Dec. 6, 1907
St. John’s plays first varsity game, losing to NYU, 34–13.
Jan. 3, 1908
St. John’s gains first varsity victory, defeating Adelphi, 18–17.
Dec. 10, 1908
Ted Jollon becomes first SJU player to score 20 points, totaling 21 in a 47–20 win over Cathedral.
Dec. 3, 1909
St. John’s defeats St. Stephen’s, 96–5, setting school record for widest margin of victory (91) and fewest points allowed (5).
Feb. 17, 1911
St. John’s concludes 14-0 season with 32–22 win over Rochester and is named National Collegiate Basketball Champion by Helms Athletic Foundation.
Jan. 27, 1917
Only time St. John’s plays twice in one day, losing to Navy in the afternoon and to St. John’s of Maryland in the evening.
Jan. 12, 1922
Vince O’Brien scores 29 of St. John’s 31 points in a 32–31 loss to Fordham. (George Keenan had the other two.)
Jan. 14–17, 1925
Longest road trip, four games in three days. SJU loses to Holy Cross (29–26); defeats Boston University (29–18); defeats Chicopee Falls AC (35–22) and loses to Springfield (27–23).
Dec. 3, 1927
Buck Freeman’s first game as coach. SJU beats CCNY, 26–21.
Dec. 4, 1929
“Wonder Five,†together for the first time, defeats Columbus Council K of C, 32–29, in overtime.
Jan. 19, 1931
St. John’s defeats CCNY, 17–9, in first college game at Madison Square Garden, a special charity game arranged by Mayor Jimmy Walker. CCNY does not score a field goal until the final minute.
Feb. 7, 1931
NYU beats Wonder Five, 27–23, for only loss in 21-1 season and snaps 24-game win streak over two seasons.
Feb. 20, 1931
St. John’s beats Carnegie Tech, 29–18, with game filmed for the first time for news film.
Dec. 31, 1931
St. John’s beats Manhattan, 16–6, in perfect game at Madison Square Garden, as Jaspers fail to score a field goal.
Jan. 27, 1932
First intersectional game on the schedule as St. John’s defeats DePaul, 35–21, at Arcadia Hall.
Dec. 9, 1932
First game in the “new†DeGray Gym. St. John’s defeats St. John’s of Maryland, 34–10.
Dec. 29, 1934
First regularly scheduled double-header at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s loses to Westminster, 37–33, and NYU defeats Notre Dame, 25–18.
Dec. 4, 1936
Joe Lapchick’s first game as coach. St. John’s beats Seton Hall, 48–24.
Feb. 12, 1937
First double overtime game on the St. John’s books. St. John’s defeats St. Joseph’s, 39–38.
Feb. 4, 1938
St. John’s beats West Virginia, 51–50, at DeGray Gym. SJU comes from behind to win on Ralph Dolgoff’s shot at the buzzer. Many old-timers consider this the most exciting St. John’s game of all time.
Feb. 12–14, 1940
The first of the “Walter T. McLaughlin†road trips to the west. St. John’s beats Loyola of Illinois at Chicago, 43–27, and Bradley, 37–35, in double overtime in Peoria.
Mar. 10, 1941
St. Francis students kidnap Chief Blackjack and St. John’s students kidnap St. Francis’ Captain Tony Bragnetz. After an exchange, St. Francis beats St. John’s, 55–41.
Dec. 22, 1942
Old grad “Taps†Gallagher returns to DeGray Gym with his Niagara team and stuns St. John’s, 46–40.
Feb. 8, 1943
Harry Boykoff goes berserk against St. Joseph’s at Madison Square Garden, scoring 45 points. (Boykoff’s 399 points and 16.6 average set St. John’s season records).
Mar. 29, 1943
St. John’s beats Toledo, 48–27, to win the first of its five National Invitation Tournament championships.
Apr. 1, 1943
St. John’s, NIT champ, loses to Wyoming, NCAA champ, in Red Cross benefit game at Madison Square Garden. The score is 52–47 in overtime.
Mar. 24, 1944
St. John’s defeats DePaul, 47–34, to win second consecutive NIT championship. Coach Joe Lapchick faints in second half and SJU takes the lead while he is ill (“I dealt strategy a helluva blow,†commented Lapchick). Bill Kotsores is named MVP.
Mar. 30, 1944
St. John’s plays in Red Cross Benefit, as NIT champ against NCAA winner, Utah. Utah wins 44–36.
Mar. 21, 1945
St. John’s loses to Bowling Green, 57–44, in NIT semifinals, snapping seven-game win streak in postseason play.
Feb. 7, 1946
St. John’s makes first road trip by plane to Boston College and defeats Eagles, 69–44.
Feb. 15, 1947
Harry Boykoff is first SJU player to score 1,000 career points in 46–36 win over Niagara at Buffalo.
Feb. 12–14, 1940
The first of the “Walter T. McLaughlin†road trips to the west. St. John’s beats Loyola of Illinois at Chicago, 43–27, and Bradley, 37–35, in double overtime in Peoria.
Mar. 10, 1941
St. Francis students kidnap Chief Blackjack and St. John’s students kidnap St. Francis’ Captain Tony Bragnetz. After an exchange, St. Francis beats St. John’s, 55–41.
Dec. 22, 1942
Old grad “Taps†Gallagher returns to DeGray Gym with his Niagara team and stuns St. John’s, 46–40.
Feb. 8, 1943
Harry Boykoff goes berserk against St. Joseph’s at Madison Square Garden, scoring 45 points. (Boykoff’s 399 points and 16.6 average set St. John’s season records).
Mar. 29, 1943
St. John’s beats Toledo, 48–27, to win the first of its five National Invitation Tournament championships.
Apr. 1, 1943
St. John’s, NIT champ, loses to Wyoming, NCAA champ, in Red Cross benefit game at Madison Square Garden. The score is 52–47 in overtime.
Mar. 11, 1947
Harry Boykoff scores 54 points and sets MSG scoring record as St. John’s beats St. Francis, 71–52. This record was later broken.
Dec. 17, 1947
Frank McGuire wins first game as coach, as St. John’s beats Iona, 66–46. Larry Jacobson scores 23 points.
Nov. 23, 1948
Al McGuire bows as a St. John’s player. Joins brother Dick as St. John’s beats Fort Monmouth, 93–27.
Nov. 23, 1949
Bob Zawoluk takes first step in becoming the career scoring leader with 1,826 points. Scores 12 points in 56–47 win over Arnold. Zawoluk is currently third on the SJU all-time career scoring list.
Mar. 3, 1950
Bob Zawoluk scores 65 points, the St. John’s all-time single-game record, as St. John’s beats St. Peter’s at DeGray, 105–61. He totals 588 points, marking the first time a St. John’s player goes over 500 points and averages 20 points a game.
Feb. 8, 1951
Zawoluk reaches career 1,000-point mark in 68–61 win over John Carroll at Cleveland Arena. He scored 650 that year.
Mar. 24, 1951
SJU concludes postseason play with a 71–59 win over N.C. State in third-place game of NCAA Eastern Regional. Also finished third in NIT. Team wins 26 games, the most in a season.
Mar. 26, 1952
St. John’s loses to Kansas, 80–63, in NCAA championship game at Seattle. Team also plays in NIT and participates in Olympic trials.
Dec. 5, 1952
In Al DeStefano’s first game as head coach, St. John’s beats Roanoke, 72–55.
Mar. 14, 1953
St. John’s loses to Seton Hall, 58–46, in NIT championship, after upsetting Saint Louis, La Salle and Duquesne.
Dec. 6, 1956
Joe Lapchick returns as coach. St. John’s beats Merchant Marine Academy, 96–48.
Dec. 8, 1956
In last game at DeGray Gym, St. John’s beats Roanoke, 103–65, for a career record at DeGray Gym of 156 wins to only 11 losses (.934 winning percentage).
Dec. 15, 1956
St. John’s defeats Rhode Island at Madison Square Garden, 115–70. Sets all-time team scoring record for one game.
Feb. 28, 1957
St. John’s longest game, a three-overtime, 61–59 loss to Manhattan at the Garden.
Mar. 15, 1958
St. John’s beats Utah, 71–70, in NIT semifinals on national television. Lou Roethel’s shot at the buzzer wins it.
Dec. 29, 1958
St. John’s wins ECAC Holiday Festival with a 90–79 victory over St. Joseph’s.
Feb. 14, 1959
Alan Seiden hits 17-of-21 free throws against Fordham, setting school records for free throws made and attempted for a single game.
Mar. 21, 1959
St. John’s takes third NIT title with double-overtime victory over Bradley, 76–71. Tony Jackson sets school record with 27 rebounds in the game.
Dec. 6, 1961
Alumni Hall opens with the team beating George Washington, 79–65.
Jan. 20, 1962
Paul Silas of Creighton sets opponent rebound record with 24 as St. John’s wins, 72–52.
Dec. 21, 1962
First loss at Alumni Hall, a 65–57 setback to Rhode Island.
Jan. 2, 1965
SJU shocks Michigan, 75–74, to win ECAC Holiday Festival.
Mar. 20, 1965
Joe Lapchick ends his long career with a 55–51 win over Villanova as St. John’s wins its fourth NIT championship. McIntyre brothers, Ken and Bob, and Lloyd “Sonny†Dove score 48 of St. John’s 55 points.
Dec. 4, 1965
Lou Carnesecca’s first game as coach. St. John’s beats Georgetown, 64–62, in Washington, D.C.
Dec. 7, 1965
St. John’s reaches century mark for the first time in Alumni Hall, with a 100–62 win over George Washington.
Dec. 30, 1965
Syracuse beats St. John’s, 113–97, in the Los Angeles Classic, scoring the most points by an opponent against SJU.
Jan. 12 & 19, 1966
SJU avenges Syracuse defeat with 66–65 win over Orangemen in Alumni Hall. A week later, St. John’s beats St. Joseph’s, ranked third nationally, 83–72.
Dec. 27, 1968 – Jan. 4, 1969
St. John’s beats North Carolina, ranked second nationally, 72–70, in ECAC Holiday Festival, then loses in championship game to UCLA and Lew Alcindor, 74–56. SJU meets secondranked Davidson in Charlotte and wins 75–74 on Billy Paultz’s last-second shot.
Dec. 26–30, 1969
St. John’s leaves the continental United States to play in the Hawaii Rainbow Classic. Pete Maravich of LSU scores 53 in 78–70 win over St. John’s.
Feb. 3, 1970
St. John’s defeats Rhode Island at Kingston, R.I., in game called by rain. Game was postponed and continued the following day.
Mar. 2, 1970
Lou Carnesecca wins his 100th game, as St. John’s defeats Boston College, 71–64.
Mar. 21, 1970
Lou Carnesecca leaves St. John’s. In his final game, SJU loses to Marquette in NIT championship.
Dec. 5, 1970
Frank Mulzoff’s first game as coach. SJU defeats American University, 83–75.
Feb. 20, 1971
St. John’s scores 1,000th win with a 74–67 triumph over Temple at Alumni Hall.
Dec. 11, 1971
Mel Davis grabs 26 rebounds, a single-game St. John’s record, in 103–84 win over Seton Hall.
Dec. 18, 1971
St. John’s scores its most points in a loss, falling to Marshall in overtime, 110–107.
Feb. 8, 1972
Mel Davis reaches career 1,000-point mark in 86–75 win over Notre Dame at South Bend. He was the second of five St. John’s players to achieve this in only two seasons.
Mar. 21, 1972
St. John’s ends Oral Roberts’ 26-game winning streak in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
Dec. 26–30, 1972
St. John’s wins third Holiday Festival title, beating Grambling (112–86), Tennessee (56–55), Michigan (84–83) and South Carolina (86–79). Billy Schaeffer, who scores 104 points, is named MVP. He scores 265 field goals during the year and averages 24.7 points per game, both singleseason records.
Nov. 30, 1973
Lou Carnesecca returns. St. John’s beats Jacksonville, 69–64, in Clemson’s IPTAY Tournament.
Dec. 27–30, 1974
St. John’s beats Rhode Island, 78–56, South Carolina, 78–77, in overtime, and Providence, 91–78, to win the Ocean State Classic at Providence. Mel Utley is MVP.
Nov. 28–29, 1975
St. John’s debuts its own Joe Lapchick Memorial Tournament, defeating Colgate and Manhattan to win the title.
Dec. 12–13, 1975
St. John’s defeats Tulsa and Brigham Young to win the Cougar Classic in Provo, Utah. Frank Alagia is MVP.
Mar. 6, 1976
St. John’s is defeated by a 27-0 Rutgers team, ranked third in the nation, 70–67, in the ECAC-Metro Tournament.
Mar. 9–18, 1979
Despite being the last team invited to the NCAA Tournament, St. John’s advances to the East Regional final by defeating Temple, Duke and Rutgers before bowing to Penn, 64–62. With SJU defeating Duke and Penn beating North Carolina, this day will always be remembered as “Black Sunday†in the ACC.
Dec. 1, 1979
St. John’s defeats defending NCAA champ Michigan State, 88–73, to win the Lapchick Tourney.
Dec. 16, 1979
Reggie Carter scores 39 in win over Brigham Young for Alumni Hall record by St. John’s player. (Overall record was 41 by Ernie DiGregorio of Providence, but Malik Sealy currently holds the record with 43.)
Dec. 26–28, 1979
St. John’s beats Lafayette and Boston College for fourth Holiday Festival title. David Russell is named Most Valuable Player.
Jan. 5, 1980
St. John’s defeats Connecticut, 83–73, in its first BIG EAST Conference game.
Feb. 1, 1980
St. John’s wins 17th straight game, 64–63, over Rhode Island at Providence for new modern St. John’s record.
Feb. 3, 1980
St. John’s loses to eventual national champion Louisville, 76–71, in the first-ever televised game at Alumni Hall.
Dec. 29, 1981
SJU captures its fifth ECAC Holiday Festival title with a 94–89 victory over Villanova at Madison Square Garden. Chris Mullin is named MVP.
Nov. 20, 1982
St. John’s defeats Michael Jordan and North Carolina, 78–74, in overtime in the Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Mass. Chris Mullin and Kevin Williams are named Co-MVPs.
Dec. 27 & 29, 1982
SJU wins its sixth ECAC Holiday Festival title with victories over BYU, 75–64, and Wake Forest, 72–65. David Russell is named MVP.
Jan. 20, 1982
David Russell scores 17 points in win over Syracuse, surpassing 1,000 points for his career.
Feb. 15, 1983
Billy Goodwin scores 19 points in a losing cause against Boston College to surpass 1,000-point milestone for his career.
Mar. 5, 1983
Chris Mullin reaches 1,000-point mark in just 58 games. St. John’s defeats Pittsburgh, 91–73. Mullin scores 20 in the game.
Mar. 10–12, 1983
St. John’s captures its first BIG EAST Tournament title with victories over Pittsburgh, 64–53, Villanova, 91–80, and Boston College, 85–77. Chris Mullin is named MVP.
Feb. 11, 1984
Lou Carnesecca becomes SJU’s all-time winningest coach with a 68–62 win over Connecticut. It was Louie’s 335th career victory, surpassing his mentor, Joe Lapchick, who held the record with 334 wins.
Feb. 21, 1984
St. John’s shocks Georgetown, 75–71, at the Capitol Centre. This would be the Hoyas’ last loss of the season en route to their national championship.
Dec. 12, 1984
Chris Mullin surpasses Bob Zawoluk as the all-time leading scorer in SJU history.
Dec. 15, 1984
St. John’s is shocked by Niagara, 62–59. The Purple Eagles were the only team other than Georgetown to beat SJU that year.
Jan. 14, 1985
The famous Lou Carnesecca sweater makes its debut in a St. John’s victory over Pittsburgh at Fitzgerald Field House.
Jan. 23, 1985
Chris Mullin scores his 2,000th career point in an overtime win against Syracuse at the Garden.
Jan. 26, 1985
St. John’s defeats the No. 1-ranked Hoyas, 66–65, to become the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. SJU held the No. 1 ranking until Feb. 27, 1985.
Feb. 23, 1985
SJU defeats Syracuse 88–83 for its 14th straight BIG EAST Conference victory.
Feb. 27, 1985
No. 1-ranked St. John’s loses to the No. 2-ranked Hoyas, 85–69, at Madison Square Garden, snapping a 19-game winning streak and a 14-game conference winning streak.
Mar. 2, 1985
St. John’s defeats Providence, 72–53, ending the conference regular season with a record-breaking 15-1 mark and clinching the regular-season title.
Mar. 24, 1985
St. John’s defeats N.C. State, 69–60, to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1952.
Nov. 22, 1985
St. John’s defeats Navy, 66–58, in the first-ever Preseason NIT game at Hartford, Conn.
Nov. 28, 1986
SJU sets a school record by scoring 126 points against Southern at Alumni Hall. Willie Glass leads the team with 33 points.
Jan. 11, 1986
Walter Berry becomes the second-fastest player in SJU history to reach 1,000 points for his career (Bob Zawoluk was the fastest). Berry scored 26 points in the victory over Georgetown at the Garden.
Feb. 3, 1986
Mark Jackson sets school record with 16 assists against Providence. SJU won the game, 85–61, at Alumni Hall.
Mar. 1, 1986
St. John’s defeats Seton Hall, 82–70, to clinch a tie for the BIG EAST Conference regular-season title.
Mar. 8, 1986
Ron Rowan’s jumper with seconds left and Walter Berry’s block on Syracuse’s “Pearl†Washington’s layup led the team to its second BIG EAST Tournament title with a 70–69 victory over the Orangemen. This marked coach Carnesecca’s 400th career win.
Feb. 14, 1987
St. John’s loses to Providence, 79–78, ending a 30-game Alumni Hall winning streak.
Feb. 21, 1987
One week after snapping a 30-game Alumni Hall winning streak, SJU loses to Kansas at MSG, snapping a 14-game Garden streak.
Dec. 30, 1987
St. John’s defeats eventual national champion Kansas, 70–56, to win its 10th ECAC Holiday Festival.
Mar. 29, 1989
St. John’s defeats Saint Louis, 73–65, to capture the school’s fifth National Invitation Tournament title. Jayson Williams is named Most Valuable Player.
Nov. 22, 1989
Greg “Boo†Harvey hits a foul-line jumper at the buzzer to lead SJU past DePaul, 53–52, and send St. John’s into the final of the Preseason NIT.
Nov. 24, 1989
St. John’s loses to Kansas, 66–57, in the Preseason NIT. SJU becomes the only school ever to reach the finals of the NIT twice in the same year.
Dec. 9, 1989
Robert Werdann blocks seven shots against Hofstra, setting a school record for blocks in a game.
Feb. 6, 1990
Greg “Boo†Harvey scores 40 points and hits a threepointer at the buzzer to seal an overtime victory over Seton Hall, 90–81. This marked the first time an SJU player scored 40 or more in a game since Bill Schaeffer scored 40 against Grambling in 1972.
Nov. 24, 1990
SJU scores a school-best 135 points against Central Connecticut State in the final of the Lapchick Tournament. St. John’s wins the game, 135–92, setting a school record for most points by two teams (227) in a game. Malik Sealy scores 43 points to break Bill Schaeffer’s record for most points by an SJU player at Alumni Hall.
Feb. 2, 1991
Lou Carnesecca wins 500th game as Jason Buchanan scores 26 points to lead the team past Seton Hall, 81–65, at Madison Square Garden.
Jan. 11, 1992
Malik Sealy becomes only the second SJU player to surpass the 2,000-career point mark as SJU defeats Boston College, 85–72, in Alumni Hall.
Jan. 31, 1992
Lou Carnesecca is elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Mar. 2, 1992
St. John’s clinches at least a tie for the BIG EAST title with a 65–49 win over Georgetown at the Garden.
Apr. 13, 1992
Lou Carnesecca retires as head basketball coach with a 526–200 career record.
Apr. 29, 1992
Brian Mahoney is named the 14th head basketball coach in SJU history.
Dec. 1, 1992
Brian Mahoney wins his first game as the head coach as St. John’s defeats St. Francis (N.Y.), 101–68.
Mar. 1, 1993
St. John’s clinches a second-place finish in the BIG EAST with a 90–70 win over Syracuse at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s was chosen to finish ninth in the preseason poll.
Mar. 18, 1993
SJU defeats Texas Tech, 85–67, to give head coach Brian Mahoney his first NCAA Tournament win.
Nov. 18, 1993
St. John’s loses to Towson State in Alumni Hall in the Preseason NIT, snapping a 22-game winning streak and a 62-game winning streak vs. non-conference opponents.
Mar. 11, 1994
St. John’s loses to Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament, marking the first losing season and the first time SJU did not appear in a postseason tournament in 30 years. August 1994 St. John’s changes its nickname to the Red Storm and introduces its new mascot and logo.
Dec. 22, 1994
St. John’s defeats Fordham, 76–65, in Alumni Hall to record the school’s 1,500th victory and become the fourth Division I institution to reach that milestone. North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas are the other three.
Mar. 16, 1995
Felipe Lopez scores 11 points against South Florida in the first round of the NIT to tie Chris Mullin’s freshman scoring record of 498 points. St. John’s loses the contest, 74–67.
Nov. 25, 1995
St. John’s loses to the Cal-Irvine Anteaters, 83–77, in the finals of the Joe Lapchick Memorial Tournament, marking the first loss ever in the Lapchick. St. John’s had won the previous 20 titles and went into the game with a 41-game tournament winning streak.
Dec. 27–29, 1995
St. John’s loses to Iona, 70–57, in the first round of the Chemical Bank ECAC Holiday Festival at the Garden. The loss marked the first time since 1978 that St. John’s did not reach the finals of the tournament. St. John’s defeated Rider in the consolation game, 79–69. Zendon Hamilton was named to the All-Tournament team after posting double-doubles in both contests.
Jan. 13, 1996
Rowan Barrett scores a career-high 32 points to lead St. John’s past Denny Crum’s Louisville Cardinals, 86–64, in a nationally televised game.
Jan. 27, 1996
St. John’s shocks sixth-ranked Georgetown at the Garden, 83–72, in a nationally televised contest. Sophomore Felipe Lopez led the way for the Storm with 25 points.
Mar. 6, 1996
The 1995–96 season ends in the first round of the BIG EAST Conference Tournament with an 80–72 loss to Providence. With the loss, St. John’s finishes with an 11-16 overall record, marking the third-straight year without a winning record and just the fourth since 1962–63.
Apr. 8, 1996
St. John’s embarks on a new era as Fran Fraschilla is named the 15th head basketball coach in the school’s history.
Nov. 30, 1996
St. John’s defeats Hofstra 77–54 at Alumni Hall to give Fran Fraschilla his first victory as the new St. John’s head coach.
Dec. 7, 1996
Both Charles Minlend and Felipe Lopez surpass the 1,000 career point mark in the same game. The Red Storm lose to No. 5 Villanova, 82–70, at Madison Square Garden.
Dec. 26, 1996
Zendon Hamilton becomes the 37th player in St. John’s basketball history to surpass the 1,000 career point mark. Hamilton poured in 18 against Manhattan en route to a 68–61 St. John’s victory.
Dec. 28, 1996
St. John’s wins its 12th ECAC Holiday Festival title with a 67–55 win over Georgia Tech. Charles Minlend is named MVP and Zendon Hamilton is named to the All-Tournament team.
Jan. 8, 1997
St. John’s snaps a 46-game home winning streak by the Connecticut Huskies by defeating them 71–67 in overtime at the Hartford Civic Center.
Feb. 26, 1997
St. John’s sets three new BIG EAST Conference records in rebounding. St. John’s outrebounded Seton Hall 64–33 for a +31 rebounding margin. Both marks are new BIG EAST records. St. John’s also finished the BIG EAST regular season with an overall +8.3 rebounding margin after this game, surpassing the old record of +7.4 set by Pittsburgh in 1986–87. St. John’s wins the game 66–62.
Jan. 19, 1998
The Red Storm stun the eighth-ranked Connecticut Huskies 64–62 at Madison Square Garden to mark their first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since defeating the 6thranked Georgetown Hoyas on Jan. 27, 1996.
Feb. 7, 1998
Felipe Lopez surpasses Bob Zawoluk to become the school’s third all-time leading scorer after posting 17 points against West Virginia. Lopez finished his career with 1,926 points.
Feb. 24, 1998
St. John’s registers its 13th conference victory with a 67–65 win over the 23rd-ranked Syracuse Orangemen at the Carrier Dome. The W marked the most BIG EAST wins for a St. John’s team since 1985–86.
Mar. 13, 1998
The Red Storm returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993. St. John’s loses to Detroit Mercy in the first round, 66–64, at the United Center, Chicago. SJU finishes with a 22–10 overall record. For St. John’s, the appearance marked its 24th time in the NCAAs, which ranks as the seventh- most appearances by any school in NCAA history.
June 11, 1998
Mike Jarvis becomes the 16th head basketball coach in school history.
Nov. 16, 1998
Mike Jarvis records his first win as head coach at St. John’s by dismantling UNC-Asheville, 105–50, in the first round of the Preseason NIT at Alumni Hall.
Jan. 24, 1999
In an epic contest with No. 2-ranked Duke, St. John’s and junior Bootsy Thornton burst onto the national spotlight by taking the Blue Devils to overtime before losing at MSG, 92–88. Thornton poured in 40 points and starred in a game that will long be remembered as “one of the best ever played at Madison Square Garden.â€
Mar. 5, 1999
Mike Jarvis leads St. John’s back to the BIG EAST Championship Game for the first time since 1986, defeating Miami 62–59 in the BIG EAST Semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Mar. 6, 1999
St. John’s loses to Connecticut (the eventual NCAA National Champion) in the title game of the BIG EAST Tournament to finish as runner-up and advance as a No. 3 seed in the South Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
Mar. 13–18, 1999
The Red Storm advances to the Sweet 16 by upending Bobby Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers, 86–61, in Orlando, Fla. SJU goes on to earn a berth in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament by defeating the No. 2-seeded Maryland Terrapins in Knoxville, Tenn., 76–62, setting up a date with Ohio State for the right to advance to the Final Four.
Mar. 20, 1999
Ohio State ends St. John’s dream of a Final Four trip with a thrilling 77–74 loss in the South Regional Final in Knoxville. Lavor Postell is named to the All-South Regional Tournament team, and coach Mike Jarvis ends a storybook 28-9 season with his 14thstraight winning campaign on the Division I collegiate level.
November 23, 1999
St. John’s travels to Stony Brook for the Seawolves’ first-ever Division I men’s basketball contest. Stony Brook director of athletics and former St. John’s associate A.D., Dr. Richard Laskowski, welcomes his alma mater to SBU for the historic night. The Red Storm spoils the party with an 84–43 win as Anthony Glover leads the charge, scoring 22 points.
December 22, 1999
A sellout crowd of 6,008 fans at Alumni Hall gets an early Christmas treat as local New York childhood friends Craig “Speedy†Claxton (Hofstra) and St. John’s Erick Barkley duel in this high-scoring shootout that was won by the Red Storm, 98–86. Claxton netted 36 points and Barkley, hobbled by a knee injury, returned to the lineup and hit key free throws down the stretch for the win. But, without Anthony Glover’s 35 points and his dominance in the paint, St. John’s could have been the victim of a huge upset.
January 16, 2000
The Red Storm comes of age on national television with an upset win over UConn on CBS, as Lavor Postell answers the bell with 23 points and seven rebounds in the 82–77 win. Reggie Jessie also added eight assists in the victory.
February 21, 2000
Head coach Mike Jarvis records his 300th career win in a 79–64 victory over Connecticut at Madison Square Garden. He went on to add another winning season (his 15th straight) to his resume.
February 26, 2000
A raucous crowd welcomed the Red Storm to Cameron Indoor Arena for a battle against then No. 2-ranked Duke in Durham, N.C. Just when we thought the two teams could never duplicate their 1999 contest, a 92–88 thriller at Madison Square Garden won by the Blue Devils, it happened again. Duke took a one-point lead into the final 17 seconds when St. John’s senior forward Bootsy Thornton nailed an 18-foot jumper to give SJU an 82–81 advantage. Game over, right? Wrong. Duke made the Red Storm sweat as Chris Carrawell’s running 10-footer missed and Shane Battier’s errant rebound fell well short as time expired. St. John’s 83, Duke 82. This victory would also be a part of NCAA lore. St. John’s would become the first team in NCAA history to defeat the national champion and runnerup from the previous season (Connecticut) in a seven-day span.
March 10, 2000
Anthony Glover steps to the line with 2.6 seconds remaining in a nail-biter against the University of Miami with the game on the line. And it wasn’t just any game—it was the semifinals of the AT&T BIG EAST Tournament. Glover calmly sank both free throws to give the Red Storm a 58–57 lead, but the game took a sudden twist of fate. Lavor Postell unintentionally fouled Miami freshman Leroy Hurd with 1.1 seconds to play. Hurd, with a sellout crowd rocking the Madison Square Garden rooftop, missed the front end of a 1–1, and St. John’s survived a scare and advanced to the championship game.
March 11, 2000
Erick Barkley returns from a brief “leave of absence†to lead the Red Storm to its first BIG EAST Title in 14 years, as backcourt mate Bootsy Thornton steals the show as “Most Outstanding Player†in an 80–70 triumph over conference rival UConn. The “Beast of the East†moniker returns to New York City as Mike Jarvis’ troops reclaim the crown last held by Hall of Famer Lou Carnesecca’s 1986 squad.
March 12, 2000
Jarvis and his team are rewarded for their stellar play by receiving a No. 2 seed in the West Regional and travel to the University of Arizona for a first-round matchup with Northern Arizona. It was a bittersweet trip, as SJU topped the Lumberjacks but fell to Gonzaga in round two to end their NCAA Tournament run. The Red Storm finished the1999– 2000 season with an impressive 25-8 campaign and won their 1,614th game in the process to secure their place among the Top Five All-Time Winningest Teams (in victories and winning percentage) in NCAA history.
November 9, 2000
St. John’s opens the season in dramatic fashion, upsetting 12th-ranked Kentucky, 62–61, in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden. Freshman guard Omar Cook throws an inbound pass to junior Anthony Glover, who hits a layup and converts the eventual free throw, with five seconds left, giving the Red Storm a one-point lead. St. John’s denied the Wildcats on the game’s final possession and hung on for a thrilling one-point win.
January 30, 2001
On an historic night at Madison Square Garden, it was only fitting that St. John’s and Connecticut waged another classic BIG EAST battle. With legendary St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca having a jersey raised to the rafters of Madison Square Garden, it was also fitting that the Red Storm would prevail, hitting key shots down the stretch, en route to a 60–55 win over the Huskies in front of 16,314 fans. The score was tied at 54–all with under two minutes left when freshman guard Omar Cook fed junior forward Donald Emanuel for a dunk, giving the Red Storm the lead for good.
December 11, 2001
Head coach Mike Jarvis coaches his 500th game and the team responds with a 60-52 win at Niagara. At season’s end the Red Storm would play in their 2,391st game after 95 years of collegiate competition. That is nine games shy of the 2,400 game mark. That feat will be attained this year, ironically versus the same Niagara team at Alumni Hall on January 2, 2003.
January 8, 2002
Anthony Glover becomes the 40th player in St. John’s history to amass 1,000 points in his career. The feat was attained with six-tenths of a second remaining in a 71-60 victory over Miami at Alumni Hall before a sellout crowd of 6,008.
March 15, 2002
St. John’s qualifies for the NCAA postseason tournament for the 27th time in school history which ranks as the seventh-most by a University in NCAA history. The team falls to Wisconsin 80-70 in the first round of the Eastern Regional at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.