Gonzaga's Chauncey Wiggins suffers another eligibility setback ahead of Purdue opener

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Chauncey Wiggins made a bold decision to withdraw from his current eligibility lawsuit and try to latch onto a case in Waco, TX, which would have given him eligibility through mid-December.

The decision didn't pay off, however, as Texas Judge Ryan Luna denied the temporary restraining order for all the players who attempted to jump in from other suits - including Wiggins, Arizona forward RJ Godfrey, Boise State guard Lamar Washington, and many others.

"Those players that you can identify that have already gone through this process on these merits, who have sought injunctive relief from another state court or granted it, I think we talked about Tennessee and Georgia," Luna said, per Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review. "Any of those players we can identify, I'm going to deny the TRO on those."

Another setback in Chauncey Wiggins' eligibility battle

Wiggins remains Gonzaga's lone ineligible player, despite a case that is nearly identical to two other Zags - Xaivian Lee and Javon Bennett - who are eligible as of this writing.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Chauncey Wiggins (9). | Photo by Erik Smith

Wiggins and the rest of the plaintiffs in the Godfrey vs. NCAA suit in Georgia were granted a TRO on August 5, making Wiggins eligible from then until Sep. 9 when the Georgia Court of Appeals granted the NCAA its stay request, which rendered everyone ineligible.

The same process happened for Bennett in Ohio, but eventually the Ohio Supreme Court reversed the decision of the lower court, which deemed Bennett eligible.

That process never occurred in Georgia, and the oral arguments weren't scheduled until Jan. 12, so understandably these players chose to pursue other options for eligibility.

Wiggins remains ineligible, and almost certainly won't play for Gonzaga on Monday against Purdue, but he could pursue another lawsuit to try to get eligible this season - potentially in the state of Washington if he and his lawyers can find a quick way to get in front of a judge.

What Wiggins' absence means for Gonzaga

Wiggins is a 6'10 forward who spent three years at Clemson before playing last season at Florida State, where he averaged 13.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game, shooting 38.7% on 5.8 three point attempts per game.

His 73 made threes would have led Gonzaga last year, and were top in the ACC among players 6'10 or taller.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Chauncey Wiggins. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Considering Gonzaga struggled all year from the three point line - and shot 21.4% against Arkansas and 33.3% against Lewis-Clark State this exhibition season - it's clear why Wiggins was such a sought after pickup for coach Few and the Zags.

This story is far from over, but for now, expect Gonzaga to take on Purdue without Wiggins on Monday. The game is set to tip at 4:30 PM PT and will be broadcast on TNT and streamed on HBO MAX.

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