Hill: College basketball games should be decided on the court, not in the courts

Conflicting court rulings across the country have created an uneven eligibility landscape that could leave UNLV without guard AJ Storr when the Rebels face a Purdue transfer who recently played in the NBA Summer League. Storr, who entered college in 2022 and has played four seasons, was initially granted eligibility by a Colorado court ruling that argued his class had been excluded from new five-year eligibility rules. The NCAA won a stay of that injunction in Tennessee a month later, rendering Storr and 18 other players ineligible.

Meanwhile, former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn secured an extra season from a judge in Indiana. Kaufman-Renn started at Purdue in 2021, redshirted a year, played four seasons, was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and appeared in the NBA Summer League in July. BYU forward Jaxon Kohler also gained eligibility through a more permanent injunction granted this week in California. Kohler scored 19 points against UNLV in an exhibition game Saturday.

Storr has one remaining legal avenue to pursue eligibility but must choose the jurisdiction carefully. Chief U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon in Nevada recently ruled against UNLV football player Cohen Fuller in a similar petition. Coach Josh Pastner said he wants a definitive answer on Storr but, more importantly, wants uniform guidelines so that the same eligibility standards apply to both teams once they take the court.

Pastner acknowledged the resource gap between Mountain West programs and power conferences but said consistent rules are a baseline requirement. A columnist suggested Pastner play Storr and force the NCAA to remove him from the court, but UNLV will not pursue that approach. Pastner noted the optics would be stark if the Rebels did so against Kansas while Kaufman-Renn remained on the floor.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal