St. John’s Basketball Receives Great Reed Bailey Update

Reed Bailey is one step closer to being completely eligible for the St. John's Red Storm.

Feb 24, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Reed Bailey (1) dribbles against Northwestern Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino (44) during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026-27 men’s college basketball season for the St. John’s Red Storm is going to be impacted as much by off-the-court decisions as by how the team performs on the hardwood.

As of now, every player on the St. John’s roster is eligible to play, but some of the situations remain incredibly fluid. The Red Storm have multiple members of their team still waiting for decisions in court on lawsuits to gain eligibility.

One of those players is forward Reed Bailey. After playing the first three seasons of his career with the Davidson Wildcats, he played his senior year in the Big Ten with the Indiana Hoosiers. Like most players in the Class of 2022, Bailey thought his collegiate career was over, but the new 5-in-5 eligibility rules created an opportunity for one more season.

As one of several players listed in the Glancey V. NCAA case in California, Bailey was eligible at points over the summer and training camp. However, there has been a breakthrough in the case that is excellent news for everyone involved.

Reed Bailey eligible for St. John's

Key players involved in the California case:

Donovan Dent (LSU)
Skyy Clark (LSU)
Oziyah Sellers (SMU)
Jaxon Kohler (BYU)
Jordan Pope (Texas A&M)
Nick Townsend (Stanford)
Corey Stephenson (Ole Miss)
Xaivian Lee (Gonzaga)
Reed Bailey (St. John's)
Aidan Mahaney (UC Santa Barbara) https://t.co/QsBrrjiglf

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 20, 2026

According to Jon Rothstein, an injunction has been granted in California for that specific case that will give all members of the Class of 2022 who are involved eligibility through the end of the 2026-27 college basketball season.

The NCAA will appeal, but for now, the players are involved, which is a major development with the regular season right around the corner. Along with Bailey, there are several other key players involved, including former St. John’s guard Oziyah Sellers, who transferred to the SMU Mustangs to play for his former coach, Andy Enfield.

The LSU Tigers are also big winners from this court decision. Two of their guards, Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark, were part of the lawsuit. However, they are giving up on getting former Red Storm star and Big East Player of the Year, RJ Luis, eligible because of complications.

For head coach Rick Pitino, having Bailey eligible is big for their plans in the frontcourt. He provides some much-needed size, being measured at 6-foot-11 and 210 pounds, and averaging 4.5 rebounds per game in his career.

In his final seasons with Davidson, Bailey averaged 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Last season with Indiana, he didn’t receive as many opportunities, but still proved to be a capable rotation piece, which he will be counted on to be with St. John’s.