Babacar Sane dominates in St. John’s preseason win as status with team remains up in air

St. John’s fans, circle Nov. 9.

No, there isn’t a game that day. It may be more important, however.

 Access the St. John’s beat like never before 

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Zach Braziller about the inside buzz on St. John’s.

Advertisement

 TRY IT NOW 

That’s when Babacar Sane returns to Queens Supreme Court for his second injunction hearing in a lawsuit against the NCAA. Initially ruled ineligible, Sane was granted a temporary restraining order.

In the Red Storm’s exhibition opener, the 6-foot-8 forward was impressive, showcasing his physicality, athleticism and a soft touch from the perimeter.

He sank three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the Johnnies’ 81-52 rout of Drexel inside Carnesecca Arena.

His most impressive play came midway through the second half, when he raced downcourt to swat away a layup attempt. A co-captain, he did commit five of St. John’s 19 turnovers.

Advertisement

“His agent [Bouna N’Diaye] I knew back when I was coaching Kentucky, and he said to me if you can get him to understand, learn the game of basketball the right way, you will have a great player and I agree with that,” Pitino said. “But it’s going to take a lot of work to get him to understand good shot versus bad shot, how to protect the basketball, and not turn it over. He’s such a great guy, and such a good leader, I know he’ll get it. It’s just going to take some time.”

Babacar Sane (0) goes up for a shot during St. John’s 81-52 blowout preseason win over Drexel on Oct. 14, 2026 at Carnesecca Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post

Sane, who never previously attended college, signed an Exhibit 10 contract in August 2024 with the Utah Jazz, which the NCAA contends negates his eligibility status. He was only under contract for six weeks and didn’t attend training camp with the Jazz.

His side has argued that the NCAA has cleared players with similar professional experience, some of whom have made…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/babacar-sane-dominates-st-john-013846627.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-15 01:38:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.