DAN’S THE MAN
Rubin: With Lavin out, St. John’s should go after Hurley
Steve Lavin (inset) and St. John’s agree to part ways, and the Johnnies should go all-out to land Dan Hurley, member of Jersey hoops royalty.
LOS ANGELES — The old guard at St. John’s still thinks it’s 1985. They remember when the Johnnies were among the elite, regularly sitting in the Top 25, always vying for the best players in New York. So it would make sense that they would want Chris Mullin, the program’s greatest icon, to be Steve Lavin’s replacement.
But it’s not 1985. It’s 2015, and the hire St. John’s needs to make is a man who knows about building things from the ground up, knows the recruiting scene in the area and has a vision for the Red Storm.
That’s not Mullin. That’s Dan Hurley.
The Daily News spoke to a confidant of the Rhode Island coach Friday and got this: “Dan’s always thought St. John’s can be a destination again.”
The Red Storm is coming off its second NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons, but it doesn’t look like there will be much in the way of players awaiting Lavin’s replacement. The senior backbone is graduating, sophomore guard Rysheed Jordan is almost certainly bolting and junior center Chris Obekpa is a complete unknown. That sure sounds like a rebuilding project. Hurley knows those. He has turned two hobbled programs — Wagner and Rhody — into sustainable winners.
Hurley is extensively connected in the New York/New Jersey high school and AAU scenes from his time coaching at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark. St. John’s would allow him to court the best players in the area. Hurley’s father, Bob Sr., is the Hall of Fame coach at powerhouse St. Anthony in Jersey City. Dan told The News earlier this season that he hoped one day to be able to recruit players out of his father’s program. With the Storm he could.
If the Johnnies couldn’t make Hurley work, Manhattan’s Steve Masiello is nearby and has many similarly appealing qualities.
Masiello revitalized the Jaspers and is New York through and through. Masiello has a pair of NCAA Tournament trips that Hurley doesn’t, but also has Degree Gate.
Both have what St. John’s needs. Better, both sound like they want it.
Someone in Masiello’s camp told The News on Friday “Steve thinks St. John’s can be a national powerhouse and get New York behind it again.”
It would be completely understandable if St. John’s wants past glory to find new success and targets Mullin or Mark Jackson. The splash would be awesome — and might appeal to first-year president Conrado (Bobby) Gempesaw — and it would invigorate parts of the long-dormant fan base, sell tickets and bring out donors. Mullin’s name was hot minutes after the Lavin announcement.
The News spoke to Mullin, a Sacramento Kings adviser, on Friday before the news broke. He hadn’t been approached about the job. Was he interested? “Not right now. I’m trying to get us ready for the draft,” he replied. And let’s not forget that Mullin has never coached on any level. It could be a big score, maybe recapture the magic. Or maybe it goes like Clyde Drexler’s return to Houston. Whatever direction Gempesaw and his advisers have chosen, they need to go there fast before the spring recruiting season is in full bloom.
If there’s no plan, we’re about to get a political convention where no one gets the nomination on the first vote. Factions with influence will back candidates and we could get mudslinging.
Anyone remember Paul Hewitt vs. Matt Doherty vs. Mullin before Norm Roberts was hired?
The school’s financial situation could be an unwanted X-factor. St. John’s is cash-strapped with a cratering enrollment. It has been down-sizing departments with buyouts for about two years. It also owes Lavin almost $2 million, and there is nothing in the budget for paying a second coach. When it comes to money, St. John’s fans always look toward Mike Repole, who made his fortune with the Vitaminwater brand. But a coach’s salary isn’t exactly “what have you got on you?” money. And to place that expectation on one individual, no matter how much he or she loves St. John’s, might be asking too much. It shouldn’t come down to that. Brandon Sampson of Louisiana, a big-time blue-chipper who committed to St. John’s, has reportedly reopened his recruiting but says St. John’s is still a possibility. And a source told The News that when Sampson committed, it was as much about New York and playing at the Garden as it was about Lavin. So again, speed is of the essence.
The administration put itself on trial a little when it decided to replace Lavin. A plan is what St. John’s ought to have.
And that plan should start with getting Hurley on the phone now.