Rick Pitino has never been one to wait for approval. And his most recent action, acquiring Keyshawn Hall, a transfer from Auburn, almost perfectly fits that pattern. On Tuesday nite, Hall tweeted that he was joining “one of the best coaches of all time.” Simple, straightforward, and sincere. It’s a completely different matter entirely whether it translates into actual game minutes this season.
Hall is a truly remarkable athlete. The 6-foot-7 forward shot 45% from the field and 38% from three last season while averaging 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds at Auburn. He finished ninth in the country with six successful free-throw attempts per game, drawing fouls at an astounding rate and converting 85% of them. Finding a player of Hall’s caliber in late August feels almost miraculous for a St. John’s program that recently lost starting forward Donnie Freeman to a season-ending Achilles injury.
The catch is that Hall’s eligibility is legally disputed, which is a problem in college basketball these days. Due to an Ohio court injunction contesting the NCAA’s age-based eligibility regulations, he was initially granted a fifth year.
Hall is currently ineligible since the NCAA acted swiftly to stay that injunction. He is considering his options with his lawyer, and a hearing is scheduled for the end of September. He might participate in every game this season. It’s also possible that he is dressed in street clothes and observes from the bench. As of yet, no one truly knows.
Pitino committed to the move despite this uncertainty, and to be honest, it’s difficult to argue with the reasoning. The same strategy is used by programs all over the nation: get the player now, handle the eligibility paperwork later. In a time when the rules are changing more quickly than anyone can read them, it has become something of an unwritten coaching tactic. Over the course of his decades-long career, Pitino has witnessed strange things. This is not a catastrophe, but rather turbulence.
Hall has come a long way on his journey to Queens. He attended five different universities in five years: UNLV, George Mason, UCF, Auburn, and now St. John’s. Perhaps it’s just ambition, but there’s a certain restlessness there. Before concluding that it made sense to play another college season, he even participated in the NBA Summer League with the Miami Heat. Prior to the NCAA staying his injunction, that ruling most likely appeared cleaner. As St. John’s second significant portal acquisition, Hall joins Tounde Yessoufou, the former Baylor wing who averaged 17.8 points. If both are cleared, the Red Storm will have a front-court combination that would seriously threaten programs across the country.
This is a messy situation on a larger scale that extends beyond a single player or program. Concerning the rostering of athletes with professional backgrounds, the SEC has already issued warnings. The Big Ten is heading in the same direction. There will likely be more conferences in the future. With coaches, attorneys, courts, and conference commissioners all pushing in different directions, the eligibility landscape currently feels less like a set of rules and more like a negotiation taking place in real time.
St. John’s seems to be wagering on the right side of this. A program doesn’t pass on a player who scores close to 20 points because the paperwork is difficult, but Hall is gifted enough that the risk seems worthwhile. It’s still genuinely unclear if that wager will pay off before October tip-off. Pitino has his man for the time being. Only a courtroom can determine whether his man is capable of playing.
