Welcome back, Orlando Lovejoy and Aidan Hadaway.
Again.
For now.
Maybe for good.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team has two of its best players back after a Kentucky judge issued a new temporary injunction against the NCAA on Oct. 16 in their quest to receive an additional season of eligibility.
It gives Lovejoy, Hadaway and others involved in the lawsuit the ability to practice and play.
It came 14 days after the Kentucky Court of Appeals issued a ruling against the group of about 40 student-athletes in the 2022 class who exhausted their eligibility last season.
Of course, that happened after the players had been granted a temporary restraining order in September by a Circuit Court judge, which allowed Lovejoy and Hadaway to join the Phoenix.
The 6-foot-3 Lovejoy, who was one of the best players in the Horizon League while at Detroit, is expected to make his UWGB debut in an exhibition against Marquette at the Resch Center on Oct. 19.
The 6-8 Hadaway, who averaged 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds as a senior at Ohio last season, is still working his way back from a foot injury.
Hadaway is set to have a CT scan Oct. 20. If it comes back clean, he will be cleared to practice.
There is hope that if all goes well, he could be ready sometime during the first week of the regular season when UWGB hosts Lawrence (Nov. 2) and plays at Cincinnati (Nov. 5) and the University of St. Thomas (Nov. 8).
Phoenix fans won't have to wait to get their first glimpse of Lovejoy in game action after he averaged 15.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals for the Titans last season. He was a first-team all-conference selection in the Horizon.
“We are excited for Monday [against Marquette],” UWGB coach Doug Gottlieb said. “I think one of the things that is really good about Orlando is that he’s kind of privately counseling [transfer junior guard] Ahmere [Carson] on just the veteran things. Orlando kind of organically understands what a point guard is supposed to do. He’s like an older guy, even though he doesn’t really exactly know what we want to do offensively. He gets the gist of it. He knows how to play basketball, especially high level.
“He’s a little bit like a translator for me to Ahmere, as is [senior guard] LeBron [Thomas]. We like his leadership, and I’m just excited to see him play and see what happens Monday night. You get a chance to see [Marquette sophomore] Nigel James, one of the best, if not the best, point guards in the country go against LeBron Thomas, Ahmere Carson and, now, Orlando Lovejoy.”
With the way the eligibility saga has played out, it’s again fair to wonder whether UWGB will have Lovejoy and Hadaway for the entire season or if it will lose them again.
The NCAA can either seek another appellate review or request that a higher court pauses the injunction while litigation remains ongoing.
Gottlieb has been a broadcaster, radio host and basketball coach during his professional career.
He’s never claimed to be an attorney and isn’t going to now when asked if he believes his two players are finally in the clear for the season.
“This is something I have zero true feel for,” Gottlieb said. “I have spoken to their lawyer. He feels like, legally, they should play the whole year. That’s what he feels like.
“Over the next month or so, the NCAA, they believe, will try to get another stay. If that doesn’t happen and they set a trial date, we feel really good about it.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB basketball stars return amid NCAA legal fight