St. John’s guard Quinn Ellis cleared by NCAA; Keyshawn Hall also gets good news in eligibility case

NEW YORK — After a whirlwind offseason, the ball is bouncing the Red Storm’s way.St. John’s got good news Tuesday on two key players, including that the NCAA deemed touted point guard Quinn Ellis eligible for the 2026-27 season, the New York Daily News confirmed.Meanwhile, a hearing Tuesday saw a Queens judge leave in place the temporary restraining order of forward Keyshawn Hall, who can thus play for St. John’s until there’s a ruling on his application for a preliminary injunction.There’s no timeline for the judge to announce his ruling.The developments came a day before St. John’s is set to open the preseason against Drexel at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday night, giving head coach Rick Pitino access to his full roster for the exhibition.Ellis and Hall are two of the numerous athletes whose eligibility had come under question in the ever-changing NCAA landscape.The 6-5 Ellis, who hails from England, has played professionally in the EuroLeague.Hall, who transferred from Auburn, has been fighting for a fifth season of eligibility. In June, the NCAA approved a change granting Division I athletes five years of eligibility in a five-year span, but last season’s seniors — including Hall — were not grandfathered in.Hall was not selected in the 2026 NBA Draft this summer. He played with the Miami Heat in the NBA’s Summer League on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract.The 6-7 Hall averaged 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for Auburn last season, shooting 37.9% on 3-pointers. His commitment to St. John’s came after the Red Storm lost 6-9 forward Donnie Freeman — a lauded transfer from Syracuse — to a season-ending Achilles injury during a summer workout.There’s also forward Babacar Sane, who is eligible to play for St. John’s until at least his next hearing on Nov. 9. Sane played in the NBA’s G League and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Utah Jazz in 2024 but has never appeared in an NBA game.The clearance of Ellis is especially important because it locks in the kind of play-making point guard that eluded the Red Storm last season.Ellis’ arrival allows Ian Jackson to move to his natural shooting guard spot after he spent much of last season playing out of position at point guard.“You never know, but if he’s not a star, I’d be very disappointed,” Pitino said of Ellis in May.“He’s a great playmaker, a great passer, terrific size, good shooter. He’s gonna come into his own because the ball is going to be in his hands. He’s going to make people better.”St. John’s, which opens the regular season on Nov. 2 against Monmouth, seeks its third consecutive Big East regular-season and conference-tournament championships.It will attempt to do so with a talented, overhauled roster that will have to replace the production of Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell, each of whom was drafted in June.____