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07/31/26 06:22:00
Printable Page
07/31 18:20 CDT Chancellor grants 19 college basketball players a 5th season
and orders portal open Monday
Chancellor grants 19 college basketball players a 5th season and orders portal
open Monday
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --- A Nashville chancellor granted a temporary injunction
to Jalen Washington and 18 other basketball players Friday giving them a fifth
season of eligibility and the NCAA cannot keep any of them out of the transfer
portal.
"Defendant shall recognize Plaintiffs as eligible for the 2026--2027 basketball
season and shall not deny or impede their recruitment, transfer, or
certification on the basis of the challenged eligibility determination,"
I'Ashea Myles of the Davidson County Chancery Court wrote in her 33-page ruling.
Myles, who heard motion arguments July 22, also ordered that the transfer
portal open at noon Monday until 8 a.m. on Aug. 10 for any player wanting to
enter and schools wanting to reach out.
The NCAA did not immediately respond Friday night to a text message or email
from The Associated Press.
On June 23, the NCAA approved a new eligibility model for Division I athletes
that will allow five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins
with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th
birthday, whichever occurs first.
Washington, who played last season at Vanderbilt, was the lead plaintiff in the
complaint filed July 6 by the Texas Trial Group seeking the injunction. Others
include Chendall Weaver, last at Texas; A.J. Storr, Mississippi; Jason Edwards,
Providence; Daniel Egbuniwe, St. Bonaventure; and Zachary Davis, Memphis.
"Justice," the Texas Trial Group posted on social media with a screengrab of
the order.
Myles wrote in her 33-page ruling granting the injunction that "the NCAA has
not applied the challenged eligibility rules uniformly among similarly situated
student-athletes" with a pattern of extending years of eligibility to "certain
groups of players."
She noted a waiver for the 2025-26 season for those who played at least one
season at a junior college or NAIA school, and Myles wrote each plaintiff
played against students who got waivers to play additional seasons or attended
junior colleges.
The chancellor's order also enjoined the NCAA from enforcing its rule of
restitution against the athletes and colleges they play for this season.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll
and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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