QUEENS, N.Y. (Dec. 4, 2015) – Chris Mullin will make his head coaching debut at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Sunday when St. John’s meets St. Francis Brooklyn in the MSG Holiday Festival. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. kicking off a college basketball doubleheader at The Garden that also includes Hofstra and Appalachian State.
A national telecast will air on FS1 with Jason Knapp and Ron Thompson on the call. The broadcast is also available through FOX Sports Go. St. John’s IMG Radio broadcast with John Minko and Vin Parise will air on 970 AM WNYM and through the TuneIn app.
St. John’s (4-3) is making its 49th appearance in the Holiday Festival. As a player, Mullin led St. John’s to three Holiday Festival championships when it was a two-day event and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player in 1981. Now patrolling the sidelines, Mullin looks to lead the Red Storm to the program’s sixth straight Holiday Festival victory.
After playing the past four contests on the road, the Red Storm begins a five-game home stretch on Sunday with St. Francis Brooklyn. St. John’s youthful roster will go for the program’s 1,800th win after coming up short of reaching the milestone on Wednesday at Fordham. Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) matched a career-high with 14 points and Christian Jones (Arlington, Texas) added 11 points, but the Red Storm shot 39.5 percent from the field and couldn’t overcome a 16-point halftime deficit.
St. Francis Brooklyn (3-4), led by former St. John’s assistant Glenn Braica, brings a two-game win streak to Madison Square Garden for the 78th all-time meeting between the programs. The Terriers picked up a pair of road victories at Hartford (Nov. 29) and Lafayette (Dec. 2). Senior guard Tyreek Jewell, one of the top returnees from the 2014-15 squad that advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, is the team’s leading scorer with 11.0 points per game.
St. John’s holds a 73-38 all-time record in the MSG Holiday, having regularly appeared in the event since 1952.
About the Series with St. Francis Brooklyn
· St. John’s owns a 65-12 all-time record against St. Francis Brooklyn.
· St. Francis Brooklyn is currently St. John’s ninth-most frequently played opponent with the Red Storm holding a .844 win percentage in the series.
· The Red Storm has won 32 of the last 33 meetings, including the last six contests dating back to 2005.
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