‘No-Brainer For Me’: WVU G Noah Farrakhan on Decision to Play This Season

WVU G Noah Farrakhan didn’t expect to play this season for the Mountaineers after transferring in August. Farrakhan was a multi-time transfer when director of recruiting Jay Kuntz reached out to him during the reconstruction of the roster after Bob Huggins resigned. The whole plan was for the 6-foot-1 guard to sit out this season and play the next two. That all changed when his teammate, RaeQuan Battle, was fighting for all multi-time transfers.

Battle testified during the hearing vs. the NCAA last Wednesday in Wheeling, which resulted in a temporary restraining order against the NCAA’s transfer eligibility rules. Battle and Farrakhan are officially able to play for the Mountaineers for the rest of the season with no penalty.

What helped Farrakhan decide to play this year?

“When I saw that [RaeQuan Battle] was pretty much going to war for everybody,” Farrakhan said. “Seeing that motivated me. He’s sticking himself out there and I just wanted to be behind him. It was pretty much a shock.”

“It was a dream come true. It was a no-brainer for me. I want to be out there with my teammates and help them win,” Farrakhan added.

With just a few days of notice, Farrakhan made his season debut with West Virginia in a loss to UMass on Saturday. Farrakhan came off the bench, giving WVU’s offense a spark. The Eastern Michigan transfer ended the game with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting and four assists. WVU interim HC Josh Eilert mentioned that Farrakhan was receiving the least amount of reps during practice because staff did not expect him to play. Despite the least amount of reps on the team, Farrakhan wasn’t shy to make it known that he’s still experienced.

“Definitely familiar since day one. I’ve been learning the playbook every day and we implement new plays every day,” Farrakhan said. “It’s not like I’m just watching practice. I’m still out there interacting even when I wasn’t suiting up out there.”

Farrakhan, along with Battle and Kerr Kriisa, look to help pick up the pace for West Virginia as the Mountaineers close out non-conference play soon. WVU will be without starting center Jesse Edwards for about four weeks with a fractured wrist. The trio of transfer guards will now have a challenge to elevate the play of West Virginia during Edwards’ absence.

“We’re trying to play fast pace here. I know coach [Eilert] wants to push the tempo, score more points in transition and that’s where my talents come into action,” Farrakhan said.

Farrakhan will play his first home game at West Virginia on Wednesday night as the Mountaineers host Radford.