Lawsuit could benefit McNeese basketball
Published 6:23 am Saturday, December 9, 2023
- Will Wade was formal presented as McNeese State's next men's basketball coach on Monday at the Legacy Center. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
A lawsuit filed in West Virginia could prove a big benefit to the McNeese State basketball team.
Thursday seven states joined forces in a lawsuit against the NCAA for the purpose of allowing college athletes who transfer to play right away at their new schools.
An Associated Press story on the lawsuit appeared in Friday’s American Press.
Currently the NCAA allows a one-time free transfer to underclassmen without having to sit out. Any additional transfers after that means the NCAA must grant a waiver before allowing the athletes to begin competition.
Right now the Cowboys have two players who fall into that category, center/forward CJ Felder and guard Mike Sauders.
McNeese has been working hard to get the two players eligible through the waiver system but neither has been cleared.
McNeese head coach Will Wade has said he hoped Felder would be cleared soon with Saunders further back in the process. Getting either player or both cleared would be a huge benefit to the upstart Cowboys who are off to an 8-2 start, their best since the 1976-77 season.
The case filed Thursday would give blanket eligibility to every student/athlete who is in the waiver process but is in good academic standing with their current institution.
Right now the NCAA rules each case on an individual basis. The suit claims the NCAA denies some waivers for no legitimate reason.
The new lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of West Virginia, Tennessee, New York, Ohio, Colorado, Illinois and North Carolina. They claim the NCAA is not consistent with its waiver process or judgements.
They said the NCAA denies some waivers for no legitimate reason.
The attorneys general are seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to keep the NCAA from enforcing this rule.
That would make all athletes, including Felder and Saunders, eligible to play right away.
Both have been working out with the McNeese team and could be in the lineup as early as Wednesday night when the Pokes host Southern Mississippi in the Legacy Center.
That is set to be Wade’s first game on the McNeese bench after serving a 10-game suspension from the NCAA dating back to his time at LSU.
The NCAA said in a statement to the Associated Press that they are disappointed in the legal action and that it could result in rosters changing weekly or monthly.
Felder is a 6-foot-8, 265-pound senior who played the last two seasons at Florida after starting his college career at Boston College. Saunders is a junior point guard from Utah.
McNeese is off to its best start since the 1976-77 season when the Pokes began 9-2.
