St. John's received two pieces of eligibility news Tuesday. CBS Sports reported that point guard Quinn Ellis was ruled eligible by the NCAA. Newsday reporter Roger Rubin said Pitino was told of that clearance as he left a courthouse where Keyshawn Hall's temporary restraining order had been upheld. Hall's case remains open even as reporters say Ellis is cleared.
The Red Storm's October 14 exhibition against Drexel offers a first chance to evaluate Ellis as the guard Pitino recruited to run possessions. Hall's status still depends on a legal process, according to CBS. Tuesday's developments may put both on the floor, but they do not give the staff the same long-term certainty about each player.
What the Ellis report changes
St. John's announced Ellis in May as a 6-foot-5 point guard joining for 2026-27. The school says he averaged 8.3 points and 4.5 assists in 35 EuroLeague games for Olimpia Milano in 2025-26. Those figures describe his professional season. They do not predict how he will handle a new team or a Division I defense.
Pitino told the Big East in August that moving Ian Jackson back to shooting guard was part of the plan and that Ellis could create for teammates. CBR's September Big East debate treated that as a promising roster idea. The clearance report creates a chance to test it. Against Drexel, the useful evidence will be who starts possessions, where Jackson catches the ball and whether St. John's can find a second action when the first one stalls. One exhibition will show choices, not settle how well the arrangement will work all season.
What the Hall order does not settle
CBS says Hall can currently suit up under a temporary restraining order while his fifth-year eligibility case continues. Rubin's courthouse report confirms the order was upheld Tuesday. A temporary order protects participation during a dispute. It is not a final NCAA eligibility decision or a court judgment that resolves the underlying case.
That leaves Pitino with two planning horizons. Ellis's reported clearance lets St. John's begin testing its intended lead-guard arrangement. Hall can be part of the available group now, based on the reported court order, while his longer-term status remains open. The next meaningful update for Hall is a court or NCAA development that changes that protection. For Ellis, the next basketball evidence is what St. John's actually does with him against Drexel.
Neither the NCAA decision for Ellis nor Hall's court order was available in the sources reviewed for this article. Their status is attributed to CBS and Rubin, rather than presented as a document CBR obtained.
