LAWRENCE, Kan. — The college basketball season tipped off in earnest Monday with something never before seen in the century-plus history of the game: Dozens of players across the country suited up to play after winning court orders against the NCAA's new elibility rules.
The bizarre situation meant some teams had talented fifth-year players back on their rosters while others had to fill in gaps for players left in limbo by a loss in a courtroom.
“I’m just a kid from Rochester, New York. Love the game of basketball,” said Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr., who along with Tre White and Trey Kaufman-Renn were cleared to play for the No. 17 Jayhawks against Fordham on Monday night. “I never thought I’d be going to court about the rest of my life."
Most of the lawsuits have centered on the governing body's new five-year eligibility model, which gives athletes five seasons to play over a five-year period, beginning when they turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever is earlier. But that rule did not apply to those from the high school class of 2022, who were completing their four seasons of eligibility when it was adopted earlier this year.
So, many of those players went to court asking for a fifth season. Others added their names to existing lawsuits. In most cases, a series of judges — in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and elsewhere, many of them involving plaintiffs from out of state — have granted injunctions allowing them to play once more.
There are subtle wrinkles to most of the court cases. Some players competed at junior colleges and believe they should have another year of eligibility. Others took redshirt seasons, or had to medically redshirt, and asked for that year of eligibility back.
Many players left college, believing their careers were over, and signed with professional teams — only to return to college.
Hundreds of players involved
As of last week, the NCAA reported some 200 lawsuits filed since its approval of the new eligibility model in June, encompassing roughly 850 plaintiffs in a variety of sports. Of that total, 362 men's and 62 women's basketball players were involved in lawsuits, with nearly half of those — 171 men, 30 women — having received some type of judicial relief allowing them to play.
Last Friday, the NCAA was denied an emergency injunction by a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge, leaving eligible 30 athletes, a list that includes Missouri basketball player Mark Mitchell and LSU's Skyy Clark. The ruling came one day after the Ohio Supreme Court kept in place a ruling allowing two dozen players involved in an eligibility case there to remain available.
Not every ruling has gone in favor of the athletes, though.
RJ Godfrey of fifth-ranked Arizona withdrew from a “five-for-five” case in Georgia and joined a Texas lawsuit in an attempt to gain eligibility. But a judge there indicated during a hearing last week that he would not grant temporary restraining orders to those who had sought injunctive relief in other states, leaving Godfrey out for Monday night's game against No. 22 UCLA.
“We have a court system in the U.S. that's going to impact our game this year, and you wish cooler heads would prevail and give these kids the opportunity they deserve,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. "These kids did nothing wrong, and they're missing out on a life-changing opportunity, not only experience-wise but financially, just because of the year they graduated from high school.
“Somebody,” Lloyd said, “has to explain to me why that's OK.”
Court cases expected to linger well into the season
The unpredictable nature of court rulings — and whether appeals by the NCAA ultimately will rule out those currently eligible — have left coaches like Lloyd throwing up their hands in frustration. All they can do is coach the players who are available, for as long as they are available, and hope they have the team they expected to have on the court this season.
“I think these cases are going to go well into the season,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, whose team opened against Army on Monday night. “I think no question you’re going to have cases where certain players get an injunction, they’re eligible for a certain period, and then they’re not. And so how is that viewed from an NCAA Tournament standpoint?”
Add that to the list of questions for which nobody seems to have an answer.
“If we lose sleep over this nightly because we're worried about something we have absolutely no control over, we're worried about the wrong things,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, when asked about his trio of players granted injunctions. “That would be like going to bed every night worrying about someone getting hurt every day. I don't think you can coach defensively.
“If something does happen that's negative in our eyes, you know, somebody is going to have to fill the void,” Self added. "But we're certainly hopeful. And it is a concern. But we're certainly hopeful.”
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