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St. John’s expected to hire Mike Anderson

By Travis HinesApr 18, 2019, 10:01 PM EDT
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The coaching search St. John’s started earlier this month is coming to an end, and its finality looks to be as bizarre as the process.

The Red Storm are expected to hire former Arkansas coach Mike Anderson, a source confirmed to NBC Sports. Roger Rubin of Newsday was first to report the development.

Anderson has a perfectly respectable resume after eight years with the Razorbacks and five at Missouri over the last decade-plus, but his history doesn’t suggest why he’s a great fit at St. John’s, a smaller private school in New York City rather than two large public institutions in college towns. New York City is also considerably more northeast than both Fayetteville and Columbia.

St. John’s swung big in a way that made sense when it hired Chris Mullin four years ago. There were question marks given his lack of college experience, but given his status as a Red Storm legend and NBA pedigree – both as a player and executive – you could connect the dots to success, even if Mullin ultimately couldn’t do it himself.

This hire, however, doesn’t make much sense. Anderson just got fired for not progressing enough with Arkansas, a place he spent 17 years at under Nolan Richardson prior to becoming a head coach himself. He had serious legacy there, but it wasn’t enough to overcome just three NCAA tournament appearances and no Sweet 16s in eight years.

That’s the guy that is now, with no clear ties to either the Big East or St. John’s, going to reinvigorate the Red Storm program? Anderson might do it, I guess, but his selection only highlights what a botched search this has been. Bobby Hurley, Porter Moser, Ryan Odom and Tim Cluess all reportedly spurned interest, and it’s about as inarguable as inarguable gets that St. John’s should be a slam-dunk better job than Loyola Chicago, UMBC and Iona, while Hurley is the type of guy an athletic department goes out and gets done if it wants to show it really means business.

Instead, St. John’s search falls to Anderson, who probably won’t win the press conference and didn’t win enough at Arkansas.

College Basketball 2019-2020 Preseason Top 25

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By Rob DausterApr 18, 2019, 10:00 AM EDT
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There is so much that is going to happen between now and the time that next season starts that it almost seems foolish to publish a preseason top 25 today.

But we’re doing it anyway!

A couple of notes: Who is going to head to the NBA is very much in the air right now. There are still a number of freshmen that have yet to announce where they are playing their college ball. The transfer market has barely heated up. For decisions that are up in the air, you’ll see an asterisk next to their name. We’re making predictions on what certain players will do and ranking based off of them. 

So with all that said, here is the preseason top 25.

1. MICHIGAN STATE

  • WHO’S GONE: Matt McQuaid, Kenny Goins
  • WHO’S BACK: Cassius Winston*, Nick Ward, Xavier Tillman, Joshua Langford, Aaron Henry, Kyle Ahrens, Gabe Brown, Foster Loyer, Marcus Bingham, Thomas Kithier
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Rocket Watts, Malik Hall, Julius Marble
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Cassius Winston, Joshua Langford, Aaron Henry, Xavier Tillman, Nick Ward

2. MICHIGAN

  • WHO’S GONE: Charles Matthews*, Jordan Poole*
  • WHO’S BACK: Zavier Simpson, Jon Teske, Ignas Brazdeikis*, Isaiah Livers, Eli Books, Brandon Johns, Colin Castleton, Austin Davis, David DeJulius
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Cole Bajema, Jalen Wilson
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Zavier Simpson, Eli Brooks, Ignas Brazdeikis, Isaiah Livers, Jon Teske

3. KENTUCKY

  • WHO’S GONE: P.J. Washington*, Keldon Johnson*, Tyler Herro*, Reid Travis
  • WHO’S BACK: E.J. Montgomery*, Ashton Hagans*, Immanuel Quickly, Nick Richards*
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Kahlil Whitney, Tyrese Maxey, Keion Brooks, Dontaie Allen, Nate Sestina
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Tyrese Maxey, Ashton Hagans, Kahlil Whitney, Keion Brooks, E.J. Montgomery

4. GONZAGA

  • WHO’S GONE: Rui Hachimura*, Brandon Clarke*, Josh Perkins, Geno Crandall, Jeremy Jones
  • WHO’S BACK: Killian Tillie*, Zach Norvell Jr.*
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Drew Timme, Oumar Ballo, Brock Ravet, Anton Watson, Martynas Arlauskas, Pavel Zahkarov
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Brock Ravet, Zach Norvell Jr., Corey Kispert, Killian Tillie, Filip Petrusev

5. VIRGINIA

  • WHO’S GONE: De’Andre Hunter*, Ty Jerome*, Jack Salt
  • WHO’S BACK: Kyle Guy*, Braxton Key, Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff, Kihei Clark
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Casey Morsell, Kadin Shedrick, Justin McKoy
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Kihei Clark, Kyle Guy, Braxton Key, Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff

6. VILLANOVA

  • WHO’S GONE: Eric Paschall, Phil Booth, Jahvon Quinerly
  • WHO’S BACK: Jermaine Samuels, Cole Swider, Saddiq Bey, Collin Gillespie, Dhamir Cosby-Rountree, Brandon Slater
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Bryan Antoine, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Justin Moore, Eric Dixon
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Collin Gillespie, Bryan Antoine, Saddiq Bey, Jermaine Samuels, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

7. DUKE

  • WHO’S GONE: Zion Williamson*, R.J. Barrett*, Cam Reddish*
  • WHO’S BACK: Tre Jones*, Marques Bolden, Alex O’Connell, Jack White, Javin DeLaurier, Jordan Goldwire, Joey Baker
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Vernon Carey, Wendell Moore, Boogie Ellis, Matthew Hurt*
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Tre Jones, Alex O’Connell, Wendell Moore, Matthew Hurt*, Vernon Carey

8. LOUISVILLE

  • WHO’S GONE: Christen Cunningham, Khwan Fore, Akoy Agau
  • WHO’S BACK: Jordan Nwora*, Dwayne Sutton, Ryan McMahon, V.J. King, Steve Enoch*, Malik Williams, Darius Perry
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Samuell Williamson, Jaelyn Withers, Josh Nickelberry, David Johnson, Aidan Igiehom, Quinn Slazinski
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Darius Perry, Samuell Williamson, Dwayne Sutton, Jordan Nwora, Malik Williams

9. MARYLAND

  • WHO’S GONE: Bruno Fernando*
  • WHO’S BACK: Anthony Cowan*, Jalen Smith, Serrel Smith Jr., Eric Ayala, Aaron Wiggins, Ricky Lindo
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Makhi Mitchell, Makhel Mitchell, Donta Scott
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Anthony Cowan, Eric Ayala, Aaron Wiggins, Ricky Lindo, Jalen Smith

10. KANSAS

  • WHO’S GONE: Lagerald Vick, Silvio De Sousa*, Dedric Lawson*, K.J. Lawson*, Charlie Moore
  • WHO’S BACK: Devon Dotson*, Quentin Grimes*, Ochai Agbaji, Udoka Azubuike*, Marcus Garrett, Mitch Lightfoot, David McCormack
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Isaac McBride, Christian Braun
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Devon Dotson, Quentin Grimes, Marcus Garrett, Ochai Agbaji, Udoka Azubuike

11. OREGON

  • WHO’S GONE: Bol Bol, Louis King*, Paul White Ehab Amin
  • WHO’S BACK: Payton Pritchard*, Will Richardson, Kenny Wooten*, Victor Bailey, Francis Okoro, Miles Norris
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Chris Duarte, C.J. Walker, Chandler Lawson, Isaach Johnson
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Payton Pritchard, Will Richardson, Chris Duarte, C.J. Walker, Kenny Wooten

12. SETON HALL

  • WHO’S GONE: Michael Nzei
  • WHO’S BACK: Myles Powell*, Myles Cale, Quincy McKnight, Taurean Thompson, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ikey Obiagu
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Tyrese Samuel, Dashawn Davis
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Quincy McKnight, Myles Powell, Myles Cale, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ikey Obiagu

13. NORTH CAROLINA

  • WHO’S GONE: Coby White*, Nassir Little*, Luke Maye, Cam Johnson, Kenny Williams
  • WHO’S BACK: Leaky Black, Garrison Brooks, Brandon Robinson, Seventh Woods
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Cole Anthony*, Armando Francis, Jeremiah Francis
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Cole Anthony, Leaky Black, Brandon Robinson, Armando Bacot, Garrison Brooks

14. ARIZONA

  • WHO’S GONE: Justin Coleman, Ryan Luther
  • WHO’S BACK: Brandon Randolph*, Dylan Smith, Chase Jeter, Brandon Williams, Alex Barcello, Ira Lee, Devonaire Doutrive
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Nico Mannion, Josh Green, Terry Armstrong, Christian Koloko, Zeke Nnaji
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Nico Mannion, Josh Green, Brandon Randolph, Ira Lee, Chase Jeter

15. TEXAS TECH

  • WHO’S GONE: Jarrett Culver*, Matt Mooney, Tariq Owens, Brandone Francis, Norense Odiase
  • WHO’S BACK: Chris Beard*, Davide Moretti, Kyler Edwards, Deshawn Corprew, Khavon Moore, Andrei Savrasov
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Jahmius Ramsey, Kevin McCullar, Russel Tchewa, Terrence Shannon
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Jahmius Ramsey, Davide Moretti, Deshawn Corprew, Khavon Moore, Russel Tchewa

16. UTAH STATE

  • WHO’S GONE: Quinn Taylor
  • WHO’S BACK: Sam Merrill, Neemias Queta*, Diogo Brito, Brock Miller, Abel Porter
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Alphonso Anderson, Liam McChesney, Sean Bairstow
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Diogo Brito, Abel Porter, Sam Merrill, Brock Miller, Neemias Queta

17. SAINT MARY’S

  • WHO’S GONE: Jordan Hunter
  • WHO’S BACK: Jordan Ford*, Malik Fitts, Tommy Kuhse, Tanner Krebs, Dan Fotu, Jock Perry
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Alex Ducas, Kyle Bowen
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Jordan Ford, Tommy Kuhse, Tanner Krebs, Malik Fitts, Jock Perry

18. XAVIER

  • WHO’S GONE: Ryan Welage, Zach Hankins, Kyle Castlin
  • WHO’S BACK: Quentin Goodin, Naji Marshall, Paul Scruggs, Tyrique Jones, Elias Harden
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Kyky Tandy, Dahmir Bishop, Zach Freemantle, Jason Carter, Daniel Ramsey, Dieonte Miles
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Quentin Goodin, Paul Scruggs, Naji Marshall, Jason Carter, Tyrique Jones

19. CREIGHTON

  • WHO’S GONE: Sam Froling, Kaleb Joseph, Connor Cashaw
  • WHO’S BACK: Davion Mintz, Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitchell Ballock, Martin Krampelj, Jacob Epperson, Damien Jefferson, Marcus Zegarowski
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Shereef Mitchell
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Davion Mintz, Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitchell Ballock, Martin Krampelj

20. COLORADO

  • WHO’S GONE: Namon Wright
  • WHO’S BACK: McKinley Wright IV*, Tyler Bey, D’shawn Schwartz, Lucas Siewert, Evan Battey, Shane Gatling, Daylen Kountz
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Maddox Daniels
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Bey, D’shawn Schwartz, Lucas Siewert, Shane Gatling

21. AUBURN

  • WHO’S GONE: Bryce Brown, Malik Dunbar, Horace Spencer, Chuma Okeke*
  • WHO’S BACK: Jared Harper*, Samir Doughty, J’Von McCormick, Danjel Purifoy, Anfernee McLemore, Austin Wiley
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Isaac Okoro, Tyrell Jones, Jaylin Williams, Babatunde Akingbola, Allen Flanigan, Jamal Johnson
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Jared Harper, J’Von McCormick, Samir Doughty, Danjel Purifoy, Anfernee McLemore

22. TENNESSEE

  • WHO’S GONE: Admiral Schofield, Kyle Alexander, Jordan Bone*, Grant Williams*
  • WHO’S BACK: Lamonte Turner, Jordan Bowden, Yves Pons, Derrick Walker Jr., John Fulkerson, D.J. Burns, Jalen Johnson
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Josiah James, Drew Pember, Davonte Gaines
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Lamonte Turner, Jordan Bowden, Josiah James, Yves Pons, John Fulkerson

23. HOUSTON

  • WHO’S GONE: Corey Davis, Breaon Brady, Galen Robinson
  • WHO’S BACK: Dejon Jerreau, Armoni Brooks*, Cedrick Alley, Brison Gresham, Fabian White, Chris Harris, Nate Hinton
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Caleb Mills, Justin Gorham
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Dejon Jerreau, Armoni Brooks, Nate Hinton, Fabian White, Brison Gresham

24. MEMPHIS

  • WHO’S GONE: Jeremiah Martin, Kyvon Davenport, Mike Parks Jr., Raynere Thornton, Kareem Brewton, Antwann Jones Jr.
  • WHO’S BACK: Tyler Harris, Alex Lomax, Isaiah Maurice
  • WHO’S COMING IN: James Wiseman, D.J. Jeffries, Malcolm Dandridge, Damian Baugh, Lance Thomas, Trendon Watford*
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Tyler Harris, Alex Lomax, D.J. Jeffries, Isaiah Maurice, James Wiseman

25. VCU

  • WHO’S GONE: Michael Gilmore
  • WHO’S BACK: Marcus Evans, Isaac Vann, Deriante Jenkins, Marcus Santos-Silva, Sean Mobley, Vince Williams, Mike’L Simms, P.J. Byrd, Malik Crawford
  • WHO’S COMING IN: Jarren McAlister
  • PROJECTED STARTERS: Marcus Evans, Isaac Vann, Deriante Jenkins, Sean Mobley, Marcus Santos-Silva

Billionaire booster, BodyArmor founder Mike Repole calls St. John’s coaching search ‘national embarrassment’

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By Rob DausterApr 18, 2019, 7:33 AM EDT
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Mike Repole is a very rich and important man.

He is the co-founder of Vitamin Water and BodyArmor, which has made him worth billions; with a ‘B’ and plural. He is also a St. John’s alum and one of their major boosters, so when he goes scorched earth on the St. John’s coaching search while on Mike Francesa’s show on WFAN, people are going to notice.

And when I say he went scorched earth, I mean he went scorched earth.

“This is not a New York laughingstock anymore,” Repole said. “We are now a national embarrassment.”

You can listen to it yourself here:

To catch you up on what’s happened so far, the Johnnies decided they didn’t want to make the obvious hire — Iona’s Tim Cluess — for … some reason, and then watched as Loyola-Chicago’s Porter Moser and UMBC’s Ryan Odom both pulled their names out of the search.

Which brings us to Repole’s interview.

The crux of what he said is this: “I think we need a president’s search first. They need a new president. The culture at St. John’s right now is toxic.”

His evidence?

For starters, he said that he tried to get St. John’s to hire Danny Hurley four years ago when Chris Mullin was hired, but that Bobby Gempesaw — the school president — and Joe Oliva — vice president for administration, secretary and general counsel — were the ones that kept them from making the hire. He also said that those two gentlemen are the ones that are standing in the way of first-year athletic director Mike Cragg from making the hire that he wants to make. In fact, he went as far as to say that Moser turned the job down because he didn’t think that Cragg actually wanted to hire him.

Moser was probably right, but, if you ask Repole, Moser probably would have outlasted Cragg at the school, because the booster does not believe that the AD is going to be around for long if he can’t make the hire that he wants to make.

And that is what has lead us to this point.

St. John’s cannot entice a coach from the Missouri Valley or the America East to take the job.

That is not ideal.

Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser spurns St. John’s

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Associated PressApr 17, 2019, 10:22 AM EDT
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CHICAGO (AP) — Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser says he plans to stay at the school after he reportedly talked to St. John’s about its job.

Moser says he is “all in” with Loyola after the Ramblers went 20-14 this season and won a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title. Loyola lost to Creighton in the first round of the NIT in the school’s second straight postseason appearance.

He says he enjoys working with his players and is excited about his recruits.

A Chicago-area product, Moser is 141-125 in eight seasons at Loyola. He guided the Ramblers to the Final Four in 2018 for the first time since the school won the 1963 national championship.

Moser agreed to a new contract last April that runs through the 2025-26 season. Athletic director Steve Watson says Moser is a “perfect fit” at the school.

Moser announced he was coming back on Tuesday.

St. John’s is looking for a coach after Chris Mullin resigned last week.

Report: Chris Mullin stepping down at St. John’s

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By Scott PhillipsApr 8, 2019, 9:10 PM EDT
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St. John’s head coach Chris Mullin is expected to step down from his position with an official announcement this week.

First reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Mullin will exit his alma mater after four seasons at the helm. Even though St. John’s athletic director Mike Cragg said that Mullin would be back next season as head coach with a statement only a few days ago, Mullin will step aside after a disappointing tenure.

One of the greatest players in program history, Mullin’s hiring was met with a lot of local excitement. After landing some talented recruits, those expectations grew even bigger. But Mullin was never able to make a significant postseason run as he struggled to gain traction in a tough Big East.

During his tenure, Mullin finished 59-73 overall and 20-52 in the Big East as St. John’s had a disappointing end to this season after a 12-0 start. Flaming out in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA tournament after barely making into the Field of 68, the Red Storm suffered a blowout loss to Arizona State in Dayton to end their season.

Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley could be an option to make a move back to the East coast as his name is already being linked to the St. John’s opening.

“Chris Mullin is our coach,” St. John’s AD says

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By Travis HinesApr 6, 2019, 3:44 PM EDT
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Chris Mullin will be back at St. John’s next year, according to the school’s athletic director.

“Let me be clear and I said from the start, Coach Mullin is our head coach and we are not looking for another head coach,” Mike Cragg said in a statement released to Jeff Goodman of Stadium.

Speculation had begun to run rampant regarding Mullin after he completed his fourth season at his alma mater with an NCAA tournament exit in the First Four. It was the first NCAA tournament appearance for the Red Storm under Mullin, who has gone 59-73 overall and 20-52 in the Big East without a single winning season in conference play.

The lack of success isn’t the only issue facing St. John’s as a pair of departure have hurt the program as well. Shamorie Ponds, one of the Big East’s best players last year, has announced his plans to go pro without the intent to return to school. Mullin also lost assistant Matt Abdelmassih, who had recruited the bulk of the Red Storm roster, to Nebraska and Fred Hoiberg.

The program has had momentum and success in small supply in four seasons, and what little there was last season – Mullin’s first with a winning record – looks as though it will be difficult to sustain going forward.