St. John’s athletic director Chris Monasch has been true to his word, moving quickly to identify the best candidates to replace basketball coach Norm Roberts, who was fired Friday.
Sources told The Post that Monasch has gotten word to Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich that he’ll be seeking official permission to talk to coach Paul Hewitt as soon as possible.
Hewitt has emerged as a leading candidate. St. John’s wanted him when it hired Roberts in 2004, but Hewitt was coming off a Final Four appearance and had just gotten it rolling in Atlanta.
As of late yesterday afternoon, Radakovich told The Post he had not heard from St. John’s. Nor would Radakovich discuss if there was any negotiating room in Hewitt’s deal, which contains prohibitive buyouts on both ends.
“The word is it’s his job and Georgia Tech won’t stand in the way,” said a highly placed source in college basketball circles. “Both sides are ready for a change.”
Hewitt, who earns about $1.35 million annually, has a lucrative six-year deal, which was rolled over last Tuesday. If Georgia Tech fired him, Hewitt would receive $6.8 million. If Hewitt leaves, he would be responsible for about $3.5 million. But sources said both sides might be willing to negotiate those numbers.
Hewitt, who just led the Rambling Wreck to a fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 seasons, has had some strained relationships of late with the Atlanta media, which is disgruntled that Tech hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since Hewitt led it to the title game in 2004. It was Georgia Tech’s second Final Four appearance ever.
Hewitt, 179-144 in 10 seasons at Georgia Tech, is the favorite candidate of St. John’s president Father Donald J. Harrington, who remains in Europe on official business, said other sources. Hewitt was one of the parties who recommended Roberts to St. John’s, and both are exceptionally well respected by Harrington.
Hewitt also is held in good stead by the influential prep and AAU coaches in the city, none of whom have yet to have a face-to-face meeting with Monasch. Several AAU coaches said they have heard nothing about a reported summit, although it could happen.
Hofstra coach Tom Pecora remains a top choice, as well, but St. John’s might very well lose him to Fordham, which also is looking at Robert Morris coach Mike Rice and Cornell’s Steve Donahue, who is rising fast with his team’s NCAA Tournament success.
Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenberg, whose team edged Connecticut 65-63 last night in the NIT, remains a strong candidate. Virginia Tech, which set a school record with 25 wins, is ready to renegotiate the final four years on Greenberg’s deal, Hokies AD Jim Weaver told The Post.
As reported in The Post Monday, Florida coach Billy Donovan turned down St. John’s overtures, opting to stay in Gainesville.
“I’d say those two are 1 and 1-A,” a highly-respected NY AAU coach said of Hewitt and Pecora. “And it doesn’t matter which one is 1 and which is 1-A. They know us and we trust them.”Hewitt and Pecora did not return calls or text messages.
When Monasch announced the difficult decision to fire Roberts, he outlined NCAA Tournament success and an understanding of the local terrain as key criteria in the candidate search. Hewitt, who was raised on Long Island and served as an assistant coach at Fordham, has them both.