Josh Eilert issues statement on eligibility of multi-year transfers for West Virginia
Many of the multi-year transfers in college basketball across America have been in a wait-and-see pattern with regards to whether or not they were going to play in the next few weeks. West Virginia has two players that were affected by the ruling, RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan. A judge recently ruled they were allowed to play, the only problem with that was, the ruling could be potentially overturned. And if the players play within the next few weeks and that ruling is overturned, then they would lose a year of eligibility, according to the NCAA.
On Friday afternoon, WVU head coach Josh Eilert issued a statement on RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan, saying they will be dressed and ready to go for Saturday night’s game vs. UMass.
“We have had many conversations with a variety of parties since Wednesdays court ruling in Wheeling. But most importantly, we have had extensive discussions with RaeQuan, Noah, and their families. They have expressed their desire to compete with their fellow teammates and represent WVU on the court. This was their decision to compete. As I’ve said, we’ve always fully support them and certainly look forward to having them on our active roster,” Eilert said in his statement.
West Virginia got another update on the transfer waiver
West Virginia got some even better news on Friday evening, when Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the order is extended through the spring to allow multi-time transfers to play immediately without a waiver and no punishment. So, Battle, Farrakhan, and the rest of the college basketball players across the country the ruling effects, won’t have to worry the rest of the season.
After a judge granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit against the NCAA’s waiver policy, the organization has now agreed to new terms, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced. The terms have been jointly submitted to a federal court for approval.
Under the terms, the NCAA agreed not to retaliate against athletes who play during the two-week TRO, which was granted by a judge in West Virginia earlier this week. In addition, the TRO is now a preliminary injunction, which will last through the end of the spring sports seasons.
The NCAA later released a statement confirming the injunction is in place through the end of the school year, and an athlete would use a season of eligibility of they play.
“Given the unprecedented decision by the courts earlier this week, the NCAA has reached an agreement with the States to convert the temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction through the remainder of the 2023-24 NCAA championship season, as this is the best outcome for multiple-time transfer student-athletes wishing to compete immediately,” the statement read.
“This action provides clarity for student-athletes and member schools for the remainder of the academic year — any multiple-time transfer student-athlete who competes this season will be subject to the same eligibility and use of a season of competition rules as all other student-athletes.”
On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.