MORGANTOWN — RaeQuan Battle and his family, as promised, have gone into a full court press challenging the NCAA’s decision to deny him a transfer waiver and make him immediately eligible to play for the West Virginia basketball team.

His rebuttal, issued through Morgantown attorney and former WVU athlete James A. “Rocky” Gianola, paints him as “completely devastated by the NCAA’s decision”, points out why his request for a waiver is different than most and falls under a clause exception on grounds that not being able to play presents a challenge to his “well-being and mental health.”

“It feels as though my mental health issues and my extenuating circumstances are not valid in the eyes of the NCAA and that is very painful to me,” he said.

Battle originally signed with Washington, and played two years there before transferring to Montana State for a second two years. Following last season, when his coach, Danny Sprinkle, left to coach at Utah State, he transferred to WVU to play.

Since he has not yet earned a degree, he is supposed to sit out a year according to the rules, but there are waivers available and he applied for one but was denied on Oct. 23. He entered an appeal on the mental health and well-being exception but this week that was turned down.

“I will not detail the trauma that I have faced throughout my childhood and college life, but those who do know my story understand how badly I need the game of basketball as part of a comprehensive process to improve my well-being and mental health,” the statement said.

In 2013 Battle, then a middle school student, also had his cousin, with whom he and his four brothers were raised, commit suicide. A year later there was a mass shooting at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School which he attended. Five people were killed, including the shooter, who was a relative of Battle’s.

There were additional losses of family members to Covid-19 during the pandemic.

“Anyone who watches or follows college athletics has seen, heard, and been told over and over by the NCAA, especially in their advertisements, that they want the best for their student athletes’ careers and wellbeing” he said in the statement.

“So, I expected the NCAA to understand the totality of my situation and why I chose to enroll and compete at West Virginia University this season. However, the NCAA has failed me, my family, my community, my team and everything they say they stand for when it comes to a student athlete.”

He found someone who could offer him emotional support when he transferred in WVU Coach Josh Eilert.

“My relationship with the program reached another level when I met now Head Coach, Josh Eilert. He had lived on a Native American reservation when he was younger, just as I had, and I quickly felt close to him. The solace I found in that relationship cannot be overstated,” he said.

Battle paints himself as a representative of Native Americans and maintains that is an important part of his reason to play for Eilert at WVU.

“Today many people may be cynical about college sports, but WVU basketball has offered me the outlet to carry a flag for Native Americans, my Tribe and my family, and turn what otherwise would be lifelong struggles into constructive growth as a person and as a Native American,” he said in the statement.

“Being the first person from my Tribe to play Division 1 basketball and the first person from my Tribe to participate in the NCAA tournament is a beacon for other kids like me that are faced with these types of issues to not give up. That’s the real promise of college sports and that is what the NCAA is supposed to be all about. Those are the values the NCAA often pays lip service to.”

He then put an aside into the statement for his Tulalip Tribe:

“I am sorry. I made the best decision I could, given the situation I was unwillingly presented, the information I had and the misplaced belief that the NCAA would be true to their purpose. I give you my word I will continue working to bring pride to our community in any way I can.”

WVU has no more remedies to seek in this process, so this comes down to the 6-5 senior and his representatives’ ability to convince the NCAA that a transfer waiver is warranted.

Certainly, WVU — with only eight scholarship players after so many unexpected lightning bolts hit the program — would welcome his return.