I woudn't go with Orlando Antigua. IF Lavin were to go after this season (which I doubt would happen unless he chose to resign/retire) then I think you give it to a coach thats had a team before that can provide this group with structure and a good work ethic and you try to have success with the returning group and build off of that.
To me, that guy would either be Steve Masiello or Danny Hurley. Ben Howland definitely intrigues me though. The one thing Lavin has done here is raise the profile of the St. John's job and has proven that the way to have success here with the current recruiting landscape is to recruit NATIONALLY to St. John's and not just locally.
My only worry with Masiello/Hurley would be that they would get caught in the trap of focusing mainly on Tri-state area kids, and thats just not the way to have success here IMO. However I think those guys are both highly structured, can coach into a true up-and-down, hardnosed style with this current group and can build off of success in year 1.
That's one of the most appealing reasons to get one of them, mainly Hurley. Not only could he get all of those NJ and NYC stars who go to the power programs but his name holds national cache as well.
There are too many good players in the tri-state for St. John's not to bank on at least a few of them every year. Those kids also bring a hardnosed style of hoops that this program seems to be missing at the moment.
Hurley would get ALL of them?? As in more than 50%?? Uhhhh no. The Metro-area gets so raided by so many schools that no one can really get "all" or more than 50% of them. Of those prospects that JUST want to stay in the area, there are 3 programs that all vie for them (SHU, Rutgers, St Johns). And I really doubt that kids from around the country know who Danny Hurley is. You think elite prospects from Michigan know who he is?? Or Florida?? Or the West Coast?? Hellll no.
You have now seen many coaches fall into the trap of just relying on recruiting the Metro area and fail. Steve Lavin has been successful as a recruiter because he realizes that NYC is a destination for those not from this area.
This is not like the old basketball scene in the 60's, 70's and 80's. You can't just rely on area kids anymore. This is part of the archaic thinking that will put St John's back in a recruiting rut, fighting it out for kids in an already watered-down market.
This is why I think Bruce Pearl really fits the bill. He has remained relevant while being out of coaching by being in television. He was also a ridiculously colorful personality as a coach and showing a kid a clip of Pearl painting his chest for womens basketball games gives him some cool points. Bruce Pearl is much more nationally recognized than Danny Hurley.
Pearl has also dealt with very similar rosters as ours at Tennessee, so I think he would step in and give this returning group an identity pretty quickly.
You're national recognition argument is flawed because not one kid that committed to St John's under Lavin knew that he was the coach at UCLA before he started recruiting them. They were 9, 10, and 11 years old during Lavin's last year at UCLA. And nobody commits to a coach because he uses colorful language on ESPN.
I think you give current high school basketball players too much credit when it comes to knowing who coaches from outside of their area are. Most high school players are in school and playing so much they don't have time to watch games like we do, and when they do watch basketball on TV its NBA games not college. I very much doubt a kid from Texas or California really knows who Bruce Pearl is so I don't think he has that big of an edge over a guy like Hurley.
I know you are a huge Bruce Pearl fan but he has no chance of being the next coach of this program. This administration wants nothing to do with anybody that has had issues with the NCAA in the past. If anybody from ESPN is going to be the next coach here it's Seth Greenberg but I highly doubt that as well.