Alex Steen will return to Florida State men's basketball after a ruling from Leon County Judge David Grant granted the forward an extra season of eligibility, a source confirmed to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Steen has been in a legal battle over an additional year of eligibility since the summer, and the court injunction now clears the path for the forward to play his final season of college basketball with the Seminoles.
The forward is one of many class of 2022 athletes seeking an additional year of eligibility after the NCAA enacted a "5-in-5" rule. That rule allows athletes in the high school class of 2023 and beyond the ability to have eligibility to play five seasons in five years. Steen, who filed his lawsuit in August, initially had his temporary restraining order denied.
The ruling made on Zoom allows Steen to officially return to the hardwood with the Seminoles. The forward hasn't been a stranger to the program, as he's practiced and been around the program since he decided to end his pursuit of his pro career. He's been enrolled in classes, and that's allowed him to be around the team, according to NCAA rules.
Steen averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in his lone year for the Seminoles. He will be a key addition to the program from a depth standpoint, and he offers a different skill set to the other bigs on the roster, including Marcis Ponder, Sebastin Rancik and Cooper Schwieger.
FSU began its preseason with an 82-71 win over Auburn in the Ballin in Boutwell event. Ponder posted a double-double in that game with 13 points and 21 rebounds, while forward Kam Taylor scored a team-high 19 points. Steen traveled with the team for the game.
Steen's first opportunity to play will come against LSU on Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 1 p.m.
FSU men's basketball regular season schedule
Regular season
- Nov 2 (Mon) 8:30 PM Neutral Florida A&M Tampa, Fla. (Benchmark International Arena) Orion180 Tip-Off Classic -
- Nov 6 (Fri) TBA Home Troy Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Nov 10 (Tue) TBA Home Florida Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Nov 13 (Fri) TBA Home Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Nov 17 (Tue) TBA Home Ball State Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Nov 20 (Fri) TBA Home Green Bay Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Nov 24 (Tue) TBA Home UNC Asheville Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Nov 29 (Sun) 3:00 PM Neutral West Florida Pensacola, Fla. (Pensacola Bay Center) Battle at the Bay -
- Dec 1 (Tue) 7:00 PM Away Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. (Food City Center) ACC/SEC Challenge -
- Dec 5 (Sat) TBA Home Dayton Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Dec 12 (Sat) TBA Neutral Texas A&M Houston, Texas (Toyota Center) Houston Hoopfest -
- Dec 16 (Wed) TBA Home Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Dec 20 (Sun) TBA Neutral Houston Jacksonville, Fla. (VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena) Jacksonville Hoops Showdown -
- Dec 22 (Tue) TBA Home Bethune-Cookman Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Dec 29 (Tue) TBA Home Syracuse Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Jan 6 (Wed) TBA Away Cal Berkeley, Calif. (Haas Pavilion) -
- Jan 9 (Sat) TBA Away Stanford Palo Alto, Calif. (Maples Pavilion) -
- Jan 13 (Wed) TBA Home North Carolina Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Jan 16 (Sat) TBA Away Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. (Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum) -
- Jan 20 (Wed) TBA Home Virginia Tech Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Jan 23 (Sat) TBA Away Clemson Clemson, S.C. (Littlejohn Coliseum) -
- Jan 26 (Tue) TBA Home Notre Dame Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Jan 30 (Sat) TBA Home Pitt Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Feb 3 (Wed) TBA Away NC State Raleigh, N.C. (Lenovo Center) -
- Feb 6 (Sat) TBA Away Miami Coral Gables, Fla. (Watsco Center) -
- Feb 13 (Sat) TBA Home Clemson Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Feb 16 (Tue) TBA Away Duke Durham, N.C. (Cameron Indoor Stadium) -
- Feb 21 (Sun) TBA Home Louisville Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Feb 23 (Tue) TBA Home Georgia Tech Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Feb 27 (Sat) TBA Away Virginia Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena) -
- Mar 3 (Wed) TBA Away Boston College Chestnut Hill, Mass. (Conte Forum) -
- Mar 6 (Sat) TBA Home Miami Tallahassee, Fla. (Donald L. Tucker Center) -
- Mar 9 (Tue) TBA Neutral ACC Tournament Greensboro, N.C. (First Horizon Coliseum)
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Alex Steen returns to FSU men's basketball after court injunction