their program will be improved.. no longer a Big East cellar team, imo.
Steve Lavin Hired to Coach St. Johns, Replacing Norm Roberts
By Mason Levinson
March 30 (Bloomberg) -- Steve Lavin was hired as St. John’s University’s 19th men’s basketball coach, filling the vacancy left by the firing of Norm Roberts 11 days ago.
Terms of the agreement with the 45-year-old Lavin, who coached UCLA from 1996-2003, weren’t disclosed in a news release posted on the school’s Web site.
“Steve brings the skill set and persona that we feel gives us a chance to compete at the highest level in the Big East,” St. John’s Athletic Director Chris Monasch said in a statement.
Lavin had a 145-78 record at UCLA, leading the Bruins to the final eight of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in 1997 and the round of 16 another four times.
He was fired in March 2003, three days after the Bruins finished their season at 10-19, their worst mark in 61 years. He spent the next seven seasons as a college basketball analyst for Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC networks.
“Since coach Lavin was unveiled as a candidate, you could feel the excitement throughout the city,” Monasch said. “St. John’s is poised to recapture its legacy as New York’s college team.”
St. John’s, which is based in the Jamaica section of New York’s Queens borough, won 17 ncaa tournament games under former coach Lou Carnesecca and reached the Final Four in 1985. Roberts failed to produce an NCAA tournament berth in six seasons at St. John’s.
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said March 25 he wouldn’t leave the Yellow Jackets to coach St. John’s because his family didn’t want to move to New York, while Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenberg also pulled out of consideration, signing a contract extension to remain with the Hokies.
The Red Storm returns all five starters next fall from its team that went 17-16 last season.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: March 30, 2010 18:21 EDT
Steve Lavin Hired to Coach St. Johns, Replacing Norm Roberts
By Mason Levinson
March 30 (Bloomberg) -- Steve Lavin was hired as St. John’s University’s 19th men’s basketball coach, filling the vacancy left by the firing of Norm Roberts 11 days ago.
Terms of the agreement with the 45-year-old Lavin, who coached UCLA from 1996-2003, weren’t disclosed in a news release posted on the school’s Web site.
“Steve brings the skill set and persona that we feel gives us a chance to compete at the highest level in the Big East,” St. John’s Athletic Director Chris Monasch said in a statement.
Lavin had a 145-78 record at UCLA, leading the Bruins to the final eight of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in 1997 and the round of 16 another four times.
He was fired in March 2003, three days after the Bruins finished their season at 10-19, their worst mark in 61 years. He spent the next seven seasons as a college basketball analyst for Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC networks.
“Since coach Lavin was unveiled as a candidate, you could feel the excitement throughout the city,” Monasch said. “St. John’s is poised to recapture its legacy as New York’s college team.”
St. John’s, which is based in the Jamaica section of New York’s Queens borough, won 17 ncaa tournament games under former coach Lou Carnesecca and reached the Final Four in 1985. Roberts failed to produce an NCAA tournament berth in six seasons at St. John’s.
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said March 25 he wouldn’t leave the Yellow Jackets to coach St. John’s because his family didn’t want to move to New York, while Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenberg also pulled out of consideration, signing a contract extension to remain with the Hokies.
The Red Storm returns all five starters next fall from its team that went 17-16 last season.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: March 30, 2010 18:21 EDT
