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.
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.