The Babacar Sane eligibility saga is still ongoing, but the Red Storm still got some good news in the courts. The Queens County Supreme Court could not reach a decision in Sane’s eligibility case on Monday afternoon and has scheduled a second hearing on Monday, November 9.
Sane has a temporary restraining order that keeps him eligible until a decision is reached, meaning he can play in the Red Storm’s three preseason exhibitions against Drexel, Rutgers, and Texas, as well as its first two regular-season
games against Monmouth and Iona.
According to Zach Braziller, the NCAA’s entire argument focused on Babacar Sane signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Utah Jazz back in 2024. Sane’s attorneys countered that he never played or practiced under that deal or attended an NBA training camp, and that the NCAA cleared many professional players who earned more than Sane. That argument aligned with the defense in his complaint and summons against the NCAA, filed back in September, in which his representation argued his professional experience is “materially indistinguishable” from that of former G-League players and international pros like London Johnson, Thierry Darlan, and James Nnaji.
Sane signed with the Red Storm back in May after spending five years playing in the NBA G-League and multiple professional leagues in Europe and Africa. The 23-year-old forward from Senegal most recently played for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in Germany’s top division league, averaging 9.9 points and 3.8 rebounds on 46.7% shooting and 34.6% from three in the 2025-26 season.
Over the weekend, Sane was announced as the Red Storm’s co-captain alongside Ian Jackson by head coach Rick Pitino over the weekend.
St. John’s still has one more court date scheduled for Tuesday afternoon for Auburn fifth-year transfer Keyshawn Hall, who was also granted a temporary restraining order and would be deemed eligible until a possible second hearing if the court cannot reach a decision in his hearing. The Red Storm’s two other players in eligibility limbo, Quinn Ellis and Reed Bailey, are not yet scheduled for hearings.
