The legal proceedings are moving quickly surrounding St. John’s basketball forward Keyshawn Hall after he filed a lawsuit in the Queens Supreme Court on Tuesday searching for another season of eligibility.
Hall was granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Friday morning which makes him currently eligible, but a hearing is set for Tuesday, October 6 – which is one day after Red Storm forward Babacar Sane will have his eligibility hearing after receiving a TRO in early September.
Keyshawn Hall had been involved in the Ohio court case which is battling against the NCAA for athletes to be grandfathered into the new 5-in-5 eligibility rules that go into place next season.
On Tuesday, the First District Court of Appeals in Ohio reversed the rulings of the preliminary injunction, which makes the athletes listed in the case ineligbile.
“Keyshawn has the size, strength, skill level and scoring ability to be an elite player for us,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino said in an affidavit submitted to the court.
“At 6'7" and roughly 225 pounds, he creates matchup problems because he can score from all three levels, attack smaller defenders physically, take bigger defenders off the bounce, rebound his position and get to the free throw line.”
St. John’s would be the fifth school in five years for Hall after he started his career at UNLV before stops at George Mason, UCF, and Auburn. Last season, he averaged 19.3 points per game for the Tigers and named to the All-SEC Third Team.
The affidavit from Pitino also mentions that the school and Keyshawn Hall have agreed on a revenue sharing deal worth $1.25 million with the possibility to add more in other NIL deals.
“The goal isn't simply for Keyshawn to put up numbers at St. John's,” Pitino added. “Keyshawn will reach his zenith here at St. John's- both personally and professionally by extracting every ounce of his potential.
Hall entered the 2026 NBA Draft but was not selected and did not sign a professional contract despite playing in the NBA Summer League.
“To deny him this year of eligibility would stunt his growth and irreparably harm his chances to play professionally and consequently, his earning potential next year.”
Rick Pitino expressed on Thursday at Big East Media Day that all four of his players dealing with eligbility concerns -- Keyshawn Hall, Babacar Sane, Quinn Ellis, and Reed Bailey -- will all be on the court this season.
St. John’s opening exhibition game is on October 14 and while Keyshawn Hall is currently able to play in the contest due to the temporary restraining order, his hearing could determine his fate this season.
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