5 questions for...Tim Brando
Fox Sports play-by-play man Tim Brando talks with The Post’s Justin Terranova about St. John’s loss at Providence, Saturday night’s clash with Seton Hall, and Zion Williamson’s freak injury. Q: How much did the loss to Providence hurt St. John’s?
A: It is typical in so many ways. Like a lot of teams, they have issues with dealing with a full cup of success. That’s the part of the criticism that is out there of (Chris Mullin) that’s warranted. Beating Villanova, that’s just a game. How much credibility you build off of that win depends on if you can back it up.
Q: Overall, you are a fan of Mullin, though?
A: He is a breath of fresh air for guys like me because he doesn’t take himself or his position too seriously. His approach is unique, but I think it works. I’ve been in this business long enough to know there are different ways to be successful as a head coach. If St. John’s didn’t come back and win some of these games, it would not be as easy for me to tell you this. But they’ve won enough to be a tournament team. His approach isn’t conventional, not by a long shot, but some in coaching can take this way too seriously. He has kind of broken those stereotypes.
Q: How important is this game vs. Seton Hall?
A: Both of these teams just have to be thinking, they don’t want to have a stress test in the Garden (for the Big East Tournament) needing to win one game to get into the NCAA Tournament. St. John’s beating Villanova has to make them feel a little better. The clogged-up group we see in that conference, every team now is playing with selection-day stress. Q: What was it like being inside Cameron when Williamson was hurt? A: I’ve been doing games at Cameron for four decades — I’ve never heard the hush across the crowd like that. The place is just going bananas and then sudden quiet. That was unique. From our vantage point, without replay, we couldn’t tell that the shoe exploded. My first thoughts were that he slipped, like if the floor was wet. Q: Were you surprised by how his teammates reacted to it? A: It was compelling how all these future lottery picks, who are freshman, were so shocked, stunned and had no time to recover from it. The fallout was palpable. They were suddenly kids, not these phenoms that had been playing so well. It was amazing how humanizing it was for them. How can we do what we do without our engine? The concern from the crowd, coaching staff everything changed.