The NCAA has ruled former G League Ignite player Thierry Darlan eligible to play Division I basketball at Santa Clara, his agent, Todd Ramasar, told ESPN.
Darlan becomes the first player to obtain NCAA eligibility after playing professionally in the G League, where he spent the past two seasons. He will enter college as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
Darlan, 21, who hails from the Central African Republic, was a graduate of the NBA Academy Africa program and played the 2023-24 season with Ignite, before the team ceased operations.
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The 6-foot-8 guard played last season in the G League as an unaffiliated player with the Delaware Blue Coats and Rip City Remix, averaging 10.9 points and six rebounds on 45% shooting in 29 games.
The influx of young international pro players onto Division I rosters offered precedent for Darlan’s eligibility as a domestic-based professional, with the NCAA loosening its previously strict definitions of amateurism in recent years with the advent of name, image and likeness payments. The NCAA’s decision to grant Darlan two years of eligibility was based on his age and years removed from high school at the NBA Academy, according to Ramasar.
After declaring for and withdrawing from the 2025 NBA draft, Darlan maintains the ability to declare again in 2026. He is expected to play a featured role at Santa Clara, which was involved in his original recruitment and has helped send guards Jalen Williams and Brandin Podziemski to the NBA in recent years.
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