Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia basketball players Brenen Lorient and Javan Buchanan have filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an immediate injunction and temporary restraining order for a fifth season.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia to allow for each to participate in a fifth season at the college level. It’s the latest in a series of lawsuits across the nation in response to the NCAA’s age-based eligibility model, which did not include players who had exhausted their eligibility under the old model.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the District of Colorado issued an injunction against the NCAA, allowing all class of 2022 athletes a fifth-year of eligibility. The NCAA has appealed the ruling.
Lorient spent last season with the Mountaineers, where he averaged 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor. He was named to the College Basketball Crown All-Tournament Team.
Before transferring to WVU, Lorient played for Ross Hodge at North Texas, where he averaged 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 36 games. He was named American Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference and AAC Sixth Man of the Year.
Buchanan transferred from Boise State, where he spent two seasons. The forward started 31 games, averaging 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the field. He also shot 83.6 percent from the free-throw line, an area in which the Mountaineers struggled last season.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
