College basketball has been missing something in recent seasons, says Dick Vitale.
“The Garden has been dead. It’s been dead,” the longtime ESPN analyst repeated for emphasis. “[St. John’s] coach [Norm Roberts] worked really hard and tried to get it done, but it just didn’t happen in terms of fan interest, he didn’t create the enthusiasm and the energy.”
As the 2010-11 season tips off, that’s a job now charged to Vitale’s former ESPN colleague Steve Lavin, who took over as St. John’s head coach after Roberts was fired after five seasons. Lavin already has made in-roads with a successful recruiting season, which has excited the depressed fan base. But they also will want to see results — and soon — for a university that has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2002.
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