St. John’s Basketball Predicted To Make Preseason Top 25 With Room To Move

The St. John's Red Storm have a wide range of outcomes for the preseason pol top 25.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There aren’t many men’s basketball teams in the country that have a roster as unsettled as the St. John’s Red Storm with the 2026-27 season right around the corner.

St. John’s is awaiting official answers on multiple players on the roster and whether or not they will be deemed eligible this season. Babacar Sane, Keyshawn Hallsane and Quinn Ellis have yet to receive full clearance, and all of their cases differ.

Sane, who has a temporary restraining order to be eligible, had his hearing pushed back until Nov. 9. That means he will be eligible to play in two regular season games to begin the season before knowing his fate for the remainder of the campaign. His case is based around an Exhibit 10 deal he signed a few years ago.

Hall, who spent last season with the Auburn Tigers, is a 5-in-5 eligibility case. He didn’t sign an Exhibit 10 with the Miami Heat despite playing with them in the Summer League. Hall also has a TRO to be eligible for the time being.

Where is St. John's predicted to land in preseason poll?

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ellis has international experience, but no NBA experience. He remains in eligibility limbo, as he has not yet been officially cleared. Ellis does not have a TRO or court hearing scheduled yet.

Because of those uncertainties, it comes as no surprise that the Red Storm are viewed as a middle-of-the-pack team right now. James Fletcher III of On3 (subscription required) made predictions about how the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll would look, and he placed St. John’s at No. 16.

Given the current state of the program, that ranking makes sense. There is a strong trio of Ian Jackson, Ruben Prey and Tounde Yessoufou in place right now who can do the heavy lifting for the team.

However, if Sane, Hall and Ellis are all deemed eligible to play, the Red Storm can stake a claim to having the most talented roster in the country. Head coach Rick Pitino has done a wonderful job every year in Queens of restocking the roster with high-end talent and he looks to have done it again.

Should all of their players in eligibility limbo be cleared, St. John’s has what looks like a top five roster on paper. This is a very experienced group, who also brought on Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Avery Brown from the Mercer Bears and Columbia Lions as fifth-year transfers.

As things currently stand, No. 16 is an appropriate ranking for the Red Storm. But they will move up rapidly as news about the eligibility of their players is revealed.