Villanova Pregame Links

Dwight Hardy grew up dreaming of playing for St. John’s.

Unlike so many local players in recent memory, he envisioned leading the Red Storm back to national prominence.

He wanted to be a part of moments like Saturday’s 60-59 win over No. 4 Pittsburgh at the Garden, when his twisting, twirling floater somehow found its way through the hoop with 1.2 seconds remaining and launched the Red Storm into the Top 25 for the first time in a decade.

But Hardy’s journey toward starring for the Red Storm wasn’t as simple as jumping on the Grand Central Parkway from his neighborhood in The Bronx and heading over to Utopia Parkway in Queens.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/it_took_stops_XLw4b09GTEPfw0B0qmaF6L#ixzz1F58gxoZG

It has been a season of firsts for St. John's senior class and Saturday brings the chance for another. When the 23rd-ranked Red Storm faces No. 15 Villanova in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon, the group can accomplish another thing it has not done: beating the Wildcats.

The Johnnies (18-9, 10-5 Big East) can extend their winning streak to six by topping Villanova (21-7, 9-6) for the first time since 2003. They have lost the last six meetings.

Senior forward Sean Evans said each time the players achieve something new, they go into the locker room afterward and check off an empty box next to the team they defeated. Already the Johnnies have ended a five-game losing streak to Pittsburgh, an 11-gamer to Marquette, a seven-gamer to Duke and a run of 10 straight losses at West Virginia.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2011/02/26/2011-02-26_no_23_st_johns_basketball_can_snap_another_streak_with_a_victory_over_no_15_vill.html

For St. John's coach Steve Lavin, the year was 1981 and the team was the San Francisco 49ers. Lavin was one of thousands of Bay Area high school teenagers pretending to be Dwight Clark, reaching skyward to grab Joe Montana's pass over Everson Walls and propel the 49ers into the Super Bowl.

Team of destiny, those 49ers.

For the St. John's fans who have suffered through eight seasons without postseason play, and the Red Storm players that agonized through the inexplicable losses and joyless practices, this is their season of destiny.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/nova_next_in_sju_season_of_destiny_79KxnPs0CpvQ7nVHO5mKrO#ixzz1F5Aw5WBm

The gameday clip on St. John's...


Reviving The Red Storm - ESPN Video - ESPN