Syracuse basketball landed Amarri Monroe last week. Now comes the uncomfortable part.
Waiting to find out whether the Orange will actually get to keep him on the floor.
Monroe committed to Syracuse after a federal judge in Colorado issued a class-wide preliminary injunction requiring the NCAA to recognize an additional season of eligibility for Division I athletes from the high school Class of 2022 who played four seasons and otherwise would have exhausted their eligibility this spring.
That ruling opened the door for Monroe, the former MAAC Player of the Year at Quinnipiac, to transfer to Syracuse.
But the NCAA appealed.
And a new court order issued Monday gives us our clearest roadmap yet for when the next major development could arrive.
Next week could be enormous for Gerry McNamara and the Orange.
What Just Happened?
The NCAA is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to temporarily stay the preliminary injunction while its appeal proceeds.
In plain English: the NCAA wants the appeals court to essentially hit the pause button on the lower court’s ruling.
That’s the immediate battle.
The NCAA previously asked the district court for an emergency stay and was denied on August 10. It then took that request to the Tenth Circuit.
On August 11, the appeals court ordered the athletes to respond.
That’s where the timeline becomes important.
Friday, August 14: The Players Respond
The athletes challenging the NCAA have until 3 p.m. Mountain Time Friday to file their response to the NCAA’s emergency stay request.
Their attorneys will make the case for why Judge Charlotte Sweeney’s injunction should remain in effect while the larger appeal continues.
For Syracuse, that’s obviously the preferred outcome.
As things stand, Monroe benefited from the injunction and committed to Syracuse after the ruling. The 6-foot-7 forward is coming off a season in which he averaged 15.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.3 steals for Quinnipiac and one of the best players in the MAAC.
Monday, August 17: The NCAA Gets One More Chance
The NCAA then has until 10 a.m. Mountain Time Monday to submit an optional reply.
That would allow the NCAA to respond to arguments made by the athletes on Friday.
Then?
We wait.
Attorney Mitch Gilfillan, who has been following the litigation and is an NBPA consultant and Field of 68 legal analyst, believes there won’t be a ruling until at least Tuesday, August 18, and that a decision could easily take several more days.
That’s a reasonable expectation based on the briefing schedule, although the order itself does not promise a ruling on Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 18 and Beyond: Decision Watch
Once Monday morning’s deadline passes, the emergency stay request should be fully briefed.
That’s when Syracuse fans should really start refreshing their phones.
The appeals court could rule on whether the district court’s injunction remains operative while the appeal continues.
And it’s important to understand the distinction:
This isn’t necessarily the final resolution of the entire lawsuit.
The NCAA has appealed the preliminary injunction itself. The immediate question is whether that injunction gets paused while the larger appeal is litigated.
That’s why this feels so strange.
Syracuse has already announced a major addition to its roster. Monroe has been given new life in college basketball because of a sweeping federal ruling. The Orange can envision exactly how the former MAAC Player of the Year fits into McNamara’s rotation.
And yet his eligibility remains wrapped inside a rapidly moving federal court battle.
So circle the dates:
Friday: Athletes respond.
Monday: NCAA can reply.
Tuesday and beyond: Decision watch begins.
Until then, Monroe’s Syracuse story remains one of the strangest roster sagas of the offseason.
The Orange got their man.
Now they need the courts to let them keep him.
