Babacar Sane Gets TRO for St. John’s Basketball Eligibility

Babacar Sane has taken the next step to become eligible to play for the St. John's Red Storm.

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY forward Babacar Sane (4) of the G League Ignite goes to the basket defended by Team Strictly forward Darius Bazley (13) of the Delaware Blue Coats during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm are counting on some court rulings to ensure players on the men’s basketball team are eligible to play during the 2026-27 season.

One of the players who is going through that process is Babacar Sane, and he received a positive bit of news that is an expected part of the process. On Tuesday morning, he received a temporary retraining order from Judge Karina Alomar in the New York courts, making him currently eligible. 

This decision comes less than a week after Sane sued the NCAA over his eligibility ruling. He was deemed ineligible because of "intent to professionalize" after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz a few years ago.

This is something that several players have received recently in an effort to play a fifth season of college basketball under the new 5-in-5 eligibility rules. Roddy Gayle Jr., Seth Trimble, Amarri Monroe, Riley Kugel and Yan Trayori are some of the players who have been involved.

Babacar Sane receives TRO, currently eligible for St. John's

Dec 20, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; NBA G League Ignite guard Babacar Sane (4) reacts during the first half against the Motor City Cruise at Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

A hearing has been set for Sane on Oct. 1, where the NCAA will have a chance to respond. That will be the biggest hurdle in this process, but there is some prior precedent and that has to have St. John’s feeling good about having Sane eligible for the upcoming season.

Two of his former teammates with the G League Ignite recently received clearance for eligibility. There are also almost 100 players who previously received clearance who have similar professional experience as Sane.

For now, he is eligible and allowed to participate on the court with his teammates. Sane was looking to become the first member of his family to attend college in the United States, and he has been participating in classes since the summer semester. He is enrolled in classes for the fall as well.

Babacar Sane has receive a TRO with a hearing set for Oct. 1. Story to come. #sjubb

— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) September 8, 2026

Sane played this past season with MHP Riesen in the German BBL and German Cup. He has 112 games of G League experience, with the 2024-25 season being the last time he participated in that league, and he has zero NBA games on his resume.

Should Sane get cleared, he is going to have two years of eligibility to play collegiately. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, he is expected to play a significant role in the team’s frontcourt if he is deemed eligible and allowed to play.

If not, head coach Rick Pitino is losing a major piece of the roster puzzle that he and his staff built this offseason.