Santa Clara dipped into uncharted waters for its newest recruit: the G League.
On Tuesday, the Broncos signed Thierry Darlan, a 21-year-old from the Central African Republic, to its roster for the upcoming season.
But Darlan isn’t just considered a future pro. He’s also a past one.
The 6-foot-8 forward spent the past season in the G League playing for the Delaware Blue Coats and Rip City Remix, the Sixers’ and Blazers’ affiliates. In 29 games between the two teams, he averaged 10.9 points and six rebounds on 45% shooting.
He spent the 2023–24 season with the now-defunct G League Ignite.
Darlan will become the first—and possibly last—player to play in the G League before playing college basketball and will enter school as a junior with two years to play.
So how is he eligible to do so?
“It was not easy by any means,” Broncos associate head coach Jason Ludwig told Front Office Sports. “It was very difficult. It was a long, long process that started back in March.”
The NCAA’s previously strict definition of amateurism has loosened in recent years as college athletes have been able to earn money. Notably, Egor Demin played for Real Madrid before going to college at BYU and led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 in March. He was taken eighth overall by the Nets in June’s NBA draft.
Todd Ramasar, Darlan’s agent at Life Sports Agency, started exploring the possibility of Darlan playing in college in March, when the G League season was ending. He told FOS it was a toss-up his client would be ruled eligible at that point as he started collecting documentation from across his career and explored having his visa switched from a work visa to a student visa.
While other foreign players had been granted eligibility after playing professionally overseas, the NCAA was focused on a player’s earnings from those stints more than their years removed from high school. Though G League salaries tend to pay around $40,500—pennies compared to many NIL deals—Darlan’s two years of paychecks were hurdles for his approval.
But over the summer, the NCAA reversed course and began to concentrate more on their eligibility clock and less on the money. Ramasar told FOS the NCAA’s decision to grant him two years of eligibility was based on his age and years removed from high school. Ludwig added it wasn’t until August that the staff really believed Darlan would be eligible to play for them.
“There were European prospects being eligible and whatever years they were removed from school,” Ramasar said. “This should be no different from Thierry even though he got paid a decent salary from Ignite. So it goes from maybe at best 50/50 when we started in early spring to 90% certain after that ruling.”
The Broncos originally recruited Darlan out of Africa, where he attended the NBA Academy in Senegal. Ramasar said Santa Clara was the main school he and Darlan focused on because of the previous relationship, strong player development, and recent track record of the program producing NBA draft picks Jalen Williams (Thunder) and Brandin Podziemski (Warriors).
Adding a player who has played professionally is unique in itself, but in the unprecedented times in college sports, Ludwig said it’s not hard to quantify an addition such as Darlan.
“He comes to us a little bit older,” Ludwig said. “He’s coming in as a junior so it’s like adding an older transfer because of his experience. We’ve always thought very highly of Thierry, we always thought he had pro potential and we all remain optimistic that if everything goes as planned and he continues to develop that would be the ultimate goal.”
It’s conceivable Darlan winds up being the lone player from the G League to play in college. While the league has other international players with a case for eligibility, it may not be worth them to try and make the same leap, depending on factors including their salary, remaining eligibility, and professional prospects.
Darlan declared and withdrew from the 2025 NBA draft and is eligible to declare in 2026, if he chooses. He joins a program that has won 20 or more games in four consecutive seasons under Herb Sendek, but hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1996 when future Hall of Famer Steve Nash starred for the team.
“He is a Swiss Army knife,” Ramasar said of Darlan. “He grew up playing point guard but he kept growing. He’s 6-8 with a 7-3 wing span, big hands he’s wiry strong so you can play him as a point guard or a point forward. You can play him as a 2, 3 and 4. He’s an excellent rebounder.”
