This past Tuesday, Syracuse basketball transfer forward Amarri Monroe from Newburgh, N.Y., received good news in his lawsuit against the NCAA, which was filed in late August in the New York State Supreme Court for Onondaga County.
The judge in his case, Supreme Court Justice Jean Marie Westlake, granted the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Monroe a preliminary injunction, which makes him eligible to practice with the Orange as his case proceeds. It's possible that the NCAA will appeal Westlake's decision. It's also unclear for how long his case will carry on.
Still, Monroe needed the preliminary injunction to remain eligible. He's a class of 2022 athlete, and the NCAA's new 5-for-5 eligibility model doesn't provide players such as Monroe with a fifth campaign of eligibility if they've already played four seasons in college.
At the ACC's Tipoff event earlier this week in Charlotte, N.C., first-year head coach Gerry McNamara touched on a variety of topics in different interviews. He spoke about Monroe, saying in part, "Amarri’s part of our team. There hasn’t been much conversation to the team about, ‘Hey, if this or that.’ No, Amarri’s with us. If things change, we’ll let you know. But until then, we’re operating as Amarri’s a part of our group."
Gerry McNamara says that Syracuse basketball transfer forward Amarri Monroe is an excellent defender and rebounder.
In early August, Monroe committed to the 'Cuse. He played for three seasons at Quinnipiac and before that, one campaign at Wofford. This past season for Quinnipiac, Monroe averaged 15.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.3 steals per and resided on the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC") first team.
As a junior in the 2024-25 season, Monroe received MAAC player of the year honors. He averaged 18.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.3 steals per contest.
The MAAC has rebranded as the Metro Conference. Two of its member schools are Quinnipiac and Siena, where McNamara most recently served as the Saints' head coach for the past two seasons. Thus, McNamara knows Monroe well, and he was also recruited by the Syracuse basketball staff several years ago while still in high school.
"Having coached against him (and) watching his dominance in our league, his physical prowess overwhelming people," McNamara said. "But he’s such a wonderful kid. He’s been a seamless addition to our group. Because we’ve got really good character in our group, we can add a kid that late after our summer where we were together and he’s been embraced by our group."
The Orange's 2026-27 roster already sits at the NCAA's maximum limit of 15 players, but Inside the Loud House has heard from several sources that Monroe coming on board wouldn't be an issue. That's because the multi-billion-dollar House antitrust settlement approved in the summer of 2025 enables programs to use a Designated Student Athlete ("DSA") exemption to exceed the 15-player roster limit without getting penalized.
Assuming Monroe remains eligible to play as Syracuse basketball officially begins its 2026-27 season in early November, he's expected to garner significant minutes, whether he starts or comes off the bench as a key reserve.
Said McNamara: "Now, he doesn’t have to be the guy that has to kind of carry everything. He can fit in and be your natural self. Hopefully, he can take advantage of the same angles with more space."
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