MORGANTOWN, West Virginia —Â The waiting game continues for Brenen Lorient, Javan Buchanan and Jason Chambers.
West Virginia fans went into this week hoping that we would finally have some clarity on the eligibility status of all three players, but as of Saturday afternoon, we are still waiting on a decision from U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey.
The case was heard Thursday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Judge Bailey heard arguments on the players’ request for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and ultimately took the matter under advisement.
There had been hope that Bailey would issue his decision by Friday, which obviously did not happen. At this point, it appears increasingly likely that we will have to wait until early next week before we know whether Lorient, Buchanan and Chambers will be allowed to play for West Virginia this season.
And make no mistake about it: this is a significant decision for both the West Virginia basketball and football programs.
Lorient is probably the biggest immediate piece for Ross Hodge simply because we already know exactly what he can do in a West Virginia uniform. Last season, the 6-foot-9 forward started all 34 games he played for the Mountaineers and averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting an outstanding 54.1 percent from the field. He also led West Virginia with 45 blocked shots and was named to the College Basketball Crown All-Tournament Team.
Lorient was also playing some of his best basketball at the end of the season. He scored in double figures in each of his final 15 games and scored 44 points while shooting better than 66 percent over West Virginia’s three games in the College Basketball Crown. Before coming to Morgantown, Lorient averaged 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds at North Texas and was named the American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year.
Getting Lorient back would give Hodge something that is becoming increasingly rare in college basketball: a proven veteran who already knows his system, has produced at the Big 12 level and can impact the game on both ends of the floor.
Then there’s Javan Buchanan, who could potentially give West Virginia another major piece in the frontcourt.
Buchanan spent the last two seasons at Boise State after beginning his career at Indiana Wesleyan. During the 2025-26 season at Boise State, Buchanan started all 31 games he played and averaged 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 83.6 percent from the free-throw line. The year before, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 53.4 percent from the floor. Over his two seasons at Boise State, Buchanan scored 747 points and grabbed 294 rebounds in 68 games.
Put Buchanan and Lorient together, and suddenly Hodge has two experienced, physical forwards who have already proven they can produce at the Division I level. Hodge has been able to fully integrate both players into practice while their eligibility cases are pending, which is extremely important if Bailey ultimately rules in their favor.
And then there is Jason Chambers.
Chambers started all 12 games at cornerback for West Virginia last season and finished with 34 tackles, including 29 solo stops, three tackles for loss and an interception. For his career, Chambers has appeared in 46 games with 38 starts and has accumulated 140 tackles, five interceptions, 22 pass breakups, six tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
For a West Virginia football team with legitimate Big 12 Championship aspirations, adding another experienced cornerback with 38 career starts would be enormous. This isn’t some developmental player who needs time before he can contribute. Chambers has played a ton of college football and has already started an entire season in Morgantown.
So where does this go from here?
Obviously, nobody knows exactly how Judge Bailey will rule until he actually issues his decision. But if I’m a West Virginia fan, I’m feeling pretty good about who is sitting behind the bench.
Bailey has certainly been favorable to West Virginia athletes in previous battles against the NCAA. In 2023, he issued a temporary restraining order in the case involving RaeQuan Battle that helped clear the way for multi-time transfers to become immediately eligible. Then, in August 2025, Bailey granted a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that allowed four WVU football players — Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington — to play after the NCAA had denied their eligibility.
That doesn’t guarantee anything in this case. Every lawsuit has its own facts and legal arguments, and Bailey’s 2025 preliminary injunction was later vacated and remanded by the Fourth Circuit. But there’s also no question that Bailey has previously been willing to rule against the NCAA when he believes its eligibility restrictions improperly harm athletes.
That’s why my expectation hasn’t changed.
I expect Brenen Lorient, Javan Buchanan and Jason Chambers to ultimately be eligible to play for West Virginia this season.
We just might have to wait a few more days to find out.
For Ross Hodge, a favorable decision could completely change the outlook of his frontcourt by adding two experienced and proven players in Lorient and Buchanan. For Rich Rodriguez and the football program, it would mean adding a veteran cornerback with nearly 40 career starts to a team that believes it can make a serious run in the Big 12.
West Virginia fans hoped Friday would bring an answer.
It didn’t.
Now all eyes remain on Judge John Preston Bailey and the federal courthouse in Wheeling.
The decision could come early next week — and if Bailey’s history in these NCAA eligibility battles is any indication, I like West Virginia’s chances.
