St. John's Gets Verbal Agreement From Top Forward Ricardo Gathers

St. John's head coach Steve Lavin hasn't let up in his quest to become the best college basketball recruiter in the nation.  Yesterday, Ricardo Gathers of Reserve, La., who was named 2011 Louisiana Mr. Basketball, gave a verbal commitment to play for the Red Storm.

Gathers, a 6-foot-7, 240 pound power forward whom his AAU coach, Scooter Owens,  called a cross between Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, chose the Red Storm over LSU, Baylor, Oregon, Kansas, Syracuse, California and Connecticut.

According to Rivals.com, the man-child Gathers is the 43rd top-rated player in his class and the 11th rated power forward.

The four-star recruit led his team, the Rebels, to their second straight Class A State Championship and has numerous videos on YouTube highlighting his thunderous slams.  Gathers has been called the most powerful dunker in high school.

Gathers is a man among boys.  He averaged 20.7 points, 16.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocked shots last season.

Lavin scored a big-time coup in getting the agreement from the highly-recruited Gathers.  The St. John's head coach, who is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer,  had the third-ranked recruiting class for the upcoming season.  Gathers is another major coup for Lavin in only his second year in New York.

"I picked St. John's because of the coaching staff," said Gathers. "I liked the way coach Lavin communicated with me throughout the process."

The senior broke a lot of hearts when he didn't pick local school LSU.

"I can't wait to play in New York," said Gathers.  "Watching the movie 'He Got Game' got me really excited about playing there."

Maybe Lavin should send videos of the Spike Lee to all future recruits.

Polee To Leave St. John's; 2011-12 Team Has No Returning Starters

The youngest men's basketball team in St. John's University's history just got a little more youthful after sophomore forward Dwayne Polee II, the only returning starter from last year's NCAA Tournament team, decided to return to Los Angeles to be closer to his family.

This is the first stumbling block for Steve Lavin's Red Storm after a wild ride into the NCAA's and  completing the most highly-touted incoming class in the school's history.  It also takes away the team's most experienced player.

Family health issues are the reason for Polee's proposed transfer and apparently involve his mother.   Polee released a statement which read," Right now I feel it is best to be close to my family and help us get through a health issue."

 Polee, the 2010 Los Angeles High School Player of the Year, did not specify the illness or the seriousness of it.

No one could be more understanding about family illnesses than Lavin.  His father battled prostate cancer two decades ago and the head coach himself is currently going through a radical treatment to beat the same disease Lavin himself was diagnosed with at the beginning of last season.  He withheld his illness from the public until the season was over.

"Dwayne is an outstanding individual with a bright future," said Lavin.  "He has been a valued member of our basketball family.  He leaves St. John's University in good standing and we wish him well."

The loss of Polee, who started 27 0f 33 games last season,  leaves St. John's with one returning player, reserve-guard Malik Stith, and a lot of heralded, but green, college freshmen.

Lavin has his work cut out for 2011-12.  He brings in a nine-man recruiting class which is the #2 rated group by Rivals.com.  The head coach was counting on Polee to be the veteran leader and guiding force to one of the youngest men's NCAA basketball squads in over 100 years.  The transition of going from an experienced Big East team to a group of highly anticipated newbies just got harder without the stability of a Polee on the court.

The 6-foot-7 Polee could play next season if the NCAA regards his situation a hardship transfer.  If Polee doesn't sit out next year, he could possibly be going to San Diego State, UCLA or UC-Santa Barbara.  Polee originally planned on attending USC before their head coach Tim Floyd was replaced.

St. John's To Face Kentucky in Big East/SEC Challenge

Two of the winning est college basketball programs will hook-up next season when St. John's faces Kentucky in the Big East/SEC Challenge.  The game will be played at Rupp Arena in early December.

The Big East/SEC Challenge, which was expanded last year, will pit the Red Storm-- with the nation's #2 rated recruiting class--against a tournament-tested Wildcats squad which lost 56-55 to Connecticut in the 2011 Final Four semi-finals.

Both schools have two of the most storied programs in college basketball history.  Kentucky is the all-time NCAA men's basketball wins leader with 2052 victories and a .760 winning percentage, while St. John's is #7 on the list with 1724 wins and a .658 percentage.

Next season, St. John's will field it's youngest team in 104 years and one of the youngest in NCAA history.  Nine freshmen will be on the roster of the 2011-12 team after four senior starters from last year's team completed their eligibility.

Last year, the senior-heavy Johnnies compiled a 21-12 record and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. 

Head coach Steve Lavin, who is battling prostate cancer, hasn't let the disease hinder his piling up of top players.  Yesterday it was announced that Arizona guard Lamont "MoMo" Jones will transfer to St. John's and could be eligible to play next season under NCAA hardship rules.

MoMo, the  Harlem product, will join the rest of the highly-touted Red Storm class including God's Gift Achiuwa, Sir' Dominic Pointer and Nurideen Lindsay--and all will be potential nominees for the 2012 All-Name team.

Kentucky will be without Brandon Knight, their star guard, who opted for the NBA.  The Wildcats will be led by Queens, NY guard Doran Lamb and a squad of experienced players.

Lavin vs. John Calipari, call it the Big East/SEC Hair Gel Challenge.

Steve Lavin Announces New Strategy to Beat Cancer at Yankee Stadium

St. John's basketball head coach Steve Lavin, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last fall and kept it a secret during the Red Storm's surprising run to the NCAA Tournament last season, has found a new approach to beat the Big C without surgery or radiation treatment.

Lavin told reporters attending a "Coaches vs. Cancer" pre-game ceremony at Yankee Stadium last night that the new, less traditional, treatment is called active surveillance and consists of tracking the size and growth of the cancer.

The Red Storm coach might be one of the first public figures to use the radically new technique to battle prostate cancer.



Last night, the 46 year-old Lavin spoke for the first time in public about his treatment options since April, when he first announced that he had the disease.

Lavin said doctors will closely monitor his PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels and Gleason Grading System, which measures the the size of the growth. If both levels remain low, more invasive treatment, like surgery and radiation, can be avoided.

"I just learned about it [the treatment] on Monday," said Lavin. "In addition to the precise monitoring and regular checkups, it's implementing a plan of exercise, healthier eating--lots of broccoli--weight loss."

It's been quite a year as new head coach for St. John's. Lavin, who returned to coaching after a seven year absence, led the Red Storm to it's first NCAA bid in nine years and just finished a filling out top-rated recruiting class for 2011.

Lavin kept his diagnosis of cancer a secret throughout the season after doctors told the coach he could delay his choice of treatment. Lavin called it "an informative and instructive experience."

"The doctors I was working with were confident if I wanted to tackle this in the spring or summer, there wouldn't be any risk or danger to my health," said Lavin.

Lavin, who spoke with urologists in New York and California before meeting with a radiologist on Monday, also contacted his friends Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker for their input. Both men have already beat cancer themselves. Boeheim was coaching eight days after his surgery.

The coach has noticeably slimmed down since the end of the basketball season and attributes it to walking and yoga.

When asked about his re action to being told he had prostate cancer, Lavin replied, "Initially it's disbelief, then it's curiosity in terms of what's next, now what."

Lavin remains optimistic and is inspired by the fact that his father fought the same battle nearly two decades ago.

"Having a team of great doctors naturally helps, and having a father who had prostate cancer at 61 years old and is now 80 helps somewhat," said Lavin.

Lavin hopes his public profile can throw some light on the misconceptions and significant advancements in cancer treatments. On the field at Yankee Stadium last night, Lavin's message beamed like one stadium's brightest floods overhead.

"This is special on a number of fronts," said Lavin "A group of people that share the passion for fighting the good fight and being the champion of a great cause, which is find a cure for cancer."

God's Gift Answers St. John's Prayers

St. John's basketball coach Steve Lavin announced today that God's Gift Achiuwa signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Red Storm in 2011-12.  The bruising post-player chose the Johnnies over Cincinnati and Washington.

This is the second big acquisition by Lavin during the spring signing period.  Last week Phil Greene, a sought-after guard from Chicago, signed with St. John's too.

The 6 foot-nine, 240 pound Achiuwa is a 2011 JUCO First Team All-American from Erie Community College.  He led the team to a 28-4 record and averaged 22.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.  He also shot 56% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the three-point line.

Besides having to live up to one of the great names in college basketball, Achiuwa will be playing under the New York media's spotlight.   Just picture the tabloid's back page headlines. The Nigerian minister's son seems ready for the attention.

"I am excited to come to St. John's and New York City," he said.  "They are a running team and that's what I like, fast paced basketball."

Achiuwa joins eight other top-rated recruits who have already signed with the Red Storm for 2011-12.  Standing out on St. John's No. 2 rated recruiting class (by ESPN and Rivals.com) may not be easy but, the Nigerian may be the most imposing body on a team that is already fast and big.

Lavin thinks heaven is the limit for his new signee.  "He's an ideal fit for our baseline-to-baseline attacking style of play," the head coach said.

Lavin, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer, continues to show no sign of letting it slow him down.  He inherited ten seniors in his first season as head coach of St. John's last year and lead the team to a 21-12 record and it's first NCAA tournament in nine years. The 2011-12 team will be Lavin's own team and it looks like it's ready for the rough-and-tumble Big East.

You might think the Red Storm have completed their stockpile of blue-chippers for next year but, the scary thing is, they still have two scholarship places left on the roster.

Steve Lavin Signs Chicago Prize; Could God's Gift Be Next?

The St. John's basketball team continues to pile up key recruits and, yesterday, acquired an important cog in next year's squad by signing guard Phil Greene of Chicago.  Head coach Steve Lavin will now focus on  going after 6-foot-8 power forward/center God's Gift Achiuwa from Erie Community College and Jamari Traylor, another big man from Chicago.

Greene joins eight other blue-chip players who have signed a letter-of-intent with the Red Storm in 2011-12.   There are three remaining scholarships left on the roster.

Greene is a vital pick-up for St. John's; who are loaded with front-line players.  The 6-foot-2 guard, who is enrolled at IMG Academy in Florida, would play an important role in bolstering the team's backcourt.  His IMG teammate, 6-foot-8 Traylor is a bulky post player.  Traylor and Achiuwa would give the Red Storm one of the most fearsome front-lines in the physical Big East Conference.

Lavin continues to collect great players in his first wave of recruiting.  His class of 2011-12 already boasts six freshmen ranked in the top-100 by most recruiting services.  St. John's recruiting class is currently ranked the # 2 by rivals.com and ESPN.

Yesterday, St. John's lost a key recruit when forward Dwight Meikle from Long Island was granted his release.  The previous signing of three other forwards would have probably meant fewer minutes to Meikle anyway.

Achiuwa will visit St. John's this weekend.  The Nigerian minister's son has already visited Cincinnati and Washington.  Kentucky is also interested.  Achiuwa could be a huge difference maker to whichever team lands the big man.

Lavin, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer before last season, doesn't seem to be slowing down. He secretly battled the disease throughout last season when he lead the Red Storm to a 21-12 record and it's first NCAA Tournament spot in nine years.

St. John's Brings Great Names To Next Year's Roster

The St. John's Red Storm finished a magical season on a bum note by losing their best all-round player followed by a first round thumping by Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.  This meant the Storm lost three of their last five games including the tarnished win against Rutgers.  Now head coach Steve Lavin bids farewell to his ten inherited seniors and says hello to a crop of freshmen considered the best recruiting class in St. John's history.

Names like Paris, Hardy, D.J. and a couple of Justins will forever be linked to the little basketball team which arguably ran off one of the most amazing and unexpected win streaks in a St. John's season.  For five weeks, the Johnnies beat six ranked teams and, more importantly, brought respectability and pride back to the program.

Lavin's 2010-11 basketball team, a group of unknown role players, has now set the bar pretty high for the even more highly-regarded incoming class.

In his first full recruiting class, Lavin has acquired the youngest group of players in the country and the youngest in the school's history.  Some of these names will probably be on NBA draft rosters in three or four years, but for now, they belong to Lavin.

The incoming talent does include one of the greatest rosters of first names in college basketball.  If next season's St. John's team is not filled with All-Americans, it will definitely make the All-Name team.

There's Nurideen, Jakarr and Norvel.  There names are as colorful as their game.  Nurideen Lindsay, the highly recruited JUCO transfer joins forward Jakarr Sampson from Akron and Norvel Pelle from California.

If that isn't enough, one of the new recruits sounds like he has little royal blood.  Sir'Dominic Pointer, the 6'6' G/F from Detroit, will join a team that is already recruiting God's Gift Achiuwa of Erie CC by way of Lagos, Nigeria.  The Vincentian fathers at St. John's might say that Achiuwa's moniker is fitting, only if 6' 9" player comes to the Queens campus.

There will be no seniors on next year's team.  The Red Storm will cornerstone next year's team with it's two returning sophomores, Dwayne Polee II and Malik Stith after the ten upperclassmen from this year's squad graduate.  It will be an inexperienced team with enough blue-chip talent to overcome a single injury.  Something this year's squad couldn't after D.J. Kennedy went down. 

"This group coming in, because it's one of the top classes in the country, has a high degree of expectation to play in the NBA," said Lavin.  "You aspire to play at the highest level of basketball, but all those hopes and dreams can only come true being on a team that accomplishes things in terms of winning  big."

Lavin hopes to build on this year's success.   The Red Storm (21-12) finished with it's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002, being ranked as high as No.15 and a storybook legacy for future teams to follow.

The incoming players, with NBA contracts on their mind, will probably learn the hard way about life in the Big East.  The eight players will have to find out for themselves that they are not the only stars on the team and, to survive in the Big East, a different name must step up every game.

"You can't worry about who has what or how many point you have or how many assists you have, " said Polee.  "You just have to give yourself to the team and do whatever it takes to win."

Even before this season, Lavin captured the hearts and imaginations of St. John's fans with the six top-100 prospects who committed to the Red Storm last fall.  The expectations for his current team were only minimal and a bridge to bigger and better days in St. John's future.

This year's squad of no-names were only supposed to hold down the fort until the blue-chippers and tournament victories arrived next year and beyond, but something happened along the way.  The team began winning big games and the excited fans grew fond of this gritty bunch.  It was the first time, in a long while,  the school could proudly shout "We Are St. John's!"

 The names of D.J. Kennedy, Dwight Hardy, Justin Burrell and all the other contributors to the success of the 2011-12 Red Storm team will be reverberating around the campus until the big-name recruits arrive.  The newbies have a tough act to follow.

The outgoing seniors did a lot of the dirty work and brought respectability back to St. John's.  Now, Lavin and the new recruits will have to carry the load.

There are a lot of big expectations for next year.  It might take some time for Sir' Dominic Pointer and the others to make a name for themselves.

Trip to Denver Just Another Traveling Call For St. John's

When you mention 'traveling' to St. John's players, they aren't reminded about Justin Brownlee's well publicized walk with 1.7 seconds left against Rutgers in the Big East tournament.  More than likely, they are thinking about being up in the air--flying.  They've been doing all season.  Now, for the first time in nine years, the Red Storm are soaring in the rarefied air of the NCAA Tournament.

The Red Storm haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2002.  Now, they are the most experienced team unit in the field of 68 and are flying high without the benefit of any wings.

The 2,000 mile flight to Denver should prove nothing more than a relatively short commute for this squad.  They may have logged more air miles than any other team this season.

This week will be the fourth trip out west for the Red Storm (21-11) team and head coach Steve Lavin thinks his team is built for the NCAA's.

"One of the reasons we went out to St. Mary's to open our season, and went out to the Alaska Shootout, and went back out to play UCLA, was to prepare our players for all the different conditions you could possibly face in the postseason," said Lavin.

Sixth-seeded St. John's plays it's NCAA tournament game against 11th-seeded Gonzaga (24-9) on Thursday and brag that they are built for traveling--air travel. 

The team had logged over 22,000 miles on their three western jaunts.  Even George Clooney's "Up in the Air" character, Ryan Bingham, would skip a hotel promotion party for all those frequent flier miles.

Publicly, the nine seniors on the Red Storm aren't concerning themselves with jet-lag and time changes, but they are taking battle-tested Gonzaga seriously.  The "Zags are making their 13th straight tournament appearance and coming off a nine-game winning streak.

The Red Storm's biggest hurdle should be overcoming the loss of their best all-around player, D.J. Kennedy to a season-ending ACL injury.

At Monday's pep rally and bon voyage sendoff for the Johnnies in Carnesecca Arena, the St. John's swingman was the team's loudest cheerleader and biggest inspiration.  The team knows this one plane trip takes them somewhere special and makes up for four years of watching the Big Dance from the bleachers.  These are the last games of a magical season and their college careers.

"The change in time, we're used to that," Justin Burrell said.  "Jet lag, we're familiar with---we've dealt with it so often this year."

Ryan Bingham couldn't have put it  better.

Red Storm Will Dance Without D.J.

The St. John's basketball team lost more than the game to Syracuse yesterday, they lost D.J. Kennedy, an intricate part of the rags-to-riches Red Storm team. The numbers 1.7 on the time clock may be forever forged in the minds of the St. John's players, after their controversial win over Rutgers the day before, but 14:25 is a number they would like to erase from their minds--it is the moment their star player went down.

Kennedy crumpled to the floor under the basket, only 5:35 into the game, clutching his right knee after going up for a rebound in St. John's quarterfinal match-up against Syracuse.  An MRI later showed a torn ACL.  His collegiate basketball career was now over. and the Red Storm's NCAA tournament chances diminished.

Not so fast say the other players.  While the loss of Kennedy will probably drop the Red Storm from a probable #4 seed in the NCAA's to a #5 or 6, the eight remaining seniors say the same resiliency which carried this team throughout the season will continue into the Big Dance.

This is an experienced squad which turned it around this year.  They worked hard towards playing in their first NCAA tournament and erasing the tag 'Never Made it to the Big Dance' from their bios. The  remaining seniors endured a brutal 2011 schedule and a four year wait which must have seemed like an eternity. Now it's show time.

St. John's head coach Steve Lavin--who inherited this once-wayward team-- realizes the loss of Kennedy--who he calls "The Glue"-- is a big blow to the Johnnies' chances in the NCAA's, but is counting on the team to not let up.

"They've accomplished some very special things, and then we're not satisfied," said Lavin.  "So I don't underestimate this group's ability to continue to find ways to win.  I think we'll have to recalibrate, 'cause the loss of D.J. Kennedy is devastating...but the will and spirit of this group is strong that I have confidence we'll make a run of it."

If yesterday's 79-73 loss is any indication, Lavin should be confident.  No. 18 St. John's (21-11) went toe-to-toe with No. 11 Syracuse (26-6) until the waning moments. The whole team picked up the slack after Kennedy went down.

Kennedy, who was the team's third leading scorer and best rebounder, leaves big shoes to fill and senior Sean Evans was more than a capable replacement.  Evans scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against a bigger Syracuse team.  Dwight Hardy, Paris Horne and Justin Brownlee all chipped in with double-digit points but they know the road will be bumpier without Kennedy.

"I feel like we can win it all, that's how I feel being the competitor I am," said Justin Burrell. "It'll be a lot tougher, but I think we can do it."

The Johnnies have been on a magical ride this season.  The senior-laden team plays an aggressive physical brand of basketball.  They are a machine filled with interchangeable parts who know how to share the ball and the glory.  Now, one of those parts will be hobbling on the sidelines, cheering them on.  These guys know they have come too far over four years to let up now.

And for St. John's fans, nine years seems like forever since they had a vested interest in Selection Sunday or actually penciled the name 'St. John's' in on their bracket sheets.

Put it this way, the last time a St. John's team danced, Justin Timberlake was in a boy band and they listened to him on a Walkman.

Don't Hold It Against St. John's For Victory Over Rutgers

There were still a few defiant Rutgers fans at Madison Square Garden this morning wanting to get their money's worth and waiting to for the final 1.7 seconds to run out in the second round game against St. John's.  Somebody ought to gently tell them the Scarlet Knights team will not be seeing any more action at this year's Big East Tournament. 

While bitter Rutgers fans--and authority figure haters-- have plenty to gripe about after yesterday's controversial 65-63 loss to the Red Storm, don't let it ruin one of the best feel-good-stories in college basketball--St. John's basketball.

Sure, the officials blew a couple of foul-calls against St. John's down the stretch and swallowed the whistle when Justin Brownlee grabbed a bobbled in-bounds toss with 4.9 seconds left in a frantic scramble for the ball.

Sure, the St. John's forward took three long steps (an obvious walk), planted one foot out-of-bounds and tossed the game ball into the stands with 1.7 seconds remaining while the officials scurried off the court, eliminating any chance for the pleading Rutgers players to tie or win the game. 

Sure, the officials, Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton, refused to take a look at the video-tape which clearly showed everyone--including a national television audience--there was still time on the clock, but don't blame the St. John's team.

It's too bad the St. John's team, no matter how far they go in the tournament, will be known less for their win streak and return to prominence, than the tarnished victory.

The blame must be squarely laid on the referees and not the St. John's players.  But others are not immune to the blatant non-calls.

The three veteran officials announced they were voluntarily stepping away from the rest of the tournament.  An admission of guilt?  Maybe.  An admission by the Big East that the three lost control of the game in the waning moment?  Not yet.

A lot of people have to wonder how 19,375 spectators at the Garden saw the infractions and the clueless refs didn't even let out a tweet from their whistles.

Home crowd favoritism--maybe?  It is Madison Square Garden and not the Garden State.

Tim Higgins looked like the grumpy old guy in "Up" as he scampered off the court through the tunnel.  The other two scattered like rats in an alley too.

Many others saw the final gaff by the officials.  One St. John's assistant pulled his jacket over his head in disbelief when Brownlee tossed the ball into the red seats.  Nobody does a victory cover up.

St. John's head coach, Steve Lavin, who was passed over for Big East Coach of the Year, but may have an Academy Award in his future.  Brownlee was walking right at Lavin with an outstretched hand when he touched the sideline. What coach isn't looking at the clock in a close game like this.  Right after the game,  Lavin just said, " Both teams played their fannies off."

It sounds like the majority of Johnnies' fans didn't see the infractions either. It looks like the confessional booths on St. John's campus could be a harder ticket than the tournament quarterfinals at the Garden today.

Blame Rutgers head coach, Mike Rice too.  He saw the whole fandango and bashed his forearms like it was some sort of spastic cheerleading move.  Most Big East coaches would have been over those officials like white-on-rice.  Instead Rutgers fans got Rice-on-Rice.  He should have pulled a Charlie Sheen and dragged those refs backs to the video review table. Even the Rutgers players pleaded with the refs before they brushed past them and ducked off the court.

Give Rice credit though.  He took the high road after consoling his disappointed players.  At a press conference he said, "Would I love to not have it happen?  Of course.  But I made so many mistakes in the game, it's unbelievable."

Chances are slim that the Scarlet Knights could have pulled of the comeback but they deserved to get that 1.7 seconds back.  Now,  St. John's tries to avenge a 76-59 loss in a quarterfinals game against Syracuse.

It would only be fair for the senior-laden St. John's team to get credit for their play after four years of stumbling.  The players deserve credit blending into a cohesive, winning squad and not be labeled fortunate or beneficiaries of a St. John's/Syracuse match-up conspiracy.

 Sometimes tournament play is all about getting a little help along the way.  A tipped ball or a missed call is part of the game.

As Lavin said after the game," We dodged a bullet."  More like four of them.

Officials Leave Court Before St. John's-Rutgers Game Ends. Big East: Game Is Over

In what has to be one of the most embarrassing moments in Big East Tournament history, game officials left the Madison Square Garden court with 1.7 seconds remaining in the game after a player traveled,  stepped out-of-bounds and then threw the game ball into the air.   St. John's was the lucky recipient of the missed call and won the second-round game over Rutgers, 65-63.

The bizarre sequence of events began on a full-court Rutgers inbounds pass, with 4.9 seconds remaining, which was tipped away to St. John's forward Justin Brownlee who dribbled towards the Red Storm bench to shake head coach Steve Lavin's hand but took three steps, touched the sideline and hurled the ball into the air on the way.  While the clock should have been stopped with 1.7 showing on the clock, two veteran officials, James Burr and Tim Higgins, rushed from the court as Rutgers players pleaded and pointed at the clock.  Nothing was discussed.

The non-call which would have given the ball back to Rutgers by either Brownlee stepping out-of-bounds or a travelling call was not the real issue.  Throwing the ball into the stands with time on the clock is a technical foul and would have given the Scarlet Knights two free throws AND the ball.

Lavin, said he didn't see the clock and none of the opposing players or coaches said anything to him during the final handshakes and the frantic play of both teams during the final seconds made it easy for the refs to miss a call.  He would only say that both teams "played their fannies off."

The Red Storm escaped with the win and Rutgers was basically robbed on a couple of other non-calls during the sloppy final minutes.

What's more amazing is the fact that the officials scurried off the court while Rutgers players stood in front of them and pointed out the discretion.  The officials didn't even consider looking at the videotapes.

Conspiracy theorists are having a field day.  Some are accusing the Big East of trying to set up a dream quarterfinal re-match between #4 Syracuse and the local favorites #5 St. John's.  It would be the Red Storm's first Big East quarterfinal game since 2003.

Others are looking at the over/under of 127.5 as a reason for the "muffed" calls, as if Tim Donahay was calling the game and the fix was in.

For now it looks like St. John's will move on in the tournament while Rutgers fans scream and protest the swallowed whistle.  The Big East will not put the two teams on the court tonight and said the game is over.

According to the Mike Francesa Show, the Big East released a statement after the game which said there were "two separate missed calls which occurred during the game...neither error is correctable or reviewable.  The two missed calls were traveling and stepping out of bounds."

Dwight Hardy Leads St. John's to Road Win Over Villanova

Carmelo Anthony may have gotten New York City fans all gooey-eyed last week, but it is the St. John's men's basketball team, led by Dwight Hardy, which is the real feel-good story in Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm have an ongoing streak of five straight wins against ranked opponents at their home-away-from-home and took the show down the Jersey Turnpike to Philadelphia and did it again.

Today, St. John's (19-9, 11-5) took an early 14 point lead against #14 Villanova and held on to beat the Wildcats on their home court, 81-68.

Hardy, the senior guard, scored a career high 34 points and D.J. Kennedy had 12 points to go with his 14 rebounds.

The Johnnies have proved they are a force to be reckoned with at the Garden but now they have beaten a ranked team on the road.  It's a sure thing other teams in the Big East have noticed the Red Storm's surging play and, with the upcoming conference tournament being played at the Garden, those teams have to be nervous.

Who would have thought first-year head coach Steve Lavin could have molded the St. John's squad into the beast it is today.  The senior-filled squad plays tough defense, grabs loose balls and hangs in at crunch-time.  It is the toughest team in the brutal Big East.

Struggling Villanova (21-8, 9-7) got close, 65-64 after a Justin Burrell faux-foul, but couldn't handle the Red Storm's frantic full-court press as St. John's scored 16 of the last 24 points to win.

Now that St. John's has overcome two common pitfalls of streaking teams---losing on the road and let-downs against weaker opponents (they routed bottom-dweller DePaul on Wed.)---they should have their sights set for the Big East Tournament in two weeks.

Lavin, who has Big East Coach of the Year written all over him, has pinned the label of go-to guy on Hardy over the past few weeks.  Ever since Lavin removed his tie and started sporting white sneakers the team is 8-1 but it is Hardy that has Lavin and college basketball talking.

Lavin has publicly started lobbying for his senior guard  as a candidate for Big East Player of the Year and he won't find many detractors.

The head coach has compared Hardy to "Astaire and Baryshnikov" for his play on the court and thinks he is the front-runner for the award.

"I think he's the runaway favorite," said Lavin.  "I know I'm biased.  I'm subjective.  But no player has done more for a basketball team.  He's had some remarkable games against the best teams in the country---Connecticut, Duke, at UCLA and Pitt.  He's electrified and elevated our program.  He's jumper-cabled our program."

Now, you can throw 'Nova into the pile of ranked victims his program has run down.

If Lavin continues to wear his white tennies and St. John's stays in fourth place and gets a first-round bye in The Big East tournament, 'Melo just might become a side-act in Madison Square Garden this spring.

And if the team goes deep in the NCAA tournament, Lavin might be looking at National Coach of the Year.

St. John's Surges Past No. 4 Pitt, 60-59

Six nationally ranked teams have entered Madison Square Garden to face the St. John's men's basketball team and five have left the building on the losing end.  The Pittsburgh Panthers were the the latest squad to fall to streaking Red Storm, 60-59.  You would be hard-pressed to call it an upset.

Dwight Hardy, the red-hot St. John's guard, drove from mid-court to the baseline, head-faked Gilbert Brown and rolled in a basket from underneath the net with 1.2 seconds left to get the win. Hardy finished the game with 19 points.

The victory was sweet revenge for the senior-laden St. John's team who have never beaten Pitt in four years.  Last year the Johnnies were swept by the Panthers, lost by 23 in 2009 and were pounded by 24 in 2008.

The Red Storm (17-9, 9-5) are getting back at a lot of teams this season, especially at the Garden. The ranked teams who have fallen to St. John's reads like a potential Final Four.  Georgetown went down in January.  So did Notre Dame and Duke.   Connecticut bit the dust last week.  Don't forget road victories against ranked teams like West Virginia and Cincinnati.

Ironically, Pitt--the No. 1 rebounding team in the conference--lost a rebound after Hardy missed a free throw with 11.3 seconds remaining and a 59-58 lead.  The ball went to Hardy for the third straight time and he delivered the winner.

Hardy, who has emerged as a leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year, is averaging 27.8 points a game and shooting 56% on threes the last four games.

The Red Storm's head coach Steve Lavin can't say enough good things about his guard from the Bronx.

"He's been carrying us," Lavin said.  He's Big East Player of the Year.  A runaway."

In the head coach's own Lavinese, he continued, "It's a team effort but he [Hardy] is Baryshnikov...Fred Astaire.  He was Frank Sinatra today."

There is little doubt that St. John's deserves to be selected to the NCAA tournament next month.  The team's has the toughest schedule in the country and after flirting with a top-25 ranking all season the team should crack the top 20.

Pitt (24-3, 12-2) might have just played themselves out of a #1 seed come tournament time.

St. John's rounds out their regular season against DePaul, Seton Hall and South Florida.  The team travels to Philadelphia against top-ranked Villanova on Feb 26.  Wildcats beware!

The Big East Tournament comes to St. John's home-away-from-home court in Madison Square Garden in March.  The brutish conference is expecting to put up to 11 teams in the NCAA tournament.  If St. John's wins the trophy, nobody will call it an upset.

St. John's Basketball: 5 Reasons Johnnies Ready to Storm Big Dance

Next month the NCAA selection committee will meet to determine which 68 teams will make up the field for March Madness and St. John's is ready to crash the party.

A huge victory over then-No. 10 UConn at the Garden and two tough road wins against good Cincinnati and Marquette teams in the past week have turned the Red Storm into an opponent no team may want to face in the Big Dance.

Just a couple of weeks ago, St. John's lost three games in a row and were precariously looking down at another NIT bid.  Fundamental mistakes, sloppy play and second-half collapses emptied the stands and turned the fans' chant of "We Are St. John's" into "Who Are These Guys?"

All that has changed in a big way for the Red Storm (16-9).  The Westminster Dog Show may have left the building but St. John's basketball is now the big dog in Madison Square Garden.

The Johnnies are 7-1 at their home arena.  Beginning with their MSG Holiday Tournament Championship and rolling over ranked teams Georgetown, Notre Dame, Duke and UConn, St. John's had flexed it's muscle at home and now they are taking their winning ways on the road.

The Red Storm are playing and winning in ideal tournament conditions:  top-notch competition, traveling, winning road games in short spans of time and playing under big crowds.

Here are five reasons the St. John's basketball team should be feared--did I actually say feared?--by teams in the NCAA tournament.

Road Wins-  For once the Red Storm can actually call themselves road warriors.  This week's two decisive wins in three days in the hostile confines of Cincy and Milwaukee are just a rehearsal for the Big Dance.  A 3,000-mile jaunt to Pauley Pavilion--a game that could have been won by St. John's--and the distraction of Steve Lavin's homecoming was nothing compared to the 6,000 flight up to Alaska where the Red Storm won the Great Alaska Shootout at the beginning of the season.  No team has more frequent-flier miles this season.

Free Throw and Three-Point Shooting-  Once the bane of the St. John's team, it is now one of it's most consistent strengths.  As a team, they are shooting nearly 72% from the line and making a third of their shots from over the arch.  This is a team that missed 22 treys in one game earlier in the season and looked the Washington Generals second team at times.

Dwight Hardy-  The 6'2" guard from the Bronx has been on fire.  Last year's sixth man is currently fifth in the Big East in scoring and lit up UConn for a career-high 33 points last week showing up fellow Bronxite, and McDonald's All-American Kemba Walker.  Hardy was named Big East Player of the Week for the second time.  The go-to guard makes almost 90% of his free throws.  Nice clutch player to have in the final minutes.  Hardy brings back memories of great New York City players and is adding to the legacy of St. John's guards in the tradition of Erick Barkley. 

Experienced Teammates-  The senior-laden team is filled with players that are interchangeable.  Sometimes it seems like no five players have been in the game at the same time.  There is Justin Burrell clogging the inside and D.J. Kennedy picking up the slack for Hardy.  Nine tournament-hungry seniors make up this tight-knit squad who have learned to hold on to a second half lead.


Battle-Tested-  No team in the nation has played a tougher schedule that the Red Storm.  Their S.O.S. hasn't bobbed over No. 3 in weeks.  Their RPI now stands at #17.  The Big East is potentially sending 10 or 11 teams to the Tournament and it seems like the Red Storm has faced them all.  St. John's has 4 wins over top-13 teams.  Their Big East schedule reads like the Sweet Sixteen weekend of the Tournament and the Johnnies are 8-5 against these teams.  Don't forget that the Big East Tournament is played at Madison Square Garden.


If that isn't enough, there is the coaching.  First year head coach Steve Lavin took over this an experienced but undisciplined bunch of players and molded them into a team stronger than Gene Keady's brow.  They are playing like a senior-dominated team should--unselfish and fundamentally sound.

Those set-backs against local rivals St. Bonaventure and Fordham in December?  Fugeddaboutit.  Remember the Miami Heat a few months ago?  Sometimes it takes time for a group to gel.

And speaking of gels. It looks like Lavin has eased of the hair retainer, slipped off his tie and resorted to wearing white sneakers while his team rolls. Liking the new casual coach.

The Red Storm are playing their best basketball at the right time.  Their last appearance in the NCAA's was in 2002.  These players don't need to be reminded about that fact, even though Lavin continues to use the tournament as a motivating carrot.

Lavin delivered a 'fire and brimstone" speech during the Marquette game to "put the light under their fanny."

"I just jumped them in that timeout.  'This is what will get you beat in the NCAA tournament when you come out lackadaisical against quality teams,'" he said.

The coach should know, he was there enough times when he was at UCLA.

St. John's Basketball Team Is Already On The Bubble

Nobody was rooting harder for 15th-ranked Notre Dame to upset #2 Pittsburgh on Monday night the the St. John's University's men's basketball team.  The players gathered in the home locker room Monday night, watching the Fighting Irish beat the Panthers and increase the Red Storm's own chances of getting an NCAA Tournament berth this year.

Although the 10 senior Red Storm players were encouraged by the upset, they still know it's a long and hard road to getting the school's first NCAA bid since 2002 and Saturday's disappointing loss to Cincinnati was a shocking reminder how tough life is in the Big East.

It's tough being a St. John's fan these days and very tiring.  The team flirts with a national ranking one week, only to be ranking the next.  A 15-point St. John's lead can slip away faster than a comb through head coach Steve Lavin's hair.  It's all or nothing with this squad.

St. John's (11-7, 4-4) is smack dab in the middle of the Big East schedule and still hanging around.  The senior-laden team is hungry to make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the goal is realistically in sight.  They have waited four years for this opportunity.

The Big East conference is arguably the toughest in the nation and the Johnnies have a chance to make a huge statement against #21 Georgetown (14-5, 3-4) tonight.  St. John's is currently in ninth place in the 16-team conference.

The Red Storm have the 24th-ranked RPI in the nation and have quality wins against Georgetown, Notre Dame and West Viginia in their noisy arena.  If St. John's can finish in the top half of the Big East, chances are they will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Most mock tournament brackets currently have the Red Storm bubbling in.

It's all a big IF.  The Storm came out of the Big East gate on fire.  The team won their first three conference games then dropped four of five--including the disaster against the Bearcats.  There are still 12 games to go and their tight-rope chances sway with every resulting game.

Upcoming, the Red Storm face ranked conference teams Connecticut, Cincinnati, Pitt and solid teams like Marquette as well as stubborn ones like Jersey rivals Rutgers and Seton Hall.  Throw in non-conference foes like Duke and UCLA and the stretch-run looks harder than Gene Keady's stare.

The RPI boost from Notre Dame's upset win over Pitt is nice, but shooting 12-of-26 from the line against Cincy is beyond bad, it's horrific.  The poor free-throw shooting cost them a crucial win against a ranked opponent.  You get to the tournament by winning, not watching other teams get the 'W'.

It is only January and the Red Storm have to worry about 'must win' games.  If the team plans a second half surge, they have to get down to basics--making free throws and less turnovers.  These guys are seniors, they should know.

Lavin knows how to get teams into the Big Dance.  He took six of the seven teams he coached at UCLA to the NCAA's, including five to the Sweet 16 and another to the round of 8.

Lavin has acknowledged all the talk about bracketologies,  RPI's  and all the other factors swirling around his team; variables which get a team into the NCAA Tournament.  The head coach, after spending six years at a broadcast table until this season, is taking it one game at a time.

"We have eleven single-game seasons," said Lavin.  "Everyone wants to participate in the NCAA Tournament, but understanding how to get there is the important part."

Everyone is talking about next year's Red Storm recruiting class and how great a job Lavin did.  The coach can only play the hand he was dealt but the glory days start now.

Steve Lavin Must Toughen Up For Big East

St. John's University's new head coach Steve Lavin has had his ups and downs with his senior laden team in non-conference play so far.  Now comes a big test against West Virginia (8-2) and it won't get any easier.  His slicked back hair is about to get mussed.  Welcome to the Big East Conference coach Lavin.

The Red Storm (7-3) heads down to West Virginia tonight for Lavin's first Big East conference game against a physically big and tough team.  The Mountaineers have three New Yorkers who play rough and tumble Big East type basketball.  Kevin Jones (Mt. Vernon), Truck Bryant (Brooklyn) and Danny Jennings (Staten Island) should be a handful for the experienced St. John's squad.

St. John's won two tournament titles in the opening weeks of the young season in Alaska and New York and beat formidable opponents like Davidson and a good Big Ten team from Northwestern, but two deflating losses to St. Bonaventure and Fordham reminded fans of the underachieving Red Storm teams of the last head coach, Norm Roberts.  Maybe the jet-lagged team--they travelled over 12,000 miles before Dec.1--have their land legs back.

The Johnnies entered the season with high hopes and a lot of Big East experience.  Four seasoned seniors and highly-touted freshman, Dwayne Polle II make up the nucleus of a team which feels it could make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002.

The seniors--Justin Brownlee, Justin Burrell, Dwight Hardy and pre-season Big East second-team player, D.J. Kennedy--will lead the charge and have been through plenty of Big East scrums.  It is a capable crew but they will need to learn how to focus and finish a game.  Too many times the players watch half-time leads dwindle to losses.  Turnovers and foul shooting are still problems too.

Lavin has brought lots of optimism to St. John's.  Next year's recruiting class is being called one of the top five in the country and arguably the best in the prestigious St. John's basketball history.  That is all and well for next year.  Now comes the reality of playing one of best collection of Big East teams in the conference's thirty year history.  Currently, five Big East teams reside in top ten national polls.

The Red Storm's brutal schedule includes Villanova, Georgetown (twice), Notre Dame (twice), Syracuse, Louisville, Connecticut and Pitt.  All of those teams are in or hover around every top-25 poll in the country. Even the middle-of-the pack teams will be battling it out for an NCAA bubble spot in March.  It isn't going to be easy for any team.

We all know now that Lavin can recruit on the East coast---even after being out of coaching since 2003---now let's see how he handles the ruggedness of Big East basketball and dealing with the referees.

Lavin, who is unfamiliar with Big East refs, will have to get on-the-job training in dealing with them.  The coach, who was issued only three technicals in seven years as head coach at UCLA, already has two in his first ten games at St. John's.

The new head coach comes to St. John's bringing hope for the future and tournament dreams to a solid transitional team of experienced players.  It is time for the Red Storm to find out what kind of team it really is.

The Mountaineers--a Final Four team last year-- are a physical bunch.  It should provide a good barometer of what the Red Storm can achieve.   Let's see how tough Lavin and the Red Storm really are.  Let the real season begin!

Steve Lavin Wraps Up Top 5 Recruiting Class With A Big Man

By Tony Mangia

St. John's capped off what is being called one of the top-five basketball recruiting classes in the country and, without question, the most anticipated in the university's history. Yesterday, head coach Steve Lavin got a verbal-commitment from one of the country's top big men to join the five other blue-chip  recruits already lined up.

Norvel Pelle,  a 6-8, 200-pound power-forward/center, announced his decision on national TV and said," It feels like home away from home," about heading to New York.  The California product is the nation's No. 19 recruit according to Rivals.com and picked the St. John's over other premier schools like Kansas, Washington, Oregon and UCLA.

It might all seem to be happening too fast for Storm fans who have waited for the basketball program to return to prominence.  Lavin is taking the fast track to better days and it can't come soon enough to the Queens campus.

Lavin was hired last spring. Skeptics immediately dismissed Lavin as a west coast coach with no New York City ties.  He wouldn't be able to connect with the city schools and junior leagues.   They said his years as an analyst for ESPN kept him away the coaching game too long and he couldn't revive the St. John's program to where it once was--elite.  Those critics had their points and they were well taken...until now.

Lavin has already quieted  those who said he couldn't return the school back to it's glory days by bringing basketball to the forefront at St. John's.  Depressed fans are once again excited about college basketball and the new head coach did it with players from every corner of the country--including New York!

Now with Pelle signed, Lavin has signed five top-100 recruits--an unprecedented feat for the Queens school.  The coveted big man from Compton joins Dominique Pointer of North Carolina, JaKarr Sampson from Ohio, D'Angelo Harrison from Texas, Nurideen Lindsay from Pennsylvania and Maurice Harkless from a few F train stops away in Queens, New York--who all signed on Wednesday.

Rivals.com already rated Lavin's class the fifth best in the nation behind Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and Arkansas before they signed Pelle.  Not bad being mentioned in that company.

Pelle brings a qualified big man to the Red Storm, something the most of college basketball lacks.  Pelle claims he picked St. John's because, "Coach Lavin is a very smart guy.  He's a very smart coach.  I just loved the way he approached the situation."  Looks like Lavin's talk is smoother than his hair.  "He knew other schools wanted me and he gave me space and also made sure I knew they wanted me," said Pelle.

Lavin inherits a senior-laden team which made the NIT last year.  The Red Storm hasn't seen their name on an NCAA tournament bracket since 2002, but this year's squad includes the athletic freshman Dwayne Polee and is brimming with tournament optimism.  Big East coaches picked the team to finish sixth in the conference and that would be good enough for a tournament bid. The buzz around Carnesecca Arena is now louder than one of Louie's old sweaters.

St. John's kicks off it's season with a nationally-televised 2 a.m. game at St. Mary's on Tuesday. Lavin would probably want nothing better than to fill up Madison Square Garden like the old days. Only now with Red Storm fans--who have been scarce of late--and bring some life into the dormant arena once again.  He seems to be making quick in-roads to success.

"The way we build teams is by signing players who have competitive spirit, quality skill and basketball intelligence," said Lavin, "We're highly excited about the first wave."

So are Red Storm fans, who would be glad to have a product to cheer about.  Echoes of teams past that would shake the rest of the asbestos from the Garden's rafters.

RED STORM A COMIN'

By Tony Mangia

ST. JOHN'S LANDS ANOTHER TOP RECRUIT

St. John's coach Steve Lavin continues to lure talented high school basketball players to New York.    Lavin scored his third major recruiting coup when D'Angelo Harrison of Fort Bend, Texas picked the Red Storm over Marquette, Oklahoma State and Baylor.  Harrison, a 6-foot 3 shooter will join forwards Jakarr Sampson and Maurice Harkless in what is shaping up to be one of the best recruiting classes in the country.

When Lavin took over as head coach of the Johnnies, many experts considered his chances of luring top name players to St. John's a long shot.  NCAA sanctions, penalties and middling teams had the program in a downward spiral for nearly a decade.  Lavin had no east coast connections, was away from coaching too long and the west coast was Lavin's only hard-wood harvesting grounds, the cynics cried.

The former UCLA coach has surprised everyone by making the Queens campus a hot destination. He came to New York City with a reputation as a good recruiter for any player west of Vegas.  He used the glamor of UCLA as enticement.  He had about as much of a chance to lure prospects to Queens as getting a cab on a rainy Madison Avenue rush-hour said the skeptics.  Lavin has now surprised everyone by displaying this much success so quickly with recruits from every section of the country.

Lavin seems bent on a recruiting mission and said he hoped to have three more commitments by the end of this week.  He is prohibited from commenting on specific recruits until the university receives a letter of intent from the players.

The team has seven remaining scholarships and is looking to get a big-time point guard.  The Johnnies are on the inside track to sign scoring guard Nurideen Lindsay of Philadelphia, have the possibility of getting small forward Amir Garrett and center Norvel Pelle of California and North Carolina small forward Dominique Pointer.

Harrison is the ninth-ranked shooting guard in the nation according to Rivals.com.  Eric Bossi, a national recruiting analyst for the website, said if St. John's gets all the players  just named, it would be one of the great recruiting coups of all time.  "They're all top 50 players," said Bossi.  Harrison and Lindsay would give the Red Storm one of the most versatile and dynamic backcourts in the nation.

CORN-FED COMB OVER

St John's will announce the hiring of one of college basketball's greatest coaching professors and possessor of one of the scariest stares in all of sports, Gene Keady.  Suddenly, comb overs may become vogue in New York basketball circles this winter.

Keady, the imposing 74 year-old, former head coach of Purdue will join the team as an Advisor to the Head Coach as early as tonight's Red Storm Tip-Off.

The long-time coach is one of Steve Lavin's mentors.  He gave Lavin his start as a Purdue assistant coach in 1988.  Keady's role will be of a non-coaching position.  He assist the Red Storm coaches with strategy, analyzing game film and as an all-around ambassador for the school.

The ex-Pittsburgh Steeler draftee casts quite a shadow on the court.  His career spans decades coaching at the collegiate, international and professional levels. He is regarded as a spectacular tactician and will help bring fundamentally-sound basketball back to Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden.

Lavin and Keady---old school and new wave hoops peppered with blue-chippers.  The yin and yang of Lavin's poofed- up Hollywood hair and flair complimenting Keady's peculiar hair-do and Midwestern stoicism. 

Lavin says his former boss gives the team that "grandfather presence." "He's the most influential person in my coaching style," praised the pupil of his teacher.

Keady won't be sitting on the bench but it would be nice to see his icy stares and slightly askew coif on the sidelines.  His intimidating gaze would be worth the admission alone. I'd like to see U Conn's head coach, Jim Calhoun, out-glare the grizzled ex-coach with over 800 career victories.

Lavin may be paying back the man who gave him his first college coaching position.  St. John's new head coach has made great strides in recruiting and it looks like the future of Red Storm basketball  could be on a major upswing.  Its nice that Lavin didn't forget his roots and will take his trusted sage Keady with him.