Lavin on being St. John's coach:

Steve Lavin has agreed to become the next basketball coach at St. John’s.

The Daily News is reporting that Lavin agreed Tuesday to a six-year deal worth between $9-9.5 million.

The school will hold a news conference at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to return to the sidelines coaching college basketball at a school like St. John’s that has such tradition and heritage in terms of the history of basketball,” Lavin said. “Then you add the academic dimension, as well as New York City and Madison Square Garden, it’s as good as it gets.

“The veteran, senior-laden team is a real advantage in terms of having the experience of playing in the Big Esat and competing at the highest level,” Lavin said. “I look forward to getting to know each of the players individually, being able to sit down and watch some game film from last year, putting together a staff and starting to have our school sessions in terms of planning for next season.”

Monasch:

“Today is the start of a new era in the venerable history of St. John’s basketball,” Monasch said. “Steve brings the skill set and persona that we feel gives us a chance to compete at the highest level in the Big East. Since Coach Lavin was unveiled as a candidate, you could feel the excitement throughout the city. St. John’s is poised to recapture its legacy as New York’s college team.”

Baron Davis on Lavin as St. John's Coach:

"I wish Coach Lav nothing but the best," former Bruin and current Los Angeles Clipper Baron Davis said. "He's always been so supportive of his former players, and I know he truly cares about anyone that plays for him, both personally and professionally. I can easily say I think his new team will instantly take to his personality and passion for the game. He has had time since he last coached to build his gameplan for his style. I love Coach Lav and St. John's is a great fit for him. I am totally on board to support him and I think its great for college basketball to have him on the sidelines again."

Baron Davis on Lavin as St. John's Coach:

"I wish Coach Lav nothing but the best," former Bruin and current Los Angeles Clipper Baron Davis said. "He's always been so supportive of his former players, and I know he truly cares about anyone that plays for him, both personally and professionally. I can easily say I think his new team will instantly take to his personality and passion for the game. He has had time since he last coached to build his gameplan for his style. I love Coach Lav and St. John's is a great fit for him. I am totally on board to support him and I think its great for college basketball to have him on the sidelines again."

i guess he hired a pr guy, to tell him to stop being a horses ass

He's saying all of the typical things you would expect from a new SJU coach but I think he genuinely believes in what he's saying too. He jumped at the opportunity when it was presented to him and I love his enthusiasm so far.

if u listened on francesa's show lavin didnt just say the typical things u would expect...he said a lot of the things we've heard in the past week but he said everything a fan could want to hear, and he sounded intelligent doing it...and his passion for the job came across very honest and sincere

if u listened on francesa's show lavin didnt just say the typical things u would expect...he said a lot of the things we've heard in the past week but he said everything a fan could want to hear, and he sounded intelligent doing it...and his passion for the job came across very honest and sincere

I actually didn't hear it and I was just talking about his quotes in that article. I didn't mean he was saying typical things in a bad way, just the typical "playing at MSG is great, great tradition" and so on. Not saying that's bad but I also said I thought he truely meant it and wasn't just saying it for the hell of it.


Sounds good. I'll be watching SNY when he's on that for sure.

nah, i didnt mean it sarcastically lol, i really meant if u didnt catch it thats how he sounded

Oh...whoops. Well thanks for telling me about it. A new era has begun!

I listened to the Francesa interview, if anyone has any questions.  It was great to hear how badly he wanted the job and how it worked out for his family so great.  First thing he talked about was getting a "dream team" staff, which excited me because with this momentum he can really bring in some strong guys.  He talked about John Wooden being a mentor, as well as Gene Keaty and now Louie.  Mike asked him about the critics in New York and he had some good comments saying he knew what he was getting into and had been disected and micro analyzed before, so he expects that.