What Brenen Lorient’s Return Means for WVU Basketball

A key piece of the 2025-26 WVU basketball team will make his return, as forward Brenen Lorient will fill the 2026-27 team’s final roster spot, per Joe Tipton.

Lorient is now eligible after Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a preliminary injunction, giving high school Class of 2022 athletes a fifth year of  eligibility.

The 6-foot-9 forward was an impact player for WVU last year, averaging 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also led the team in blocks last year with 45.

Now, Lorient joins a WVU squad with more athleticism and height than last year. However, WVU fans should still expect him to start at the four spot with sophomore center Mouhamed Sylla at the five. It’s fair to speculate the three guards will be freshman Miles Sadler, senior Finley Bizjack and junior Joson Sanon.

Having Lorient in the starting lineup will likely force out fifth-year forward Javan Buchanan, who filed a lawsuit with Lorient against the NCAA for failure to provide a transfer portal window.

Buchanan and Lorient had very similar stateliness last season, as Buchanan finished with 12.6 and five rebounds per game with Boise State last year. Even so, Lorient should have an edge over Buchanan in that he already knows head coach Ross Hodge’s system and style of play.

Lorient and Hodge’s connection goes beyond WVU, as they were also at North Texas together. Now, with a team returning just one player logging minutes from last year, Lorient has a chance to be a leader and guide for his fellow teammates, especially with sophomore guard Amir Jenkins missing time with a shoulder injury.

This change to the starting lineup would also make Buchanan (assuming he plays), a high-level scorer at 6-foot-7, as a potential spark off the bench. In a league like the Big 12, where depth is an important aspect of the game, having him alongside a rotation with Jenkins, junior guard Martin Somerville and senior guard/forward Seydou Traore creates a deep bench to rely on in conference play.

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