West Virginia awaits clarity on the court decision for Battle, Farrakhan
The West Virginia basketball team will play Massachusetts Saturday but for now it’s unclear if transfer guards RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan will be on the floor.
Those two could potentially play after a ruling by West Virginia Judge John P. Bailey issued a temporary restraining order on the NCAA for 14-days and restricted the rule of restitution.
The ruling is over the enforcement of the eligibility rules for two-time transfers with the waiver process in the NCAA.
That effectively could clear the way for both to suit up against the Minutemen but whether that will be the case remains to be seen as West Virginia and other institutions await clarity from the NCAA.
While the schools would be protected if those previously ineligible players would take the floor, the concern lies in how playing a player would affect their future eligibility if the decision is overturned.
“I want all the facts laid out for everybody involved before we make those decisions. I think that’s just the right way to handle things and approach things,” head coach Josh Eilert said.
Some college programs across the country have already played players in games, but Eilert notes that each situation is different, and those athletes could have understood the risks attached and decided that they still wanted to take the floor regardless. The Mountaineers, like some others, want clarity.
And they aren’t alone as many schools have asked that exact question and have yet to receive it.
“We’re all kind of in the same boat, we don’t really have answers,” Eilert said.
West Virginia continues to consult with both their counsel and outside counsel before making any determination on the eligibility of the student athletes affected by the decision. Eilert is hopeful that clarity could come either later today or Friday, but fortunately for West Virginia they won’t play until Saturday which could buy them the necessary time to complete that due diligence.
Selfishly, Eilert admits that he could play both players but it’s a conversation that needs to be had with each, along with their families and the athletic department before determining the correct approach.
“All indications and reports are the institutions are protected during that 14-day window but the biggest question to me is the eligibility concerns and whether that would burn a year by playing in that 14-day window,” Eilert said.
As for Battle, the Montana State transfer guard testified in the court case Wednesday and has become one of the faces of the issue at hand. It wasn’t something that he wanted to step into, but Eilert was proud of him for handling the entire situation with class and integrity.
“I didn’t think RaeQuan wanted to push this thing this far but he’s fighting for what’s right and I’m here to support him in any way he can, does he want that attention? I don’t think he does by any means,” he said.
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