The whirlwind saga surrounding Donovan Atwell's return to Texas Tech looks to come to a final conclusion after the guard filed a lawsuit in Lubbock County for a temporary injunction.
LUBBOCK -- It is a phrase that has been uttered time and time again this year in Lubbock: temporary injunction.
And now another prospective Red Raider is seeking one to ensure his opportunity to play one final season for Texas Tech.
Texas Tech senior guard Donovan Atwell has filed a lawsuit in Lubbock County with the express goal of gaining one of these coveted injunctions.
He was granted a temporary restraining order upon filing, which once again renders Atwell eligible until the official hearing date.
Lubbock state representative and Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows is serving as the main legal representation for Atwell.
The 72nd District Court in Lubbock will decide his future with the program on September 11 at 9 a.m.
While football is on the horizon, men's basketball has had its fair share of attention at Texas Tech, with several high-level prospects signing on for Grant McCasland's squad in recent weeks.
Three of those monumental signings were members of the recruiting class of 2022 that were suddenly back on the table after trying to take advantage of the latest "five-for-five" eligibility rules from the NCAA.
That includes Donovan Atwell, who spent one year with Texas Tech in what was believed to be his final season of eligibility but made a return in the wake of these new guidelines.
Unlike his other two counterparts, Jamichael Stillwell and Darrion Williams, Atwell was relying on the blanket injunction granted to the entire class by a Colorado judge.
Although this ruling seemed to be enough for the senior guard to reunite with the Red Raiders, a recent decision in an appeals court gave the NCAA a big win.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay order to the organization while it determines its final outcome on the case, which essentially meant that all those banking on the initial ruling were back to being ineligible.
Following this constant back-and-forth status for Atwell, he will look to lock down his future one way or another by finally committing to a lawsuit of his own.
If it can secure Atwell's spot on the upcoming roster, Texas Tech knows what it can get from the seasoned shooter.
In only one outing, Atwell set the single-season record for made three-pointers at 130, completely blowing past the previous mark of 92 for the Red Raiders.
With some of the best talent in the sport throughout the lineup, the addition of Atwell could make Texas Tech one of the toughest outs for any squad this season.
And it all rests on the decision of one judge out in Lubbock County later this month.
