Chris Mullin stepped down as St. John’s head coach on Tuesday, with speculation falling on Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley as his replacement.
FILE PHOTO: Mar 20, 2019; Dayton, OH, USA; St. John’s Red Storm head coach Chris Mullin dribbles the ball down the court in the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
“We thank Coach Mullin for all of his contributions to our men’s basketball program,” athletic director Mike Cragg said in a statement.
“St. John’s basketball progressed well during his tenure, culminating with a trip to the NCAA Tournament this past season. Coach Mullin has a deep passion for this program and he has been committed to helping our student-athletes achieve their goals on and off the court, so I know this was not an easy decision. We wish him and his family nothing but the best as he begins this new chapter of his life.”
Mullin went 59-73 at his alma mater, taking the Red Storm to one NCAA Tournament — this season’s First Four, where they lost to Hurley’s Sun Devils. Hurley is “expected to be at the top of St. John’s list” of replacements, according to a Sunday report from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Hurley is a New Jersey native and has a background with Cragg, who spent more than 30 years in various administrative roles at Duke, his time intersecting with Hurley’s playing days with the Blue Devils from 1989-93.
Rick Pitino told the New York Post on Tuesday that he would be interested in the job, but he wants an apology and to be cleared publicly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Louisville fired Pitino in September 2017, in part because the government alleged Pitino was part of a play-for-pay scandal involving five-star recruit Brian Bowen.
Pitino has maintained his innocence. Now coaching in Greece, he denied to the Post that he reached out to St. John’s on Monday.
“I think the AD is a Duke man and Bobby Hurley was a great Duke player, and I think he would be an excellent choice,” Pitino said.
Hurley is 73-58 in four seasons at Arizona State and 115-78 in six years as a college head coach, including two years at Buffalo.
Mullin, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, holds the St. John’s record of 2,440 points, set from 1981 to 1985. He went on to a 16-year NBA career in which he was a five-time All-Star.
St. John’s went 21-13 this season but last week lost its top recruiter, Matt Abdelmassih, who joined new Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg. The Red Storm’s best player, junior guard Shamorie Ponds (19.7 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 steals), has announced that he will enter the NBA draft.
The departures continued after Tuesday’s announcement. Junior guard Justin Simon (10.4 points per game) has plans to enter and stay in the NBA draft, according to Rothstein, while backup guard Bryan Trimble Jr. has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal, a source told ESPN.
—Field Level Media