Sam Alexis is not currently eligible to play for IU basketball in 2026-27.
In the latest turn of events involving class of 2022 athletes seeking a fifth year of eligibility, The Tennessee Court of Appeals has issued an order staying the injunction granted to plaintiff athletes, including Alexis, pending appeal.
The injunction grants a fifth year to Alexis, but the NCAA is appealing. It’s one of multiple stays of similar injunctions obtained by the NCAA in recent days. The stay of a federal injunction has also deemed IU football players Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt ineligible at the moment until that appeal is heard.
The trial court had denied the NCAA’s request for a stay of the injunction. But the appeals court deemed the NCAA’s likelihood of success sufficient enough to warrant a stay.
It is not clear when the Tennessee Court of Appeals will hear the appeal. Indiana’s basketball season begins on Nov. 2, with exhibition games starting on Oct. 11.
The IU basketball players, including Alexis, began working out on campus this week. Alexis should be able to continue practicing with the team until a resolution is reached in the courtroom.
Alexis could also win back his eligibility via the sweeping federal injunction that covers Daley and Wyatt. That injunction covers all class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their eligibility in four seasons. That federal appeal is expected to be heard in September.
Further complicating matters for Alexis, the Big Ten passed a rule on Tuesday that prohibits all football players who signed professional contracts and left the door open for a similar rule for basketball players. Alexis played in the NBA Summer League for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It is not clear if he played under a standard professional contract, or rather had his expenses reimbursed by the franchise as is the case for many undrafted summer league participants.
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