pass out of the pick n roll - on time and on target.

Bogavac will be a critical piece of the puzzle for UNC this season. He'll combine with Seth Trimble and Kyan Evans to give the Tar Heels a nice trio of guards who can handle the ball, create offense and make plays. He'll also give Coach Hubert Davis' squad shooting. Without Bogavac on the team, they simply would not have enough shooting so it was a necessary pickup.

The strength of Bogavac's game is on the offensive end. He's not a great defender but he's also not a liability on that end either.

UNC has been up and down during the Coach Davis era. Especially since the season where they went to the Final Four - it's been mostly down - especially for a Blue Blood program. If the Tar Heels are able to get back to competing for a national championship, they'll need a big season out of Bogavac.

After that, it's likely that he will return to playing pro ball in Europe. But if he plays well enough this season, I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility that he could get signed by an NBA team. He could at least earn the chance play for an NBA team's Summer League squad.

Ilias Kamardine - Ole Miss - Guard - 6'4"

Ole Miss is somewhat thin at the point guard position, so Kamardine should help them quite a bit there. Up front there's guys like James Scott, Malik Dia and freshman McDonald's All American Nikola Bundalo. There's Kansas transfer AJ Storr on the wing and Kentucky transfer Trent Perry who can shoot it. But Kamardine gives them something they were missing - a lead guard who could run the offense, bring the ball up the floor, run pick n roll and find the open man.

Kamardine is another guy who has been mentioned in draft circles for quite some time now. He's from France and played last season for Dijon, a team in LNB Pro A, the top pro league in France.

Kamardine shot the ball well last season - 38% from deep and 81% from the charity stripe. However, his three point shot hasn't been quite that consistent if we look at some of his previous seasons overseas. If he can shoot the ball consistently and limit the turnovers, he could be one of the better guards in the SEC this season.

Mihailo Petrovic - Illinois - PG - 6'2"

No, he's not related to basketball legend Drazen Petrovic (Rest in Peace) but this should be a solid pickup for Illinois.

Here's the thing that Petrovic can bring to the table. He is not afraid to take the big shot. And that's important - especially in a conference like the Big 10. It's a grind and there's usually a lot of close games that go down to the wire.

Last season as a young player in a pro league, Petrovic hit not one but two game winning shots. Here's a clip of both plays. In the first one, he's actually going against SC Derby which had Bogavac (mentioned in this article) and David Mirkovic, who is Petrovic's teammate at Illinois. Pretty cool!

Petrovic will help provide depth in the backcourt for Head Coach Brad Underwood's team - along with veteran Kylan Boswell and freshman Keaton Wagler. Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic can play the two or the three.

It will once again be a solid, competitive, talented Fighting Illini team - with a lot of international players - including the Ivisic twins - 7-footers Tomislav and Zvonimir.

Petrovic is certainly a key piece, though. He's small but he's tough, fearless and skilled.

Wrapping It Up

Here's what we know for sure. All five of these players can play. They're all good players who should be integral parts of their college teams this season.

We also know that unlike pretty much every other player in college basketball this season, they are not eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft.

They are however, (in the eyes of the 30 teams in the NBA) seen as free agents. That's the case right now and it will be the case after the draft in June. At any time, they could sign with an NBA team. That is unlikely to happen until after the draft, though.

At that point, they could sign with an NBA team, play in the NBA Summer League and possibly be on a training camp roster.

I'm not quite sure these players are NBA caliber, though so there is a strong chance that after this season, they will spend the rest of their careers playing pro ball overseas. And that's alright! There are some good, competitive leagues overseas. The players over there can earn good money - playing the sport they love.

One one (or more) of these players could be the next Daniel Theis. By that I mean a player whow as not really seen as a legit NBA prospect at age 22 but kept on working hard and ended up having a good career in the NBA.

Time will tell. We will get a better idea of how good these players are during the upcoming college basketball season - it's almost here!