What does court ruling against NCAA waivers mean for two-time transfer at Wichita State?

A federal judge in West Virginia has granted immediate eligibility, at least temporarily, to two-time transfer college basketball players all around the country with a ruling made on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey of the Northern District of West Virginia granted a 14-day temporary restraining order that grants immediate eligibility to all NCAA athletes currently seeking it through a waiver as a multi-time transfer.

According to a court transcript, Bailey is “enjoining” the NCAA from applying its rule of restitution, which means it can’t penalize players who participate when the TRO is in effect. The NCAA announced it will comply with the court’s ruling and allow multi-year transfers to play freely over the 14-day period and also clarified that the games won’t impact eligibility for players if the ruling is later overturned.

That paves the way for the Wichita State men’s basketball team to receive an unexpected boost with junior forward Ronnie DeGray III, a two-time transfer from Missouri who has sat out this season awaiting a waiver, being available to play for the Shockers against Southern Illinois on Saturday at Koch Arena and against Kansas State in Kansas City on Dec. 23.

Further good news could come on Wednesday, Dec. 27 when the court hears the preliminary injunction in the case, which could allow DeGray and multi-time transfers like him to play the rest of the season. Due to the complexity and ongoing nature of the situation, a WSU spokesperson said early Wednesday afternoon it is too early to determine DeGray’s availability for the Shockers.

“A preliminary injunction is similar to a TRO in that it would prevent the NCAA from enforcing its transfer rules, but the preliminary injunction would be in effect much longer,” sports attorney Mit Winter told The Eagle. “That would last the entire time the case is pending.”

Attorneys general in seven states — West Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina and Tennessee — filed a lawsuit last week that alleged the NCAA’s transfer rules violated federal antitrust law.

Winter pointed out in order to grant a TRO, a court has to find that there is a likelihood of success on the merits of the underlying claims. That means the judge believes the State Attorneys General will likely prevail on their claim that the NCAA’s transfer waiver rules violate antitrust law.

Will Ronnie DeGray be able to play for Wichita State basketball?

If the 6-foot-6 forward does end up being able to play, he would give first-year coach Paul Mills an immediate boost on a team that is short on depth.

During WSU’s 7-3 start to the season, the Shockers have mostly played a seven-man rotation. DeGray, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds for Missouri in the 2021-22 season, might not start immediately for the Shockers, but he would assuredly fit somewhere in the rotation for the team.

WSU has been starting its only three available guards (Xavier Bell, Colby Rogers and Harlond Beverly) with its only two centers (Kenny Pohto and Quincy Ballard). The arrival of DeGray, who could play either forward position, would make for an interesting mix of players coming off the bench, as WSU’s two other super subs, Isaac Abidde and Dalen Ridgnal, also play the forward spots.

Regardless of who plays where, DeGray can help WSU immediately on the court as a veteran who the coaching staff can count on. That should help ease the burden on WSU’s starters who are averaging well over 30 minutes per game and allow Mills to experiment with new lineups.

WSU could also potentially add point guard Bijan Cortes to the rotation in the coming weeks, as he is working through an academic-related waiver and is unaffected by Wednesday’s ruling. Depending on grades, Cortes could be eligible following when his final grades are posted, which could be anytime in December.