St. John’s Basketball Receives Great News Ahead of Drexel Exhibition

The St. John's Red Storm are in great shape heading into their exhibition opener with the Drexel Dragons.

Oct 1, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks at 2026 Big East Media Day at Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm are set to begin their 2026-27 men’s college basketball season with an exhibition game against the Drexel Dragons at Carnesecca Arena, the on-campus arena for the team, on Oct. 14.

Normally, an exhibition game wouldn’t drum up too much attention, but this one is a little different for the Red Storm. Not only is it the first one of the year, but the team has received some excellent news heading into the contest.

According to Zach Braziller of the New York Post on X, St. John’s is going to have its entire roster available when they take the court against Drexel. It wasn’t too long ago that having each player available didn’t look like it would come to fruition.

There may not be a men’s basketball team in the country that has been waiting on court rulings for eligibility more than the Red Storm. Several players they brought into the program this offseason have gone through or still are going through legal battles.

St. John's entire roster available against Drexel

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

However, for one night against the Dragons, Rick Pitino is going to have his full allotment of players available. That includes point guard Quinn Ellis, an international player who was deemed eligible barely 24 hours before the game.

Ellis, who is 23 years old, was in a different situation from some of his teammates but remained in eligibility limbo until Oct. 13, when he received clearance.

Some players, such as Reed Bailey and Keyshawn Hall, are looking for a fifth year of eligibility with the new 5-in-5 rules in place. Bailey is eligible from a ruling in California, and Hall is currently eligible from a temporary restraining order from the Queens Supreme Court.

St John’s will have its entire roster available tomorrow against Drexel. #sjubb

— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) October 13, 2026

A temporary restraining order is in place for Babacar Sane is currently eligible as well. His hearing was pushed back to Nov. 9, so he will be eligible to play, for now, in the three exhibition games and two regular season games against the Monmouth Hawks and Iona Gaels.

It will certainly be interesting to see if all of these players gain season-long eligibility or not. For now, the entire roster is available to play, which is great news for Pitino.

This is arguably the deepest and most talented team he has had so far with St. John’s. Having Ellis, Bailey, Hall and Sane eligible, along with Ian Jackson, Tounde Yessoufou and Ruben Prey, gives the Red Storm a championship-contending core with solid depth headlined by Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Avery Brown.