Chris Mullin outburst evokes memories of the old St. John's vs Georgetown rivalry at Madison Square Garden

It was — almost refreshingly — like the halcyon days of the Big East all over again when St. John's met Georgetown at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night especially when the Redmen's — I mean Red Storm's — head coach Chris Mullin had to be held back from going after the Hoyas bench in the second half of the opening game of this season's Big East Tournament.

Mullin stormed over to confront Georgetown coach John Thompson III after rough play between players under the basket escalated and probably rekindled the rough house style of play he remembers during the classic battles between the two teams back in the 80's.

With 8:35 left, and the eighth-seeded Johnnies holding a 59-55 lead in the hard fought game, a melee nearly broke out. After Amar Alibegovic fouled L.J. Peak hard on a drive, Peak got up, and got in Alibegovic’s face. Bradley Hayes followed by pushing Alibegovic. That was quickly broken up. But moments later, a fired up Mullin exchanged words with Peak then JT3 before being held back by his players. Alibegovic was assessed a flagrant one foul, and Mullin and Georgetown assistant coach Patrick Ewing Jr. were both given technical fouls.

Chris Mullin Making College Basketball Great Again! pic.twitter.com/k9CScjsqy1

— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) March 9, 2017

Mullin's players responded by hanging on, 74-73, to give their second year coach his first postseason victory and the program it’s first Big East Tournament win since 2011. St. John’s will meet No. 1 Villanova in the quarterfinals Thursday at noon.

After the game, the two coaches shook hands like nothing happened but the names — Mullin, Thompson, Ewing — stirred up visions of Big East glory days past and might signal the resurgence of a new St. John's vs Georgetown era.

All we need is a little Carnesecca.

Former St. John's 7'1" basketball recruit Zach Brown in jail again

Former St. John's basketball recruit Zach Brown has found himself in more trouble with the law. The 7-foot-1 Brown, who seems to be building a rap sheet almost as long as his wingspan, was taken back to jail on Thursday after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. His older brother and accomplice, Clayton was also locked up again.

Police picked up the two men at Motel Blu in Miami. Records show they both recently failed to show up in court for traffic tickets, according to SlaterScoops.

The 19-year-old Brown, ranked the No. 35 player in the class of 2017 by ESPN, was arrested January with the same brother for allegedly stealing money from a Florida Walgreen’s cash register. He was charged with first-degree petty theft misdemeanor, driving with a suspended license and an expired tag.

St. John’s had released the once-prized recruit from his national letter of intent following his January arrest. Brown was also charged last May with credit card fraud and robbery in Miami.

Brown grew up in poverty and was living in the Liberty City section of Miami before he was adopted by Michael Lipman in 2013, reported USA Today. Brown and his brother bounced around high schools in Miami and Connecticut leaving a wake of trouble in their dust. The court had taken pair away from their biological mother and their aunt, who was given custody, but said she was no longer willing to raise them.

“They come from the most horrific situation you could imagine,” Lipman said of Zach and his brother. “The judge said he had never seen a worse case.”

That may be but, in a sport which has seen more than its share of young players throw it all away, Brown's choice to piss away a college scholarship and, most likely, a professional career for chump change is more than a sad, it's a pity.

And he probably won't see things any clearer through that eye shadow.

Shamorie Ponds leads St. John’s to 76-73 win over No. 13 Butler in Big East opener

Shamorie Ponds scored 26 points, including four free throws in the final 9.1 seconds, as St. John’s upset No. 13 Butler 76-73 in the Big East opener for both teams at Carnesecca Arena Thursday night.

“I was just confident. I was confident going to the foul line and saying, ‘I’m going to make these two free throws,’” the Brooklyn-bred freshman said after the victory.

The Red Storm (7-7, 1-0), coming off last week’s overpowering 33-point win at Syracuse, came back from a ten point deficit with the Bulldogs (11-2, 0-1) before taking the lead at 72-71 on a free throw by Malik Ellison with 14.1 seconds left.

St. John’s kept the ball on the second miss and Ponds was fouled. He made two free throws before Tyler Lewis of Butler countered with the same at 6.7 seconds left. Ponds added two more with 6.2 seconds to go. Kelan Martin of Butler let a shot go from half-court at the buzzer that hit the rim before giving the young Red Storm team its first Big East victory of the season.

Tie game!!!! Malik Ellison with the steal and score to knot it at 69! pic.twitter.com/DknCw8SWqF

— St. John's BBall (@StJohnsBBall) December 30, 2016

“He’s a really phenomenal player, but he also has that (calm and cool) personality,” Johnnies coach Chris Mullin said of Ponds. “That is his demeanor on and off the court.”

Bashir Ahmed added 19 points for the Red Storm.

Tyler Wideman had 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Bulldogs, and Martin scored 13.

The win ended Butler’s four-game winning streak over the Red Storm and stopped a streak of losses in St. John’s last four conference openers.

St. John's embarrasses Syracuse with 93-60 rout at the Carrier Dome

St. John's handed Syracuse its worst loss in the 36-year history of the Carrier Dome, after the Red Storm overpowered the Orangemen (excuuuse me, the Orange) 93-60 on the famed court.

Wednesday night's 33-point win marked the second largest victory by St. John's over Syracuse and was the first time that a Jim Boeheim-coached team has lost five non-conference games in the regular season.

Syracuse fans even booed their beloved Orange off the court before it was all over after Boeheim waved the white flag and emptied his bench with almost three minutes to go.

Three St. John’s players scored in double figures, the Red Storm scored 32 points on 19 Syracuse turnovers and outscored the Orange 36-12 from beyond the arc in overwhelming their former Big East rivals. But not before the game turned into lob city for the Storm.

It was lob city in the Carrier Dome tonight! Full highlights on the St. John's Red Storm YouTube page! #SJUBB #WeAreNewYorksTeam pic.twitter.com/R4sOJEFMDi

— St. John's BBall (@StJohnsBBall) December 22, 2016

“I didn’t get them ready to do what they needed to do. We just didn’t execute on defense or offense. St. John’s did. That was the game,” Boeheim said. “This is on me, not the players.”

Syracuse’s previous worst loss at the Dome was by 24 points against Seton Hall in 1998.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and was the third straight for St. John’s (6-7) over Syracuse (7-5) in three years.

St. John’s coach Chris Mullin was at a loss to explain his team’s dominating performance.

“I really can’t explain it, especially with the game we’re coming off (a 92-76 loss against Penn State). We’ve been up and down. The one thing about our team is that we’re young, we’re inexperienced,” said Mullin. “When you get effort and energy and share the ball, and do the right things, at some point things will work.”

The game was tied at 14 with 12:17 to go in the first half. From that point on, the Red Storm outscored Syracuse 79-46 — 54-31 in the second half. Syracuse climbed to within six early in the second half on six straight points from Dajuan Coleman, but St. John’s answered with six and ran away after that.

Shamorie Ponds led St. John’s with 21 points. Bashir Ahmed added 20 points and Malik Ellison 16.

Ellison scored eight straight points on two 3-pointers and put-back to tie the game at 12. The game was tied at 14 when the Red Storm went on a 19-4 run to take a 33-18 lead. The Red Storm hit four consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 1:36 during the run. St. John’s held a 39-29 halftime lead.

Dagmara Wozniak helps lead U.S. fencing team to Bronze medal

The U.S. women's fencing contingent came into the Olympic team sabre event Saturday with a chip on their shoulders after coming away relatively disappointed in the individual competitions. But as team, they found reason to celebrate after winning the bronze medal, beating Italy 45-30 and matching the 2008 bronze-medal finish in Beijing.

Led by a duo of determined Olympic veterans Dagmara Wozniak — the purple-haired St. John's alum who earned her first Olympic medal after being an alternate in Beijing and placing eighth individually in London — and Mariel Zagunis — who was on the 2008 team and now adds a fourth Olympic medal to her collection. They were joined by Ibtihaj Muhammad and Monica Aksamit, both appearing in their first Olympic Games.

Muhammad, who became the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab during competition earlier this week, can now proudly bring a bronze medal back home to New Jersey with her.

After losing a close semifinals match, 45-42, against eventual Gold medal winner Russia, team USA built up a lead against Italy before Muhammad started to lose ground against her Italian opponent, Irene Vecchi, in the third bout.

 Zagunis, the most decorated U.S. fencer of all time, yelled support “It’s OK, it’s OK” from behind the piste and Muhammad ended the third bout in a 5-5 tie with Team USA still in the lead at 15-11.

While the Italians drew closer in the seventh bout, winning for the first time 8-5, it was Wozniak who extended the lead again to 40-27 overall. Zagunis anchored the team, closing out with a 5-3 bout, and leading the team in a well deserved group hug after the victory.

For St. John's, that means two former Red Storm fencers went home with medals in Rio.

Daryl Homer took home a Silver earlier in the week. Homer, a 26-year-old from the Bronx, born in the Virgin Islands, became the first American to win a silver medal in men’s individual sabre in 112 years.

St. John's and Seton Hall players scuffle during post-game handshake (VIDEO)

After trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half, St. John's made a strong second half comeback before losing 62-61 to their arch rival Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden Sunday.

The Red Storm struggled down the stretch as the Pirates almost let their NCAA Tournament bubble hopes get popped by the Big East bottom-dwellers.

Even though Seton Hall (19-7, 9-5) avoided what would have been a horrible loss to St. John's (8-20, 1-14), tempers were still heated in the postgame handshake line when a scuffle between the two teams led to several Pirates players pulling teammate Derrick Gordon off the court.

Things got testy after it appears that St. John's' Durand Johnson had a few choice words for Seton Hall star Isaiah Whitehead after the officials had already exited the floor.

Seton Hall and St. John's exchanging words #sjubb #shubb https://t.co/lyUwaRsIBm

— Terrence Payne (@terrence_payne) February 21, 2016

The tense scene carried over from the game after the Red Storm had a one point lead with five seconds left but the officials made a questionable foul call on Ron Mvouika that sent Whitehead to the line. Whitehead nailed both free throws and the Johnnies failed to get a shot off to win it with two seconds remaining.

Then the fight erupted.

Fight broke out on the court after the game. pic.twitter.com/PT99s24GAP

— Emily Van Buskirk (@Emilnem) February 21, 2016

St. John’s snaps 16-game losing streak with 80-65 win over DePaul

It's been 31 years since Chris Mullin participated in Big East victory and finally, now as the St. John's coach, the former Johnnies star is back in the win column.

Mullin won 44 Big East regular-season games as a player at St. John’s, but it took 14 Big East games to get his first conference win as a coach.

The Red Storm snapped a school-record 16-game losing streak (including a 0-13 start in the Big East) with a 80-65 victory over DePaul Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena on Bill Wennington Bobblehead Night — in honor of Mullin’s former teammate on that wondrous 1985 Final Four team.

Federico Mussini scored all 17 of his points in the second half for the Johnnies (8-19, 1-13) in their first victory of 2016 and their first since beating former Big East rival Syracuse, 84-72, at the Garden on Dec. 13.

“It’s somewhat of a relief and somewhat justified,” Mullin said. “They got a win and they had played well enough to win. They just haven’t broken through. You can only do so much. They have to break through themselves.”

The Red Storm were in front by nine at the end of the first half, but didn't seem to know how to handle a lead. They let the Blue Demons (8-17, 2-11) open the second half on an 8-0 run to jump ahead, 32-31.

The Johnnies got the lead right back on a rebound basket by Felix Balamou and they never gave it back. Mussini had half the points in a 14-2 run that gave St. John’s a 54-37 lead with 9:12 to play. The Red Storm stretched it to 20 with six minutes left.

DePaul got as close as 74-65 in the frenetic final few minutes.

“From a basketball point it was brutal,” Mullin said of the streak. “But they can’t take this to the next game. They have to perform. They’ll feel better about themselves but the preparation and approach won’t vary.”

And maybe a Walter Berry Bobblehead Night wouldn't hurt either.

St. John's rallies back from 16 down to beat 'out-hearted' Rutgers

It's totally illogical how St. John's could shoot 32.3 percent from the field and make only 13 of 24 foul shots yet come from 16 points down in the second half to pull out a 61-59 win over Rutgers in front of a roaring crowd of 4,540 Thursday night at Carnesecca Arena.

But frustrated Scarlet Knights coach Eddie Jordan had an answer.

"I told my team they 'out-hearted' us," Jordan said. "I've never used that term in my coaching career, but I'm using it tonight."

And Jordan had good reason to fume. It took a big effort for St. John's (3-0) to overcome a 45-29 lead by Rutgers (2-1). The Red Storm didn't score its first point of the second half until 16:20 remained and didn't make its first field goal of the half until Felix Balamou hit a layup at the 13:53 mark.

That Balamou was playing at all was a plus for the Red Storm after he missed the first two games of the season because of an NCAA eligibility issue. He came off the bench to score eight points, grab 11 rebounds, dish out seven assists and commit only one turnover. Red Storm coach Chris Mullin put the ball in his hands for long stretches in the second half, and it solved the St. John's turnover problem.

"He had seven assists and one turnover, and that's huge at any level," Mullin said. " . . . Thanks to [interim athletic director and general counsel] Joe Oliva, we found out he was eligible at 4:30 this afternoon."

After the Red Storm took a 60-59 lead, Mussini forced a Rutgers turnover that led to Christian Jones' foul shot for a 61-59 lead with 6.5 seconds left. Rutgers' Corey Sanders tried to drive to the basket but was shut off and kicked to Daniels, who hit a three-pointer — but it went through after the buzzer.

"At one point, we couldn't make a shot, but we hung in and stayed positive and gave ourselves a shot," Mullin said. "We were fortunate to win in the end."

That's heart.

St. John's opens Chris Mullin era with 32-point loss to Division II school

Chris Mullin knew his first year at St. John's was going to be rough, but the new head coach might be calling his mentor and former coach Lou Carnesecca out of retirement after how bad it started Wednesday night in Queens.

Mullin opened his Red Storm coaching career with with an embarrassing 90-58 exhibition loss to Division II St. Thomas Aquinas.

That's right. A Big East team lost to tiny St. Thomas Aquinas by 32 points.

But the former St. John's and NBA star took the loss in stride.

"You have to give the other team a lot of credit," Mullin said of the exhibition match. "They played hard, they played together and aggressive. This will be a tremendous teaching tool. A lot of our guys have not played in a college basketball game, and we tried to emulate that in practice and the scrimmage, but it's different. We have to learn from this."

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 61.8 percent in the first half and led 50-34 at the break. The Spartans finished at 48 percent and had only 14 turnovers. The Red Storm shot 36.7 percent and had 27 turnovers against the Spartans full-court press.

Justin Reyes had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Spartans, and Chaz Walter added 18 points.

Federico Mussini led St. John's with 16 points. 

St. John's will face Sonoma State on Saturday in another exhibition game, then open the regular season Nov. 13 against Wagner.

While St. Thomas goes on to face those real powerhouses on their schedule: St. Anselm, Felician and Daemen.

Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond to reunite on St. John’s coaching bench

St. John’s will be reuniting two of the three members of the infamous Run TMC trio from the 1990s Warriors teams on its coaching staff and, if Red Storm basketball is only two-thirds as exciting as that legendary group, St. John's fans are in for a treat.

Chris Mullin had already become the Red Storm’s new head coach, returning to his alma mater following time spent in the NBA as a Hall of Fame player and also as a team executive. Now Mullin has hired former Golden State Warriors teammate Mitch Richmond — himself a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame —  to serve the program as a special assistant, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.

All that’s missing from the popular Run TMC Warriors teams of the early 90s now is Tim Hardaway. In 1990-91, Richmond, Mullin and Hardaway averaged a combined 72.5 points, the second-best output by three players on one team in the league’s history.

“I am really excited to begin this new chapter of my basketball career at St. John’s University,” Richmond said in a statement. “Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to learn from great coaches who were mentors on and off the court. I look forward to passing along this knowledge and putting in the work to help elevate this program. Mully and I were always coaches on the floor, so I am thrilled to join him for this new venture.”

And there won’t be a better shooting coaching staff in the country. Richmond, has spent time as a scout with the Warriors, will be Mullin’s special assistant, a role similar to the one Gene Keady held on former coach Steve Lavin’s staff.

“Mitch is committed to helping us build this program and develop an environment for sustained success at St. John’s,” Mullin said. “He has tremendous basketball insight, a vision for the game and a passion to share his knowledge. Obviously, his experience in different roles throughout his career as a player, scout and mentor will have an impact in many areas.”

St. John’s also is expected to announce the hiring of its third assistant coach, Greg St. Jean — the son of former Warriors coach Garry St. Jean — which would complete a comprehensive staff that already includes experienced assistant coaches and top-notch recruiters Barry “Slice” Rohrssen and Matt Abdelmassih.

Since last spring, St. John’s has almost completely turned over its roster, bringing in nine new players. Now it's coaching staff will have all new faces too.

So charge up that old boom box, dust off those Bell Biv Devoe cassettes and lace up those Adidas, its fast break time in Queens.

Chris Mullin lands top NYC recruit Shamorie Ponds for St. John's: Report

In what can only be called laying a solid cornerstone for the future of St. John’s basketball, Chris Mullin landed one of New York City’s top players Tuesday when Shamorie Ponds, a 6-1 guard from Thomas Jefferson High in Brooklyn, verbally committed to the Red Storm program.

“It felt like a perfect fit,” Ponds said at a press conference. “It is close to home. I’m St. John’s No. 1 recruit for the class of 2016 and they are putting the ball in my hands.”

In landing Ponds, Mullin, the first-year coach, already has done what his predecessor, Steve Lavin, had a hard time doing — keep the city’s top talent in the city.

"It was a long process," Ponds said at Tuesday's presser. "I'm attending the University of St. John's."

And nobody seemed happier than Matt Abdelmassih — the Johnnies new assistant coach and recruiter.

Just jumped up and down as people looked at me weird at my hotel in Prague. Great day for St John's & NYC #sjubb

— Matt Abdelmassih (@mabde33) September 29, 2015

The smooth-shooting Ponds is a four-star recruit and is rated as a top 50 recruit nationally by recruiting services Rivals and Scout. Ponds made an official visit to the school last month.

Ponds picked the Red Storm over Providence and Creighton, and becoming the first top local player to join Mullin’s program.

“I guess I can set an example,” he said. “This is basically a dream come true. I always wanted to stay home, play in front of my family.”

Arizona recently expressed interest and Ponds had offers from the likes of Minnesota, Miami, South Carolina, Seton Hall and Oklahoma as well. But his hometown school won out.

“They love me here,” Ponds said. “There’s no arena like Madison Square Garden. [Mullin] said, ‘If you put on a show there, you can write your own ticket.’”

Ponds, a southpaw with a sweet 3-point stroke, is the highest-rated local player to pick St. John’s since Maurice Harkless committed to play there under former coach Steve Lavin in August 2011. 

Ponds led Jefferson to the city finals two years ago and the semifinals last year, when he averaged 25 points per game, 8.6 rebounds.

Chris Mullin, St. John's sign four-star forward Kassoum Yakwe: Report

Chris Mullin continued his quest to keep top New York area prospects from slipping away and on Sunday the first year St. John's head coach announced the signing of four-star forward Kassoum Yakwe from Long Island.

Yakwe, from Our Savior New American school,  is the highest-rated of nine recruits signed by Mullin's staff. The 6'7" forward is a consensus top-100 recruit who was rated as high as No. 57 by major recruiting services.

Yakwe, a native of Mali and originally in the class of 2016, will reclassify and enroll for the fall semester, the school announced. Yakwe chose nearby St. John's over Oregon. A talented shot-blocker and lanky athlete, Yakwe excels on the defensive end but has continued to develop his game offensively.

He averaged 10 points and four rebounds last year at OSNA while playing in the shadow of Cheick Diallo, a top-10 recruit who wound up at Kansas. But on the AAU circuit, Yakwe was named Nike Elite Youth Basketball League defensive player of the year, averaging 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks for the PSA Cardinals.

In five games at the prestigious Peach Jam tournament in July, Yakwe posted 9.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game and shot 67.9 percent from the field.

"We are excited to welcome Kassoum to St. John's University and our basketball program," Mullin said in a statement. "He possesses tremendous athleticism, has good instincts and will be a defensive presence. Kassoum is humble and has an endearing personality, which are important characteristics to team-building."

Yakwe is expected to be eligible for the Red Storm's 2015-16 season.

Steve Lavin, St. John’s ‘mutually agree’ to part ways: Report

Steve Lavin will no longer be the men's basketball coach at St. John's, the school announced Friday, after the two sides mutually parted ways.

The news comes days after reports said Lavin was in talks over a contract extension and one week after the Red Storm were bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round. Those extension talks didn't last long, as reports later stated his job was in jeopardy.

“Coach Lavin returned high expectations to our men’s basketball program and represented St. John’s in a positive way,” St. John's athletic director Chris Monasch said in a statement. “We appreciate his commitment to the program and to our student-athletes over the past five years. Our student-athletes represented the University well, especially our five-member senior class who excelled on the court, inside the classroom and within the community.”

Lavin did a lot of good at St. John's. He raised the profile of the basketball program, won 20 games 3 times and most will say he left the program in better shape now than when he got here. After all, he took the program to the 2011 NCAA Tournament for the first time after a nine-year drought but critics point out it was a roster filled mostly with previous coach Norm Roberts' recruits. And in postseason play, Lavin’s teams did not fare well. They were 1-5 in the Big East Tournament, 1-2 in the NIT and 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.  

While Lavin went 21-12 during the 2014-15 season, and compiled a decent 81-55 record over five years, he never seemed to get the team over the hump.

And the disappointing 12 point loss to San Diego State in Charlotte last week — due largely because of the suspension of Chris Obekpa — was probably the last hinge to his fate despite all of the talk about the contract extension.

Granted, Lavin coached only four games in 2011-12 after bravely battling prostate cancer surgery, but there was always the academically ineligible recruits, untimely player suspensions and relatively low profile for a team in the nation's biggest media market that kept his job in question.

“In life change is inevitable, so I take the long view. I'm grateful for my time teaching at St. John’s University,” Lavin said in a statement. “I will take with me the lasting friendships forged during my tenure as Head Coach. I'm proud of our results both on and off the court — in particular our memorable runs to the NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2015. Most importantly, I take pride in our performance in the classroom having graduated our student athletes who will represent the institution in a first class manner."

Lavin is a decent man of principles and a well-liked coach but, with his senior-laden team all but gone, it seemed the time was right for the Red Storm to begin all over again.

And something tells me you'll be hearing the names Mullin and Hurley around Carneseca Arena a lot in the next few weeks. And maybe Mark Jackson.

Chris Mullin, Danny Hurley among favorites to be new St. John's coach, sources tell @SNYtv http://t.co/BoYje1MLiO
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 27, 2015

St. John's suspends starting C Chris Obekpa for two weeks: Report

One of the best shot blockers in the country might have just swatted away St. John's chances at making the NCAA Tournament.

St. John's coach Steve Lavin announced on Sunday afternoon junior center Chris Obekpa will be suspended for two weeks, citing a violation of team rules — just hours before the selection committee decides which at-large teams will be invited to the tournament, reported CBS Sports.

"If St. John's were to advance in the postseason, Obekpa would not be available for the Red Storm's games prior to March 29," according to the school. 

And if the suspension plays a factor in the committee's decision to omit St. John's from the tournament, it means the 2015 senior class of Red Storm players will have never had played a single game in The Big Dance during their four years at the university.

Not to mention Lavin's first time at the Queens school with his own recruiting class.

"All of the young men associated with our program are held to standards consistent with the aims and mission of our university," Lavin said in a statement. "Accountability is tied to the decision making of our student-athletes. It is our hope Chris will learn from this experience."

But Red Storm fans couldn't believe the timing:

You mean to tell me #stjohns couldn't have waited until AFTER the #SelectionShow for this info on #ChrisObekpa to come out? #Wow #pcbb
— Chris Torello (@ChrisTorello11) March 15, 2015

Entering Sunday, the Johnnies were slotted as a No. 8 seed by CBSSports.com bracketologist Jerry Palm.

The 6-foot-10 Obekpa averaged 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 points and 3.2 blocks, his rejects per game was fifth-best in the country. St. John's is 21-11 this season and lost in the Big East quarterfinals on Thursday to Providence.

St. John's' D'angelo Harrison gets a close-up view of Chris Obekpa's short-shorts (VIDEO)

St. John's center Chris Obekpa rocked some retro short-shorts against Minnesota during the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal game at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night.

And the Red Storm's D'Angelo Harrison got a close up view of the John Stockton specials when he slipped through the 6'10" Obekpa's legs on this play:

Harrison looks very glad that his teammate stands 6'10" — and not a few inches shorter.

St. John's forward Chris Obekpa is rocking the old-school look with his shorts in the NIT Season Tip-Off. pic.twitter.com/C0X3XFQalp
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 27, 2014

Steve Lavin schools player on court during St. John's-Villanova game

St. John's coach Steve Lavin has one of the youngest teams in the nation and it takes a lot to get through to his kids. On Wednesday night Lavin showed why he wears those red and white sneakers during the Red Storm games.

Lavin's talented, shapeless and short-handed team was hanging on to a 29-26 lead in their second-round Big East Tournament game against Villanova when the coach didn't like the way sophomore forward Sir'Dominic Pointer was defending a Wildcats inbound pass.

A frustrated Lavin called a time out, raced to the baseline under the net and showed Pointer how to keep passer at bay.

Even the referee got a laugh out of Lavin's on the court coaching session before he indicated, "Hey, give me the ball back."



Pointer might have been a little rusty since it was his first game back after a one game suspension for a fight at Notre Dame last week.

As for Lavin, it'll be back to the chalk board teaching his kids — who dropped the game, 66-53 — and hoping a NIT bid is in the future.

If they get one — you might see the coach in a uniform too.

St. John's suspends D'Angelo Harrison for rest of season

D'Angelo Harrison, the captain and leading scorer for St. John's has been suspended for the rest of the  regular season and any postseason tournaments, the university announced Friday.

Head coach Steve Lavin made the announcement without giving any reason for the suspension.

The loss of Harrison pretty much bursts St. John's NCAA bubble chances and leaves a giant hole in their offense.  He led the team in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game, which is third in the Big East.

Harrison, who has already missed games for disciplinary reasons, has tried the patience of the coaching staff all season, said sources. They said his immaturity has become a point of issue.

Harrison met with Lavin and is in discussions with his family whether or not to remain with the Red Storm.

"I had a productive meeting with D'Angelo yesterday. He has a bright future in basketball and I'm optimistic his time away from our team will be of value," said Lavin.

The loss of the 6-3 guard from suburban Houston couldn't come at a worse time for the Johnnies. They are 16-11 overall and 8-7 in the Big East and hanging onto a slim chance of making the NCAA tournament.  The Red Storm face a streaking Providence team before ending the season against nationally-ranked Notre Dame and Marquette.

Earlier this season, Harrison — a preseason Big East second-team selection — became a member of St. John's 1,000 point club.

St. John's beats UCLA to snap 4-game losing streak

D'Angelo Harrison scored 22 points and Phil Greene made a huge rebound with 6.5 seconds to play but it was Sir' Dominic Pointer's crowd-pleasing dunk that set the tone as St. John's defeated UCLA 66-63 on Saturday  at Madison Square Garden.

Pointer's dunk with 13:16 left seem to invigorate the Red Storm and got the home crowd into the game.

"Climbing the imaginary ladder" as CBS announcer Ian Eagle called Pointer's jam.

St. John's (11-16) snapped a four game losing streak and the win might be called sweet revenge for last year's loss at UCLA.  The California school was Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin's former team.

Dion Waiters' Breakaway Dunk Brings Down Madison Square Garden House

Syracuse's Dion Waiters' tremendous open court breakaway dunk was the exclamation point on a 95-70 rout of St. John's at Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon.

Waiters followed up one crowd-pleasing Orange dunk after another by stuffing the ball through the rim with his right hand over his head while the St. John's defenders could only watch and admire.

The sophomore guard then glared at the roaring crowd of 19,979 before heading back on defense as his teammates rejoiced.

The Red Storm were manhandled all afternoon on their supposed home court.  The Garden stands seemed to have been flooded by orange and anyone in red seemed shell shocked during the Syracuse onslaught.

 After Waiters powerful slam gave 'Cuse a 70-46 lead, cheers of "Let's Go Orange" filled the arena with 9:16 left in the game.

Second-ranked Syracuse (23-1, 10-1) was just too physical for the younger,  undermanned and smaller St. John's (10-13, 4-7) team.

The win gave Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim his 879th win tying him with Dean Smith on the all-time victories list.

The Red Storm got off to a 5-0 lead and hung tough with the much bigger Orangemen but couldn't keep up with the deeper and taller visitors.

Syracuse took control of the game with about eight minutes to go and lead by as much as 59-31 after a dunk by seven-footer Fab Melo with 13 minutes remaining in the Big East match-up.

Melo—back from a three-game academic suspension— finished the game with a career high 14 points.

The home-town Johnnies fans are probably saying " 'Cuse me Waiters, there seems to be some fly in my hoop."

St. John's New "Wonder Five" Defeats West Virginia

St. John's sent five freshman out for the opening tip-off last night against West Virginia and never looked back in a 78-62 victory at Madison Square Garden.

It is believed to be the first time the university began a game with  five freshman since their 1927-28 team which later become known as the "Wonder Five."

Head coach Steve Lavin may have been watching his team from an luxury suite a few tiers above the action below— while recuperating from prostate cancer surgery— but it was his suggestion to assistant coach Mike Dunlap to start the five frosh.


"It's a lineup that coach Lavin has talked about in our staff meetings," said Dunlap.  "He just said 'When you feel it, do it' and I felt it today."

The five freshman— part of last year's highly anticipated recruiting class— put together one of the Red Storm's most complete games of the season and ended a four-game losing streak.

 

St. John's fans have been waiting all season to see some evidence of what is considered the greatest incoming class in the school's history.  Last night, they saw some harbingers of things (now woefully lacking) hopefully to come— defense and finishing.

While Lavin's suggestion worked brilliantly on Wednesday night, the team lacks height and is still only seven men deep.  Only Malik Stith has a full Big East season under his belt and actually knows how brutal the Big East schedule can be.

Last night there were more than a few groans after the Mountaineers (15-6, 6-3) went on a 13-2 run to trim the Storm's lead to 68-59 with less than three minutes left.  Even with a lead, there is still doubt in the hearts of Storm fans.

Amir Garrett, Phil Greene, Moe Harkless, D'Angelo Harrison and Sir' Dominic Pointer showed their poise and led a St. John's (9-11, 3-6) team that shot better (.484 FG) and finally closed out the game— especially after the blown ten-point second half lead against Villanova on Saturday still fresh in their minds.

A blocked shot by God's Gift Achiuwa into the hands of Phil Greene, who raced down court to make the score 73-59 with 2:15 left, turned the groans into victory cheers.

If any one can understand the virtue of patience and preach it to his young team through example, it's Lavin.

The coach isn't sure when he will return to the bench— it could be next season— but is still recruiting and recuperating.

"I'll definitely be back on the sidelines, but I have to be mindful of the doctor's advice about doing what's best for my health," he said.  "I am doing a disservice to our current team and to our program if I don't make the prudent choices for my health."

Even West Virginia coach Bob Huggins was asked about starting five freshmen and compared it to Michigan's famed squad which beat his Cincinnati team in the NCAA semifinals.

"In 1992, I saw the Fab Five and I didn't like that much," Huggins said.  "I didn't like this much more.  They are talented guys."

Just a reminder to the new "Wonder Five." The original group went on a 24-game win streak two years later.