After a week of rumblings, Chris Mullin has stepped down as the men's basketball head coach at St. John's, it was announced Tuesday. "This has been an extremely emotional decision, but after a recent personal loss, I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change," Mullin said in a statement issued by the school. "I am extremely grateful to the administration, which has supported me and our basketball program on every level. "I've been amazed by our coaches, trainers, managers and staff who work relentless hours, which enables this team to grow and thrive. I've been honored to coach the young men who are the heart and soul of this program. It's a job I will always cherish." His brother, Rod, died after a battle with cancer in early March. Mullin, the greatest player in St. John's basketball history, took over as head coach in 2015, replacing Steve Lavin. Mullin struggled in his first three years at the helm, going a combined 38-60 and failing to finish above .500 in any of his first three seasons. This season, St. John's had one of the most talented rosters in the Big East and made the NCAA tournament, but it stumbled down the stretch, losing five of its final six games. The Red Storm lost to Arizona State in the First Four, finishing the season 21-13. Speculation surfaced this week amid reports of contentious meetings between Mullin and athletic director Mike Cragg, who issued a statement of support on Saturday. "The past four years at St. John's University have been one of the most thrilling and challenging points of my career," Mullin said in the statement. "... I am proud of our accomplishments. NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday will be a lifetime memory. I am forever grateful to St. John's for giving me the opportunity to hear Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden roar again for college basketball and especially for our players." Mullin, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, had no coaching experience before he took the job. He worked in the Golden State Warriors' front office for five years as the executive vice president of basketball operations. He also spent time working as an adviser in the Sacramento Kings organization. The top target for St. John's is expected to be Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, sources told ESPN on Monday. Hurley played at Duke, where Cragg spent 31 years before being hired at St. John's in September. Another name expected to be considered is Iona coach Tim Cluess, who played at St. John's for two seasons and has coached in the New York area his entire career. The coach who replaces Mullin will have a roster in flux. Leading scorer Shamorie Ponds turned pro after the season ended, and Marvin Clark was a senior. The Red Storm's top recruit, highly touted junior college point guard Cam Mack, recently requested his release from the school, and four-star junior Nate Tabor decommitted Monday night. There are no 2019 or 2020 prospects currently committed to St. John's. Meanwhile, St. John's redshirt junior Justin Simon plans to enter the NBA draft and sign with an agent, sources told ESPN. Simon was one of the best defenders in the country, and would have been a top returnee for the next coach. Additionally, sophomore guard Bryan Trimble Jr. has entered his name into the transfer portal, sources told ESPN. There is a solid core on the roster, though. Mustapha Heron (14.6 PPG) and LJ Figueroa (14.4 PPG) have eligibility left. Transfers Eli Wright (Mississippi State), David Caraher (Houston Baptist) and Ian Steere (NC State) sat out this past season.<doc-sep>Chris Mullin has officially stepped down St John's head coach. "Today, I have chosen to ask President Gempesaw and the University to accept my decision to step down from coaching the St. John’s men’s basketball team," Mullin said in a statement. “This has been an extremely emotional decision," he continued, "but after a recent personal loss, I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change." Mullin was 59-73 at St. John’s as head coach overall and 20-52 in Big East play. "We thank Coach Mullin for all of his contributions to our men’s basketball program,” said AD Mike Cragg. “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." With five total NCAA Tournament appearances and one win in 20 seasons since the turn of the century, the Red Storm tapped Mullin to come in as another savior for a program that had not enjoyed sustained success since the late 1990s. The program hired Mullin, a three-time Big East Player of the year and NBA Hall of Famer, to elevate the program and provide a steadier hand than the previous regime led by Steve Lavin. Mullin filled the roster, which graduated over 90% of returning minutes, and despite a rough start, gave some hope. Now, four years later, St John's looks to another coach in a national search to elevate the program and provide a steadier hand done the previous regime, led by Chris Mullin. Mullin’s teams experienced a lot of turnover, as he and his assistants plumbed the transfer market for talent. Led by Shamorie Ponds, the team delivered a number of thrilling wins, but also struggled to maintain that high level of play. Roster issues left the Red Storm as a team that was able to create pressure and hold on to the ball, but completely vulnerable to teams with an interior attack. As of now, Mullin leaves behind an intriguing roster featuring LJ Figueroa and Mustapha Heron, but a number of players may look to transfer now that the coach who led the team is gone, and an uncertain future awaits. "We are committed to building a championship level program," said AD Mike Cragg, "so we will aggressively search for an experienced coach capable of running a high-level Division I team in New York City, someone who is ready to build upon the recent successes of our program with integrity by recruiting young men of high character.” “Our players are the top priority and ensuring their success on and off the court is our central focus. We met today as a team and will conduct individual meetings with each of our student-athletes to discuss the future of the program and their roles in helping our team continue to progress.” “Our goal is to win Big East championshipsand compete at the highest level of Division I, especially in March, while also serving as role models off the court, in the classroom and in the community.”<doc-sep>Photo : Joe Robbins ( Getty ) Today, Chris Mullin announced that he was stepping down as St. John’s basketball coach after four seasons at the helm. Jon Rothstein first broke the news that Mullin was leaving last night. Mullin cited “a recent personal loss ” in his resignation statement (his older brother died of cancer in March), and he will leave the Red Storm with two years and $4 million left on his contract. He will reportedly be bought out of his deal. Advertisement Mullin never lived up to expectations in Queens, going just 20-52 in Big East play and never advancing past the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. However, last year, the Red Storm won 21 games—tied for the most since 1999-20 00—and reached the postseason for the first time in Mullin’s tenure. His lackluster record in conference play is certainly a factor in his departure, though a rift within the St. John’s athletic department seems to have been just as impactful. The rift reportedly opened up last summer, when Mullin wanted to hire disgraced former Rutgers coach Mike Rice as an assistant. School president Bobby Gempesaw turned him down, fearing a PR shitstorm for St. John’s. Gempesaw, who was the force behind Mullin getting the job in the first place, then hired athletic director Mike Cragg last September. For the first time in Mullin’s tenure at St. John’s, he had to answer to someone else besides Gempesaw. According to Forbes’s J.P. Pelzman and others, Mullin had been seeking an extension in recent days, seeking stability after his best recruiter Matt Abdelmassih followed Fred Hoiberg to Nebraska. Abd elmass ih’s departure was reportedly the key step that pushed Mullin over the edge, since he was the program’s only apparent recruiter (transfer guard Cam Mack rescinded his commitment after Abd elmassih left): Abdelmassih did the heavy lifting, recruiting virtually the entire roster. There were questions about the rest of the staff’s work ethic in recruiting, and the need to have more than one primary recruiter. Mullin wasn’t seen as much as other head coaches on the recruiting trail in recent years and didn’t have a high school recruit signed for next year. Mullin obviously was not given his extension, and rumors that he would leave began piling up last week. Cragg attempted to squash them by putting out a statement declaring the school’s support for Mullin three days before Mullin would eventually leave. By all accounts, Cragg and Gempesaw have settled on Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley as their preferred replacement for Mullin. The New York Post reports that Vitamin Water founder Mike Repole is prepared to serve as a mega-booster and throw around the money necessary to get Hurley out of a contract that was extended just a year ago. If Hurley won’t budge, hey, there’s always another old pal:<doc-sep>NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — After leading St. John’s to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2014-15 season, Chris Mullin has stepped down as head coach after four seasons. The rumors started flying minutes before the tip-off of Monday night’s national championship game. The move comes not long after he received a vote of confidence from the school’s administration. On Tuesday afternoon, Mullin and the university made the decision official. Mullin cited a “recent personal loss” as part of his decision to leave the program, in a statement after the announcement. “I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change,” Mullin said. Mullin, who is a two-time inductee into the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame and arguably the greatest player in St. John’s history, went 59-73 with his alma mater, including 21-13 this season. Led by star guard Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s started the season 12-0, but struggled to an 8-10 record in Big East play. The Red Storm were the last team to get into the NCAA tournament, and were bounced in the First Four by Arizona State. Bobby Hurley, the current head coach at ASU, is reportedly at the top of St. John’s wish list to take over for Mullin. He has a good relationship with St. John’s athletic director Mike Cragg, the New York Post reported. “It’s his job if he wants it,” a source told the newspaper. Since that loss to Hurley and Arizona State, St. John’s has been dealt additional setbacks. Ponds announced his intention to sign with an agent and enter the NBA draft. Assistant Matt Abdelmassih, who was largely responsible for recruiting, left the program to join Nebraska. Junior college point guard Cam Mack, Mullin’s top recruit, requested the release from his National Letter of Intent. Mullin had two years and roughly $4 million remaining on his contract, but was seeking an extension, the Post reported.<doc-sep>
Chris Mullin’s stint as St. John’s superstar player lasted exactly as long as his time as the program’s head coach: four seasons. Mullin’s tenure as coach ended late Tuesday afternoon as the school announced that he had “stepped down” from the position. Mullin was 59-73 over the four seasons, and the Red Storm did not finish above .500 in Big East play in any of them. This season St. John’s was 21-13 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, losing in the First Four to Arizona State. St. John’s now enters a search for his replacement. Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley is a candidate the school finds very desirable, according to administration sources. Mike Cragg, the St. John’s athletic director hired in October from Duke, told Newsday he plans a “thorough search for someone who is an experienced program-builder.” “The past four years at St. John’s University have been one of the most thrilling and challenging points of my career,” Mullin said in a statement released by the school. “Today, I have chosen to ask President [Bobby] Gempesaw and the University to accept my decision to step down from coaching the St. John’s men’s basketball team.” Mullin said the death of his brother Roddy — of cancer on the final weekend of the regular season — gave him pause to consider his situation. “I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change,” he said. He praised the administration for its support. “Coach Mullin restored excitement to our men’s basketball program and represented St. John’s in a positive way,” Cragg said. “We thank Coach Mullin for all of his contributions to our men’s basketball program. St. John’s basketball progressed well during his tenure, culminating with a trip to the NCAA Tournament this past season.” Subscribe to Sports Now newsletter By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Mullin had two seasons and approximately $4 million remaining on his contract. Cragg said after the final game of the season that he did not envision a need to offer Mullin the traditional contract extension at this point; one was discussed with Cragg and Gempesaw. Cragg said no decision has been made on whether to employ an outside firm to help with the search. Asked if he had a mental list of candidates, he replied “yes, but every AD has a mental list of candidates – I’m not sure it means that much." In the school statement, Cragg said St. John’s seeks “an experienced coach capable of running a high-level Division I team in New York City.” If St. John’s wants to pursue Hurley – who starred at Duke during Cragg’s time as an administrator there – there will be costs. Newsday has obtained a copy of Hurley’s contract with the Sun Devils. The New Jersey native is owed approximately $7.8 million over three years and can buy out now at a cost of $2.5 million. Mullin’s team this season staggered badly at the end or the regular season, lost a Big East quarterfinal, got the final at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament field and was routed by ASU in Dayton. Mullin declared after that game that he would return “100 percent.” Since the end of the season, star Shamorie Ponds declared for the NBA Draft, assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih – the top recruiter – bolted for Nebraska, and signee Cam Mack from Salt Lake CC requested a release from his letter of intent. Junior Justin Simon reacted to Tuesday’s news by signing with an agent to go pro. “I am proud of our accomplishments. NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday will be a lifetime memory,” Mullin said in the statement. “I am forever grateful to St. John’s for giving me the opportunity to hear Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden roar again for college basketball and especially for our players. . . . I will always support St. John’s University in keeping our basketball tradition alive!” With Jim Baumbach