MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Brenen Lorient and Javan Buchanan remain hopeful to play a fifth season of college basketball after both received a preliminary injunction against the NCAA on Wednesday in a ruling that has since been appealed by the governing body of college sports.
Lorient was a key member of last season’s West Virginia team, and now another is among those pursuing a fifth year of eligibility.
In a complaint filed Friday against the NCAA in Monongalia County Circuit Court, Honor Huff is seeking “temporary, preliminary, permanent, and declaratory relief prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing arbitrary and capricious decisions, breaching its contracts with its member institutions, and preventing him from participating in college sports.”
Represented by Charleston-based attorney Devon Stewart, the complaint on behalf of Huff references courts across the United States “repeatedly” granting injunctive relief to student-athletes that have challenged NCAA eligibility restrictions preventing an additional season of eligibility, including cases involving men’s basketball players Trey Kaufman-Renn, Melvin Council Jr. and Skylar Wicks.
It also notes last week’s decision from the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia that enjoins the NCAA from enforcing eligibility restrictions against Lorient, Buchanan, WVU football player Jason Chambers (who played in Saturday’s 45-42 loss at Iowa State) and Ben McDougal, a member of the Mountaineer baseball team. In that case, Judge John Preston Bailey concluded Lorient, Buchanan, Chambers and McDougal were likely to succeed on the merits of their state law breach of contract claim and federal anti-trust claim under the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1980, but it remains to be seen if that ruling is upheld with the NCAA having appealed through the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Although Huff’s complaint applies exclusively under state law, it argues the same standard surrounding the aforementioned quartet applies with respect to state law claims and the West Virginia Antitrust Act under state code 47-18-1, which incorporates the federal standard under the Sherman Act.
The complaint also notes the matter concerns Huff’s right to obtain educational, athletic and economic opportunities to compete in Division I athletics at institutions including, but not limited to West Virginia University.
HONOR HUFF’S COMPLAINT V. NCAA
Huff played four seasons at the Division I level over five years starting with the 2021-22 campaign at Virginia Military Institute, a member of the Southern Conference.
He then transferred to follow head coach Dan Earl from VMI to Chattanooga, but was forced to sit out all of the 2022-23 season due to a Southern Conference policy requiring intra-conference transfers to complete an academic year in residence before competing — the only Division I league that season to prevent immediate eligibility upon moving between member schools. Huff’s request to the Southern Conference to waive the academic residency year and become immediately eligible was denied.
Huff played the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons at Chattanooga before transferring to West Virginia, where he played his fourth season in 2025-26.
He led the Mountaineers in scoring at 16.5 points per game and set a WVU single-season record for three-pointers made (120) and attempted (339).
Through its social media, the WVU men’s basketball program posted Huff present last Thursday as a spectator at practice.
With Lorient and Buchanan, the Mountaineers are at their roster limit of 15 players for the upcoming season.