Mullins Going Back To His Roots, St. John’s Basketball

After agreeing to part ways with Steve Lavin, the head coach for the past five years, St. John's University wasted no time in finding a new leading man.

Chris Mullin, arguably the greatest player in St. Johns University history agreed to become the 20th Head Coach in the school's history today.

“This is a great day for St. John’s, the whole university,” Lou Carnesecca said Monday according to CBS New York.com, who coached Mullin during his collegiate career at St. Johns. “He has always represented St. John’s well and I’m sure he’ll do a fine job as coach. People seem to be worried about his lack of coaching experience but how many people have had the basketball education he has?”

Probably not many, I'm guessing.

Other coaches rumored and associated with this job opening featured, the Hurley Brothers: Dan and Bobby of the University of Rhode Island and Buffalo, respectively, Manhattan Coach, Steve Masiello, Minnesota's Richard Pitino and self-pro-claimed, Metta World Peace (by a long shot), but the Queens-based school chose the kid that suited up for Xaverian High School, just a little over an hour away.

If there was ever a big name to bring in to coach that actually meant something to not just Brooklyn, New York but the St. Johns basketball program and its history, the Red Storm achieved that with this hire.

Mullin was a standout at St. John's during his collegiate career, 1981-85, studying under the great Lou Carnesecca.

Averaging 19.5 ppg, 3.6 assts and 4.1 rebs, Mullin was a 3-time Big East Player of the Year and led the Red Storm to the final four during his senior season, ranked as a No.1 seed.

Mullins success in college poured into his professional career in which he would establish himself as a perennial All-Star, member of the high scoring trio in Run TMC (Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Chris) during his Golden State Warrior years and play with the greatest USA Olympic Basketball team ever assembled (The Dream Team) as a competitor for ‘92 Olympics.

Mullin’s excellence in the sport paid dividends after his playing days came to an end in 2001, as he was inducted into the College and Basketball Hall-Of-Fame in 2011.

If there's anyone that knows the highs of basketball and where it can take you from the inner-city in the New York tristate area, it is Mullin, which is something that he can share with the players he will mentor and guide.

What Mullin has to offer is a direct relationship and partnership with an NBA Hall-of-Famer that a lot of student/athletes can't attest to, along with his NBA experience. Add to that, a trip to the finals, the Olympics and all of the great head coaches that have educated him during his NBA and collegiate careers.

Mullin can help guys get to the next level, similar to John Calipari at the University of Kentucky.

What he can't do is be an effective coach from the get-go.

It will take time, and there will be things that Mullin will have to learn on-the-go, like any first-year head coach who lacks the experience.

Mullin has never coached on any level, and who he surrounds himself with in regards to his coaching staff will be vital.

Mullin has never recruited before and in that case, who can he attract to play in Queens, NY?

I can imagine that there will be kids who will be looking to play on the biggest stage that is Madison Square Garden, but as far as college basketball is concerned, other conferences like the Big Ten, 12, the ACC, SEC and Pac-12, just to name a few seems to be more appealing to the average top basketball prospect, due to their TV coverage.

The Big East isn't what it used to be when Syracuse, Connecticut, Boston College, and Pittsburgh were among the original group or even when Mullin suited up.

The wars between Georgetown and Syracuse are no longer a reality, and nor is "Hoya Paranoia".

Unfortunately, Mullin doesn't have that to sell to the basketball stars of tomorrow.

What he can sell is being a professional and winning because that's what Mullin did.

Lavin won 92 games opposed to 72 losses, during his 5-year tenure as the Head Coach at St. Johns which includes no NCAA Men’s Final Fours or championships.

In Mullin, St. Johns is hoping that he can bring them back to the NCAA Final Four like he once did as a player in 1985 and hopefully beyond.