Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd fumes as forward RJ Godfrey’s eligibility remains stuck in Georgia courts

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The frustration over the lingering eligibility question of Arizona forward RJ Godfrey was evident in the voice of Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd, who pleaded Wednesday for someone — anyone — “to explain to me how this all makes sense.”

It would be helpful if a Georgia court answered that question.

That is where Godfrey’s basketball future lies, even as the No. 5 Wildcats ramp up for another run at the Final Four this season. The 6-foot-8 forward is among a multitude of players who have joined lawsuits across the country after the NCAA instituted sweeping changes to its eligibility rules, allowing five years of competition over a five-year period.

The new rules did not grandfather in student-athletes from the high school class of 2022, which is why Godfrey and others have been in front of judges, seeking another season of eligibility for themselves. In his case, Godfrey played two seasons at Clemson, helping the Tigers reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, before spending a year at Georgia and returning to Clemson last season.

He wound up as the plaintiff in a lawsuit in Georgia and appeared in court on his own behalf in July. And while a Georgia judge initially granted an injunction clearing him to play, the Georgia Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay, leaving his future in limbo.

“It’s hard for me to sit here and not be able to defend somebody just because they entered college in the class of 2022, and everybody before them got five years and everyone after them is going to get five,” Lloyd said during the final day of the Big 12’s media summit.

“We have a guy that is a true five-for-five — that’s where I draw the line, that’s where I think you should be eligible,” Lloyd said. “If there are extenuating circumstances for years six, seven, eight, I don’t think your case is as strong.”

That is part of what makes the wait so frustrating for Godfrey and the Wildcats. Many injunctions remain in place in cases that were filed in other states, allowing players under similar circumstances who were involved in them the opportunity to play.

On Monday, for example, Kansas announced that former Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn would suit up for the Jayhawks after an injunction rendered in an Indiana court granted the 2026 second-round NBA draft pick a sixth season of eligibility.

“We have a court system in the U.S. and that’s going to impact our game this year, and you just wish cooler heads would prevail, and give these kids the opportunity they deserve,” Lloyd said. “These kids did nothing wrong. They’re missing out on a life-changing opportunity, not only experience-wise but financially, just because of the year they graduated from high school. Somebody has to explain to me why that’s OK.”

The Wildcats are coming off their first Final Four appearance in 24 years, and Lloyd has largely reloaded his roster, filling the myriad holes left by departures. But one of those holes, created by the graduation of physical forward Tobe Awaka, would be ideally filled by Godfrey — should the Georgia court system decide he is eligible.

“In my heart, I know that I’ll be in a Wildcat uniform this season,” Godfrey said last month. “I’m confident in that.”

Arizona opens the season with a high-profile matchup against No. 22 UCLA on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas.

“We’re going to move forward no matter what. We’re a no-excuses program,” Lloyd said. “But (Godfrey) puts the pieces in the right place for our roster to have the depth it needs to have, and the impact we would love to have off the bench. RJ will help put all the pieces in the right place, and I just hope and pray we get to see it.”

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