A decision still hasn’t come for Gonzaga’s Xaivian Lee and Ines Bettencourt, but Tuesday’s hearing in Santa Clara County did at least keep the door open a little longer.
The preliminary injunction hearing tied to the Glancey vs. NCAA lawsuit stretched into the afternoon in Northern California, where a judge heard from player plaintiffs, coaches and attorneys representing the NCAA. Lee, a Florida transfer hoping to play a fifth year with Mark Few’s men, and Bettencourt, a returning starter aiming for one more season under Lisa Fortier, are among more than 70 players asking for a preliminary injunction that would extend their eligibility under the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 model.
No ruling came down Tuesday, and Ryan Downton, one of the attorneys for the player plaintiffs, said the hearing will pick back up on Oct. 20.
“There was not enough time for all of the players and coaches to testify today, so the hearing will resume on October 20,” Downton wrote in an E-mail to The Spokesman-Review. “The TRO (temporary restraining order) remains in place pending the next hearing.”
That leaves Lee and Bettencourt in a holding pattern, but not without some immediate relief. The temporary restraining order issued by the Santa Clara County Superior Court on Aug. 7 remains in effect for now, which means both players can practice with their teams and take part in the next two weekends’ events - Kraziness in the Kennel and Numerica Fan Fest.
The timing matters. The next hearing lands four days before the Gonzaga men head to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a preseason exhibition against Arkansas, and seven days before the Zag women host Westmont College for their lone preseason exhibition on Oct. 27.
A preliminary injunction would be a major step for Lee and Bettencourt, though the NCAA is expected to respond with an appeal and a stay motion that could wipe out that eligibility until the matter reaches a Court of Appeals.
That path has already played out for two other Gonzaga transfer hopefuls. Javon Bennett, who came from Dayton, and Chauncey Wiggins, who transferred from Florida State, both won similar injunctions in Ohio and Georgia before judges in those cases granted the NCAA’s stay requests, leaving both players ineligible for now.
Downton is also involved in those cases, along with other 5-in-5 lawsuits around the country. It’s possible the Gonzaga men won’t have final answers before they open the season on Nov. 2 against Purdue in Las Vegas.
Several other players and coaches were part of Tuesday’s hearing, including BYU’s Jaxon Kohler, a Michigan State transfer, who testified in person. St.
John’s coach Rick Pitino also appeared to testify, and Reed Bailey, a fifth-year forward who transferred from Indiana to St. John’s this offseason, is named in the suit.
“The NCAA should give up on all of these lawsuits and let everyone in the Class of 2022 play this year,” Pitino said during the hearing, according to a post on X from Downton’s firm, The Texas Trial Group.
The California case also includes former UCLA guards Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark, now headed to LSU under first-year coach Will Wade. If they receive an injunction, Lee could be on the floor with them when LSU visits Spokane for a Nov. 14 game against Gonzaga at Numerica Veterans Arena.
Former Saint Mary’s, UConn and UC Santa Barbara guard Aidan Mahaney is part of the lawsuit as well, along with fifth-year point guard Moe Odum, who has faced Gonzaga at each of his three college stops: Pacific, Pepperdine and Arizona State.
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For Gonzaga, the release does more than settle dates on paper. It clarifies where the biggest tests will land, when the conference grind begins, and how much room there is for the Bulldogs to build momentum before the Pac-12 Tournament. The full schedule gives Mark Fews team its first real look at what life in the league will demand, and it leaves one obvious question hanging in the air: how quickly can Gonzaga turn a new setting into a familiar routine? [Read more 🡒]
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Purdue, Kansas State, Michigan State, Oregon and Duke are all on the list, giving Mark Fews team little room to ease into the year. The season opener has also been announced, but the broader picture is already clear: Gonzaga will be tested quickly, and those early results should shape the conversation around a team that expects to be in the spotlight from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzagas Next Pac-12 Step Comes With One Big Roster Question
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The catch is that the roster still comes with some uncertainty attached, since a few players are listed with eligibility questions hanging over them. The next chance to get a closer read comes October 3, when Kraziness in the Kennel is set for the Kennel with tickets going on sale October 1, and four-star recruit Gene Roebuck III will be on campus for an official visit, adding another layer of intrigue to an already important weekend. [Read more 🡒]