Syracuse basketball received some positive news yesterday. Per a story from syracuse.com, Amarri Monroe has been granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in his fight for a fifth year of eligibility.
This decision makes Monroe, who has spent his last three years at Quinnipiac, eligible to practice with the Orange until his court hearing on September 17. If he is granted a preliminary injunction at this hearing, he will be allowed to continue these activities for the remainder of the case.
Monroe got his TRO from Supreme Court Justice Jean Marie Westlake on Tuesday morning, with the case being filed on Monday in the Supreme Court of Onondaga County. This comes after Monroe had initially been in a Colorado district court seeking eligibility, but the NCAA stepped in and successfully acquired a stay in that court to block the attempt at a fifth year by Monroe and many other players. This led him to pivot his case to New York, where he is now the second player to file for eligibility in the state, with Vince Iwuchukwu filing last week to return to Georgetown for his fifth season.
Monroe is one of many players going to court to get a fifth year of college eligibility after the NCAA established the new 5-in-5 rule, which gives all athletes five years to partake in college athletics. However, the NCAA omitted players like Monroe, who come from the 2022 high school graduating class. This led to the ensuing court cases, which are still piling up as the offseason draws to a close.
Syracuse landed Monroe back on August 4, and he would be a big contributor if successful in court. In his college career, the 6-foot-7 forward was a dominant presence in the mid major world. After spending his freshman season at Wofford, he transferred to Quinnipiac. In his three years there, he won multiple awards including the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a junior, and making the all-conference first team in his last two years with the Bobcats. This past season, Monroe averaged 15.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.9 blocks. He notably led Quinnipiac to their first ever win over an ACC opponent, scoring 25 points against Pittsburgh on November 23, 2025.
We’ll be sure to follow this story and provide updates as the court case progresses.