CJ Gunn moved a step closer to suiting up for Missouri, but the finish line is still a little ways off.
A Boone County judge granted Gunn a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, giving the potential Mizzou guard another round of legal breathing room as he tries to clear the NCAA’s eligibility rules ahead of the upcoming men’s basketball season. The order lasts 10 days, and Gunn is scheduled for another hearing on Oct. 23, when he’ll seek preliminary injunctive relief that could stretch the relief into the season.
There’s still a deadline looming. Missouri opens the season Nov. 3 against Cleveland State.
Gunn’s path here has already been a winding one. He was initially included in a lawsuit in Dallas County, Texas, against the NCAA, the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey, and that case produced TROs for more than 40 athletes.
That filing helped Gunn enter the transfer portal and enroll at Missouri. But once the judge in that case declined to extend relief to players outside Texas, Gunn pulled out and filed his own lawsuit in Missouri last week.
The 6-foot-7, 200-pound guard brings a real scoring resume with him. Gunn spent his first two college seasons at Indiana, then the last two at DePaul, where he led the Blue Demons in scoring the past two years. Last season he averaged 13.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists, and he also won the college 3-point championship at the Final Four.
Missouri expects him to be one of its key bench scorers this season, but the legal work isn’t done yet. As part of the TRO, Gunn must repay the $524 he earned while playing in three games for the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. Court records also show he agreed to sit out three games to comply with NCAA rules.
Before this latest round of legal maneuvering, Gunn had workouts with the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors after the 2025-26 season, though he went unselected in the NBA Draft.
Gunn isn’t the only Tiger waiting on the courts. Forward Mark Mitchell is also working through his own eligibility case and has been practicing with the team while appearing on the roster.
Mitchell is part of a Kentucky case involving several Kentucky and Louisville football and basketball players, and an injunction hearing in Jefferson County on Wednesday ended without a ruling. Dennis Gates testified on Mitchell’s behalf.
If that case doesn’t break Mitchell’s way, he could end up following Gunn’s route and seeking relief in Missouri. Defensive tackle Sterling Webb already succeeded with that path.
At Missouri’s pro day Sunday, Gates said he’s staying patient with the process while backing his players.
“We’ve got to honor the court system. We’ve got to honor where my stance is, and that’s supporting student athletes,” Gates said. “I think when you’re looking at our game, these student athletes need to be supported how they need to be supported to go out and have an opportunity, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Gates also pointed out that Missouri had two scholarship spots available and was happy to fill them with Gunn and Mitchell, leaving the final call to the players themselves.
“I just wish these guys had the opportunity to make the decision as soon as their season ended last year, right? But the rule was made when it was made, and our guys are going to adjust. I’ll adjust,” Gates said.
“This is the first pivotal moment where it can be cut on, shut off, cut back on, shut off. And we just simply have to be patient, as patient as we can be, and we just gotta honor what takes place.”
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