Battle, Farrakhan to Choose to Dress, be Available vs. UMass

The Mountaineers have made a decision on their two-time transfers.

Friday evening, WVU men's interim head basketball coach Josh Eilert announced that RaeQuan Battle and Noah Farrakhan will dress and be available to play in Saturday's game against UMass in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

Fifth-year guard @RaeQuanBattle & senior guard @_4seazonz will be dressed & available for tomorrow night's game.

🔗 https://t.co/OvVQqWl3sd#HailWV pic.twitter.com/ZQZz4b9VZB

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) December 15, 2023

"We have had many conversations with a variety of parties since Wednesday's court ruling in Wheeling. But most importantly, we have had extensive discussions with RaeQuan, Noah, and their families. They have expressed their desire to compete with their fellow teammates and represent WVU on the court. This was their decision to compete. As I've said. we will always fully support them and certainly look forward to having them on our active roster."

District Judge John P. Bailey granted a 14-day temporary restraining order against the NCAA, preventing them from enforcing their transfer rules. The judge also ordered the restitution rule so that the NCAA could not go back and penalize the schools and its athletes for participating during that 14-day window.

Battle spent the first two years of his career at Washington, where he averaged 4.8 points per game in a rather limited role. Following the 2020-21 campaign he transferred to Montana State. Over the past two seasons, Battle has become a big part of their success averaging 13.1 points per contest. Last season alone, he went for 17.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks a game while shooting 47% from the field and 35% from three.

Battle chose West Virginia over Alabama, Cal, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, Wake Forest, and several others.

Last season, Farrakhan native averaged 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field, 24% from three, and 75% at the free throw line. Although it was a down year beyond the arc, Farrakhan does have the ability to make threes consistently, sinking 62 of his 185 career attempts (34%).

West Virginia will meet UMass at 6:30 p.m. EST on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

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