Just one St. John’s recruit from the Class of 2011 is on campus, but the Red Storm have added another nationally-televised game to their schedule for 2011-2012.
The Red Storm will be taking on Detroit Mercy on December 5th, the night that the Titans are to honor their former coach, current ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, by naming their court at Calihan Hall after him. The game will air on ESPN2.
“Dick is an icon and legendary hoops ambassador that clearly deserves the continued recognition for his endless contributions to the game of basketball,” said head coach Steve Lavin. “No one has worked harder and dedicated more time than Dick in an effort to elevate the popularity of college basketball.”
St. John’s travels to Detroit just four days after they are scheduled to take on a reloaded Kentucky team at Rupp Arena on December 1st on the ESPN family of networks. That would mean two nationally-televised game in less than a week, a great deal of exposure for one of the youngest teams in Division I basketball history.
“Our matchup against the experienced Titans in a hostile environment will provide our young team with both a challenging and valuable learning experience,” said Lavin.
In addition, the Red Storm will take part in the 2K Sports Classic in November, another high-profile tournament, taking place at Madison Square Garden.
Dick Vitale is entering his 32nd year calling games with ESPN, long enough to have called the first college hoops game on the network, a 90-77 DePaul victory over Wisconsin. Previous to his television work, Vitale coached Detroit Mercy for four seasons, including one NCAA Tournament appearance and an overall winning percentage of .722.
St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin is a former colleague of Vitale at ESPN and the two have worked together with Vitale’s V Foundation, which benefits cancer research. Lavin famously wore white Nike shoes for the majority of the 2010-2011 season, which benefited Coaches vs. Cancer.
[…] taking the bold step to face Kentucky on the road at Rupp Arena on December 1st and taking on the University of Detroit in a game sure to remind fans of last year’s season opener against St. Mary’s, the […]