It’s been a question plaguing the St. John’s Red Storm faithful for about a decade now, when will this team finally turn the corner? A team that once upon a time was considered a threat, has recently been regarded as one of the doormats of the Big East Conference.

All that seemingly washed away when the St. John’s hierarchy made an enormous splash hiring Steve Lavin as the 19th head coach in team history. As talks of change began to simmer, Lavin assembled a top-notch staff around him and hit the recruiting trail hard. In the eyes of St. John’s fans just the players that he was talking to and or putting out feelers to were impressive. The morale amongst the fan base for a positive 2010-2011 season was beginning to boil.

While Coach Lavin is still in the process of recruiting players, he is on separate mission to put his stamp on this program early on. As first reported by the New York Post, Lavin would like to use the New York Knicks locker room when the Red Storm play at their second home, Madison Square Garden. But that’s not all, reports say Lavin is also asking for the locker room to be tailored to his team with a red St. John’s carpet, installing players nameplates above the lockers and the use lush chairs. While this might seem like small potatoes to the average Joe, a minor upgrade in amenities might serve as a stepping-stone in the grand scheme of things for this team.

Now while Lavin has said that this little project of his is to take playing at MSG to another level others within the organization feel slightly different. “I don’t think it would do anything but give the team a more professional feel,” said a source close to the team. “Then again it’s not going to help us win games.”

The thing is, in previous years the team has been using an auxiliary locker room, which I have been in and it’s not the prettiest sight you’ll ever see. An upgrade in locker room can mean several things from the player perspective;

• We are no longer second rate, we are in the New York Knicks locker room and that is our name on the floor and our names above the lockers.
• Since this team is being treated to first class service they can once again play like the first class organization they are and were known to be.
• A move like this puts even more faith and confidence into Coach Lavin by his players because they see that he is taking that extra step and is doing something for the team that their previous coach did not. It’s a small thing to a giant, but the implications of the act could reap large rewards.

Well how large can these rewards be you may ask yourself, how about top flight, five star recruits. Not only does Lavin have the track record to get big name players, but a small upgrade like this boosts his sales pitch even more. Let’s say he is in a player’s living room or the recruit is on an official visit, he takes him first to Carnesecca Arena and tells him, “but wait there’s more.” He then drives to the Garden and gives him the grand tour. The last two stops being inside the now St. John’s locker room followed by showing him the infamous hardwood at the Mecca of basketball.

“In previous years, looking back as the [Mike] Jarvis era, St. John’s and MSG weren’t really synonymous with each other,” says college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. “Doing this might help build the home court feel and it might help slightly in recruiting but ultimately it’s about the wins and losses column.” Although Rothstein acknowledges that Lavin has taken the right steps so far during his St. John’s tenure, and this certainly adds to them. “Steve is a very likeable and personable guy, he knows what will resonate with the people,” said Rothstein. “What he said at the introductory press conference about rebuilding and re branding St. John’s, that’s what he needs to continue to keep in mind.”

The way you have to look at this gesture is this; it’s an upgrade that will only help, not hurt this team. Coach Lavin has put his best foot forward and already has been receiving praise from all over the St. John’s and college basketball community. Should this get done the next step is the most important one. Take the positivity that comes with a small win like this, and get the bigger and more meaningful wins on the court.