Micah Gray, Former Oklahoma State Cowgirls Basketball Star, Enters Transfer Portal

A new legal ruling allowed former Oklahoma State Cowgirls basketball star Micah Gray to enter the transfer portal on Friday.

Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Micah Gray. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Micah Gray was one of the few Oklahoma State Cowgirls basketball players who didn't transfer out after last season. The Cowgirls’ leading scorer just ran out of eligibility. Or so she thought.

Per Talia Goodman at On3 Sports (subscription required), Gray submitted her name to the transfer portal on Friday after a Dallas judge ruled that she and approximately 20 other athletes could seek a fifth year of eligibility and enter the transfer portal.

The NCAA and the SEC were named as defendants in this case, as at least one of the plaintiffs is former Georgia safety JaCorey Thomas, who is seeking a fifth year even though he went through rookie minicamp with the Carolina Panthers. The SEC, along with the other power conferences, approved rules this week to bar professional athletes from returning to college sports.

But Gray is getting a TRO for a different reason. More importantly, could it lead to her returning to Oklahoma State?

Micah Gray’s Eligibility

Oklahoma State Cowgirls guard Micah Gray. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Gray is part of the Class of 2022, and she played four years of college basketball without a redshirt. She started her career at Texas Southern, transferred to Seton Hall after one year and then transferred to Oklahoma State after one year with the Pirates.

Gray and other student athletes in her situation are suing the NCAA for a fifth year due to the NCAA's new age-based eligibility rule. The rule, approved in June, gives incoming student-athletes the opportunity to play five years of college athletics with no redshirts. The NCAA also applied the rule to current student-athletes with eligibility. But for students who started in 2022 and played four years without a redshirt, they received no relief.

Most of these suits have won in court. Oklahoma State football player Iman Oates is playing on a TRO that he received in a Payne County, Okla., court. The TRO also allows these players to enter the transfer portal.

By going into the portal, Gray can explore her options. But the door to a return to the Cowgirls shouldn't be closed. When the NCAA recalibrated scholarships after the House settlement, it gave schools the opportunity to fund up to 15 athletes in women's basketball.

The Cowgirls have 12 players on their roster and have not added Callin Hake, the Nebraska transfer who announced she would join the program this week. If the Cowgirls are funding 15 scholarships, that would leave room for Gray to return.

Getting Gray to return would give head coach Jacie Hoyt a prover scorer who knows her system. She averaged 13.6 points per game and set a program record for a single season with 93 3-pointers.

But there's a flip side to this. They're both playing under TROs and their cases have not been fully adjudicated. If the final decision goes against them, then they would not be able to play. It’s why the Cowgirls might not take a chance on a second player under those circumstances. Then again, given Gray's credentials and her knowledge of the system, she's certainly worth keeping tabs on if you’re Hoyt or a Cowgirls fan.