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First Game Pressure

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“Lavin’s arrival immediately altered the school’s profile, and I think, in a lot of ways, signified to many that St. John’s is finally prepared to enter the game of high-stakes business,” said Tierney.

Steve Lavin has a major, difficult job ahead of him – trying to get the Red Storm to a a level of sustained success in the Big East and nationally. And the first test comes on national television, during ESPN’s 24-hour ESPN College Basketball tip-off Marathon on November 16th. At 2 AM. On the road in a small, well-attended venue in Moraga, California.  Against a St. Mary’s team that made the Sweet Sixteen last year (28-6 overall) with excellent returning guards. And a team from an inferior conference, but with experienced and possibly even talent.

Yeah, there is pressure to win the first game.  It is a chance to show the nation that St. John;’s is relevant again… or show them that the Red Storm continue to be irrelevant.

For comparison, here are the openers for the St. John’s men’s basketball squad for the past ten years:

2000 – Kentucky (home at Garden)
2001 – Stony Brook (home)
2002 – Stony Brook (home)
2003 – Marquette (home at Garden)
2004 – Wagner (home)
2005 – Maryland – Eastern Shore (home)
2006 – North Florida (home)
2007 – St. Francis (home)
2008 – Long Island U (home)
2009 – Long Island U (home)

Besides the loss to Marquette and the win over Kentucky, that is quite a list of cupcake opponents – the kind of teams brought in for a secure win, not to challenge a team. This will no doubt be the toughest test for the Red Storm to kick off a season in 10 years, but coach Lavin thinks this is a good thing.

Steve Lavin will be back roaming the sidelines for the first time since 2003 after taking a 7 year hiatus from coaching. (Icon SMI)

“Opening our season at St. Mary’s in a nationally-televised matchup on ESPN is an outstanding early-season test to gauge where we are as a team,” said Lavin in a statement. “A contest like this will pay great dividends in preparing our team for the rigors of the BIG EAST.”

This is more than just a “measuring stick” for the Red Storm. This is the closest they will get to playing a battle-tested NCAA talent for over two months.

We can use the clichés like “it’s only one game on a long schedule.” But a win is what matters in college basketball. A victory over the Gaels instantly puts the team on the right track for a turn around. The media will go crazy over this caliber of win, and it will give Lavin a steady leg to stand on. It is his jumping off point, his base for success, and his message to everyone that the Red Storm are back and they are for real.

On the other side of the spectrum, a loss raises concerns from all angles and the questions will begin to fly. Is this St. John’s team ready to play and compete with the likes of St. Mary’s and other NCAA tourney tested teams? Has anything changed from last year with the Lavin hiring? These questions will be fired at Lavin in the post game press conference, but that comes with the territory.

But under the radar is the opponent and the venue. The McKeon Pavilion is beyond a home field advantage for the Gaels, it’s almost unfair. Over the last three years the Gaels have lost an astounding FOUR games at home, while racking up 47 wins in that time frame. Lets not forget how small the Pavilion is, capacity is 3500, almost twice as small as Carnesecca Arena. That means its going to be rocking with loud, boisterous Gael faithful to the point where it will feel like they are sitting on the Jonnies shoulders at the free throw line. And it’s one of the few times the school will be on national television.

If St. John’s goes on the road and wins that first game against a team with one of the best back-courts in the country featuring Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell it could, like Lavin said pay great dividends.

“Of course it would be nice to deposit an early season win and ride the wave of positive coverage into the season,” said 1050 ESPN Radio host and Red Storm Report’s Brandon Tierney. “But to react to a single game is missing the ultimate point, in my opinion” While Tierney is not putting major stock into the first game against the Gaels he does think the Red Storm are finally ready to turn that corner and compete with the major players of college basketball such as the St. Mary’s Gaels.

“The school tried to walk an impossible line of playing and competing in a monster conference, in a highly sophisticated city with astute, and passionate fans, but they weren’t able or willing to cut the checks to back it up, and it killed the program,” said Tierney.  “The University has finally turned the page, and entered the ‘new’ world of college athletics. And I guarantee, it will serve them very well moving forward.”

Steve Lavin is used to the spotlight. He is ready for the challenge and it begins with the Gaels.

St. John’s To Open At Saint Mary’s As Part Of 24-Hour ESPN Marathon

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QUEENS, N.Y. (Aug. 16, 2010) – St. John’s new head coach Steve Lavin is giving fans a reason to wake up in the early morning hours on Nov. 16 – his Red Storm coaching debut on national television.

St. John's head coach Steve Lavin will make his Red Storm sideline debut on ESPN, as his new squad visits 2010 NCAA Sweet 16 participant Saint Mary's on Tuesday, Nov. 16. Image courtesy of Redstormsports.com
ESPN revealed the schedule for its third annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon for Tuesday, Nov. 16, and Lavin’s new squad is a part of it. St. John’s will take on 2010 NCAA Tournament participant Saint Mary’s (Calif.) at the Gaels’ home in Moraga, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 2 a.m. E.T. The matchup is the second game slated as part of the 12 live college basketball games in 24 consecutive hours on ESPN. With four participating teams, the BIG EAST is the most-represented conference in the marathon.

“Opening our season at St. Mary’s in a nationally-televised matchup on ESPN is an outstanding early-season test to gauge where we are as a team,“ said Lavin. “The Gaels return four starters from a team that went to the Sweet 16, and McKeon Pavilion is a hostile environment for opponents. A contest like this will pay great dividends in preparing our team for the rigors of the BIG EAST.”

“The Worldwide Leader in Sports” is palpably excited about Lavin’s return to the coaching ranks. Breaking down the slate for its second-straight season featuring a 24-hour marathon, ESPN said it its news release:

“The schedule will include three teams from last year’s men’s NCAA Tournament Final Four (defending national champion Duke, Butler and Michigan State), defending women’s NCAA National Champion Connecticut, the first game at Louisville’s new arena and the debut of new St. John’s coach Steve Lavin.”

In addition to the season-opener against the Gaels, who finished 28-6 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 last March, the Red Storm will be joining Arizona State, Ball State, Drake, Houston Baptist, Southern Utah and Weber State in the 2010 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout from Nov. 24-27.

St. John’s plays a host of marquee home matchups against conference opponents in 2010-11. Syracuse, Connecticut, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Rutgers, USF and DePaul all travel to New York City for matchups on one of St. John’s home courts, either at the newly-renovated Carnesecca Arena, or on the grand stage at Madison Square Garden, “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” The Red Storm will hit the road to face Villanova, Louisville, Marquette, West Virginia, Providence and Seton Hall in addition to Georgetown, Notre Dame and Cincinnati.

The complete St. John’s men’s basketball schedule, with non-conference opponents, dates, times and television information, will be released with the rest of the BIG EAST conference basketball schedules at a later date this fall. The complete non-conference schedule will be released later in the summer.

Fans can be a part of the 2010-11 St. John’s hardwood campaign – the first under the direction of new head coach Lavin – by visiting Redstormsports.com or by clicking Here to order men’s basketball season tickets.

They’ll Be Lovin’ Lavin A Long Time

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When St. John’s athletic director Chris Monasch made the decision to hire former UCLA coach Steve Lavin as the Red Storm’s newest leader this past March, there was more to the decision than just finding a marquee name to replace Norm Roberts, who had guided the Johnnies through six years marked by returning the integrity to a once-elite basketball program.

Lavin put Monasch’s vision on full display at his introductory press conference, and one could surmise that St. John’s had someone that wanted to be there and knew how to succeed in charge of the Red Storm program; a feeling that had been lacking on the corner of Union and Utopia since the 1990s, a decade that started under the great Lou Carnesecca and ended with Mike Jarvis guiding the Johnnies into the Elite Eight in 1999.

Steve Lavin was all smiles after being introduced as St. John's newest head coach. (Photo courtesy of redstormsports.com)
So what exactly does Lavin bring to the bench and the press room?  Well, experience is definitely one of his best qualities.  Not just experience in a major commercial market, but also experience at the helm of one of the most-respected college basketball programs in the nation.  Upon taking over for Jim Harrick one year removed from UCLA’s most recent national championship in 1995, Lavin led the Bruins to six NCAA Tournaments during his tenure, reaching the Sweet 16 in all but one of those appearances.

Lavin also managed to recruit NBA-caliber players, some of whom are still playing professionally.  Players like the Clippers’ Baron Davis (who was recently on the St. John’s campus) and the Rockets’ Trevor Ariza both starred under Lavin at Westwood before trying their hands at the next level.  Moreover, Lavin’s experience belies his tender age of 45 (he will turn 46 on September 4th). He was just 32 when he inherited a UCLA program rooted in success going back to their near-two-decade run as the best in the land under the great John Wooden.

Lavin also brings the ability to see the game from multiple angles, acquired from his seven-year stint as a color commentator and studio analyst for ESPN and ABC.  Lavin’s pairing with Brent Musburger allowed him to break down the game astutely while explaining its nuances in a simple fashion for his audience.  This particular view of the action (one I can personally relate to being a play-by-play announcer) should help Lavin and his players immensely as they battle in the Big East in 2010-11 campaign.

Lavin’s recruiting ability is another strength. St. John’s fans caught a glimpse of it earlier than expected when he was able to swoop in and sign Dwayne Polee of Westchester High School in Los Angeles.  The Johnnies are also in the running for fellow West Coast prospect Remi Barry, who has St. John’s firmly entrenched in his top three.

Lavin’s recruiting style can be described as sometimes unorthodox.  A source close to the UCLA program  told a great story of Lavin’s aggressive recruiting of Aaron Brooks, who now plays for the Houston Rockets.  Lavin made it a point to tell Brooks he was only coming to see him play, and it was something the coach publicly emphasized; riding an exercise bike before Brooks’ game while one of his assistant coaches sat in the stands.

Brooks ultimately signed with Oregon, but this unusual pitch did not diminish Lavin’s penchant to find creative ways to sell players on what he and his program had to offer.  He has managed to remain the center of attention regardless of where he is, and this desire to be in the limelight will only help St. John’s grow as a program and a brand in the college basketball world dominated by media, perception, and advertising.

Finally, Lavin brings one thing that anyone associated with St. John’s basketball has been clamoring for since Jarvis was dismissed.  Everyone – from the administration, to the staff, to men’s basketball SID Mark Fratto, to the media, and most importantly the fans – have been hoping for St. John’s to succeed once again and return to a spot among the nation’s elite.  Despite not having coached a game in any arena the Johnnies may play in over the next few years, Steve Lavin has already brought hope back to a program that has been craving it for some time.  That has helped him become the biggest thing to happen to St. John’s since Lou Carnesecca returned from his brief stint with the New York Nets in the old ABA.

With a team that returns all but two of its players from a season ago, including nine seniors, the next stop on the road to success may very well be the NCAA Tournament.  If Lavin is able to get there, he will almost certainly be deified by Red Storm fans.

They say hope springs eternal, and the vision to return to the promised land is probably the greatest asset that Steve Lavin brings with him to St. John’s.  The “Lovin’ Lavin” headlines that have been created throughout the New York metropolitan area over the past several weeks should have a long and prosperous shelf life as St. John’s continues to drive the long and winding highway back to redemption.

Jaden Daly is currently a freelance broadcaster and the former play-by-play voice of St. John’s basketball on WSJU Radio from 2007-2009. You can also find Daly on his own blog A Daly Dose of Hoops and Twitter at, @JadenDaly.

Welcome to New York City

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The word is official. Steve Lavin is the next coach of St. John’s University Men’s Basketball team. Lavin has been all over the city today talking to each and every media outlet. Here’s everything in recap for you to enjoy in case you missed a New York minute.

-Steve Lavin on the Mike Francessa Show WFAN 660- Listen

-Steve Lavin on the Michael Kay Show 1050 ESPN Radio- Listen

-Lavin appears on SNY- Watch

Steve Lavin Named St. John’s 19th Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Press Release, RedStormSports.com

QUEENS, N.Y. – Red Storm Director of Athletics Chris Monasch announced on Tuesday that Steve Lavin – whose seven-year coaching record at UCLA included six NCAA Tournament appearances, five trips to the NCAA Round of 16, and six seasons of 21 wins or more – will be the 19th head men’s basketball coach in St. John’s University’s 102-plus years of storied tradition on the hardwood.

Lavin Agrees to become coach at St. John’s, Jim O’Connell, AP

“This was an extended sabbatical that allowed me to stay close to the game, a little more distant to see things with more clarity and when you come back to the game you bring all that with you to enhance your ability to coach and run a successful program.”

“That’s my No. 1 priority,” he said. “I want assistants who are strong in the Northeast with recruiting ties and I want to look for people who have had experience as a head coach.”


Steve Lavin Hired to Coach St. Johns, Replacing Norm Roberts, Mason Levinson, Bloomberg

“Steve brings the skill set and persona that we feel gives us a chance to compete at the highest level in the Big East,” St. John’s Athletic Director Chris Monasch said in a statement.

“Since coach Lavin was unveiled as a candidate, you could feel the excitement throughout the city,” Monasch said. “St. John’s is poised to recapture its legacy as New York’s college team.”

St. John’s gives former UCLA coach Steve Lavin six-year deal to take over Red Storm hoops program, Roger Rubin and Sean Brennan, NY Daily News

“St. John’s truly is a sleeping giant, I’ve been telling my friends that,” Lavin told The News. “There is so much potential there with the Garden and the Big East and the tremendous amount of talent and tradition. If New York is behind St. John’s, it could be a beautiful thing.”

Lavin to become next coach of St. John’s, Adam Zagoria, SNY

“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, 45, said in a statement. “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 East 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.”

“Over my 23 years as a basketball coach and a broadcaster at the highest level, I’ve got ties in the East Coast from AAU coaches to high school coaches to current college coaches,” Lavin said.

“There’s a number of guys I’d like to talk to, that I know I have relationships with and have already been exchanging emails and phone calls and texts and we’re going to draw from a very talented pool of assistant coaches. I also want some people to have some great international ties because I think with a place like New York City you can attract people internationally.”

Steve Lavin is Your New St. John’s Head Coach, Josh Alper, NBC

There were those who thought St. John’s embarked on a fool’s errand when they tried to get a good coach with a big name to replace Norm Roberts and lift the flagging program back to the upper reaches of the Big East.
The school proved those nattering nabobs of negativism at least halfway wrong on Tuesday when they came to terms with Steve Lavin on a six-year contract to return to the sideline. Lavin has been in millions of living rooms as an ESPN analyst over the last few years and coached UCLA, not exactly a lightweight, for seven years before heading to the broadcast booth. He’s got the name that the school was looking for, now he’s just got to prove that he’s a good coach as well.

Hot Lavin Erupting Red

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St. John’s fans want a new “homerun” coach in a New York minute. The latest and greatest name to emerge from the list of potential candidates is former UCLA coach and current ESPN analyst, Steve Lavin.

Most of you reading this site should already be pretty informed on who Lavin is but for those of you who aren’t here is a little background on the 45 year old.

Steve Lavin has quickly emerged as the leading candidate for the St. John's head coaching vacancy.
Lavin started his career as an assistant for Purdue under the tutelage of legendary coach Gene Keady. After three seasons on the Boilermakers staff he took an offer to work under Jim Harrick at UCLA. After five seasons as an assistant he was promoted to interim head coach and eventually permanent replacement to become UCLA’s 11th coach in the school’s history.

In his five years as a head coach for the Bruins he led them 145-78 record, 6 NCAA Tournament appearances, and advancing to the Sweet 16 or beyond five of those seven years.

However things came to an abrupt ending for Lavin as Bruin fans still hold animosity for their first losing season since the invention of the wheel.

“Steve Lavin would be a huge get for St. John’s,” a source affiliated with the Pac-10 told JohnnyJungle.com. “He would drive Lute Olsen crazy because he was the one guy who could go into someone’s living room and out recruit Lute in his hay day.”

Lavin sure sounds like Superman however everyone has their kryptonite. For Lavin it was his player development and overall knowledge of the X’s and O’s.

The most famous shot at Lavin was by former Bruin and current NBA player Baron Davis who told the LA Daily News, “We should have a banner up there: the only team to make the tournament without a coach.”

Its looks like Lavin has matured in his 7 years after his departure from the Bruins. He’s been a respectable analyst for ESPN, a keynote speaker at many camps and clinics, and is already rumored to be assembling an all-star coaching staff to surround him at St. John’s. Names like former UVA coach Dave Leitao, current Manhattan Coach Barry Rohrssen, Fordham Coach Jared Grasso, and the latest name to be added to the list is Jay Williams who works with Lavin at ESPN.

Lavin has stayed local on the east coast in preparation for his interview with AD Chris Monasch according to everyone in the NY media who exclusively reported it first.