It remains one of the great moments in Big East Conference Tournament history.
With seconds left on the clock, Brooklyn’s Dwayne “Pearl” Washington rose to the basket in the Garden, poised to drop in a layup that would have given Syracuse the 1986 title.
Suddenly, Walter “The Truth” Berry of The Bronx came soaring in from the right side to swat away the ball, giving the Johnnies their second tournament title.
St. John’s vs Syracuse. Downstate vs Upstate. Brooklyn vs The Bronx.
It’s simply too good to die and it won’t.
Officials at both schools have announced a two-year home-and-home series between the Red Storm and Orange beginning next season.
A source told The Post that both schools are open to continuing series which is in jeopardy of ending with Syracuse’s move to the ACC and St. John’s decision to leave the Big East.
“St. John’s and Syracuse are two of the storied programs in NCAA history, both with top 10 numbers in overall victories and winning percentage,” said St. John’s coach Steve Lavin. “The Johnnies and Cuse rivalry is now more than a century old and deserves to continue.”
He’s right.
So many metropolitan area players have worn the jerseys of both teams there is a blood cousin bond between the two programs. For so many years the Johnnies were led by Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca. Syracuse Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim didn’t just put the Orange on the map, he’s turned it into a perennial national power.
“The rivalry with St. John’s has been one of the strongest for our program,” said Boeheim. “We had some great games when I was in school and the series continued to grow with Coach Carnesecca at St. John’s right up to today with Coach Lavin.”
“Playing in Madison Square Garden is always a special event for Syracuse and for our fans in New York City. It will be great that our fans in Central New York will have the chance to see St. John’s in the Dome the following year.”
Next season’s game will be played on Dec. 15 in the Garden. The Orange will host the return game in the Carrier Dome at a date to be determined. The last scheduled meeting between the schools is Feb. 10 when the Johnnies play at Syracuse. The only other possible meeting is in this year’s Big East tournament which will be the last for Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
Boeheim has said several times since Syracuse announced it was leaving for the ACC that he wanted to keep playing in the Garden. It’s good for recruiting and exposure although the Orange would still be just fine without an annual appearance in the Big Apple.
The Johnnies have fallen from the ranks of the nation’s elite programs although Lavin’s goal is to get the program back to perennial Top 25 status. The best way to accomplish that is to play – and beat – the best.
“There’s no question the goal is definitely to make the tournament this year and next year and right on down the line,” said Lavin. “If you don’t, someone else gets a crack at it, and no one knows that better than me. I worked at UCLA 12 years so winning is clearly the objective and the goal.”
“I’m very pleased, given the situation we inherited, where we are now. Not that we don’t have plenty of work ahead of us and lots of challenges in these next couple of months. And there’s always the unexpected, curveballs that come your way, crisis management, damage control, that’s just a given in high-level college athletics these days. But overall, I like where we are right now, and I like the future. It’s a pretty bright picture.”