CHAMPAIGN – Illini star Terrence Shannon Jr. hasn’t given up on finding a way back to the basketball court while charges are pending in Kansas.

Lawyers representing Shannon filed a request for a temporary restraining order Monday in Champaign County court. Seeking to reinstate Shannon to the Illini basketball team, the temporary restraining order is separate from his criminal charges in Lawrence, Kan., where he was charged with rape following an alleged incident there in September.

There’s no timetable available for when the request could be heard, but Shannon attorneys representing him would like a judgment prior to Illinois’ games against Michigan State on Thursday and Maryland Sunday.

A court ruling could come Tuesday or Wednesday. Lawyers representing Shannon and the university will make arguments before a judge gives a ruling. If the judge grants in restraining order, it would go into effect immediately.

“Terrence strongly maintains his innocence, and all he wants is an open and fair process that he doesn’t think he’s received yet,’’ said Edwardsville attorney Mark Goldenberg, one of Shannon’s legal representatives. “TJ wants a fair process, and we don’t feel he’s gotten it yet, as far as maintaining his eligibility.

“TJ loves the University of Illinois and his teammates. He will very proudly graduate with a degree in the spring.’’

Goldenberg has a long history of working with the Illinois athletic department, dating back to the days of the feud between the Illini and former Iowa assistant coach Bruce Pearle. This time, the legal pairing is working against the university and its athletic department.

The university was notified of charges against Shannon on Dec. 27. He was immediately suspended from team activities according to university policy, Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman said during a press conference late last month. Whitman indicated he personally met with Shannon to inform him of the charges and the suspension.

According to the school’s student-athlete misconduct policy, a three-person student-athlete conduct panel convened within 48 hours of the charges to determine whether the information available justified withholding the Shannon from team activities pending resolution of charges in Kansas, as the policy works for any Illini student-athlete.

On January 3, that panel ruled to uphold the suspension from all team basketball activities. Shannon still has access to athletic facilities.

The university has released no other updated information since Whitman met with reporters on December 28 prior to the game against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Whitman and the school have said there would be no further information revealed, because of privacy issues, unless Shannon’s status within the university has changed.

Shannon doesn’t have another court date in Douglas County (Kan.) until Jan. 18, and the pace of the legal system doesn’t offer much hope for Shannon to return to the court quickly, such as the heart of the Big Ten season and the run up to the NCAA Tournament.

Therefore, his legal team took a swing at the student-athlete conduct policy written by university officials. Whitman is a law school graduate and spoke at length about the fine line sending a strong message against sexual misconduct and protecting Shannon’s right to due process.

With little information coming from Kansas authorities on the incident and prior to an arrest warrant being sent to university police, it was apparent the university and the athletic department were caught off guard by the seriousness of the charge, leaving the university battling a war of public perception in regards to playing a star while he was under investigation for more than three months.

After receiving preliminary information in late September, it was the collaborative opinion of Whitman, chancellor Robert Jones and university counsel the information didn’t pass the threshold to launch the university misconduct process. That all changed when the charges reached Champaign-Urbana on Dec. 27.

Shannon posted bail on Dec. 28 and indicated he would fight the charges, hiring a Chicago-area attorney to represent him against the criminal charges in Kansas.

The fight here is a civil court matter.

Shannon remained on scholarship, and he’s able to use school facilities, such as the library or the weight room. He’s unable to participate in team activities, such as games, practice and team meals.

An All-America candidate who was averaging 21.7 points a game before the suspension, Shannon missed the blowout wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Northwestern before the Illini lost at Purdue Friday.