St. John’s University’s decision to hire former UCLA coach and ESPN broadcaster Steve Lavin drew rave reviews from AAU, CHSAA and PSAL coaches – the people Lavin will need to get to know well if he is going to turn around the Red Storm.
The move was endorsed for many reasons, from Lavin’s past success at UCLA to his history producing NBA players to his flashy and suave appearance.
“It looks like he has a way about him, that he can persuade kids to stay,” Thomas Jefferson coach Lawrence (Bud) Pollard said. “He has a real confident swagger.”
Former coach Norm Roberts was unable to get the top city prospects, such standouts as Lincoln’s Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati) and Holy Cross’ Sylven Landesberg (Virginia), to come to Jamaica, Queens
Of primary importance for Lavin, who grew up in northern California, is associating himself with the right New York-based assistant coach, several coaches said. That was Roberts’ biggest problem, according to New York Panthers director Gary Charles.
“He better get some guys who understand the New York market, who know where all the bodies are buried,” Charles said. “No matter how big of a name you are, if you can’t recruit and get the right kids, it’s not gonna matter.”
Said St. Raymond coach Oliver Antigua: “It’s a lot harder than it used to be, there’s so many programs and teams. Not one AAU program controls New York City. If you go to bed with one guy, you better hope he’s got a got a lot of bullets because it’s going to [upset] a lot of people.”
And Antigua said he knows the perfect guy for the job.
“He should hire a respected New York guy like Van Macon, who can recruit all the high school and AAU guys,” Antigua said of the Hofstra assistant coach. “He’s one of the best guys in the business. I can’t believe he’s not a head coach.”
Macon, who was responsible for landing several local players in his nine years at Hofstra, including Charles Jenkins and Chaz Williams, was a candidate for the Pride’s head coaching gig. But Tim Welsh was hired yesterday and Macon is likely to join Tom Pecora at Fordham.
Antigua is one city coach already familiar with Lavin. As an assistant coach at Pittsburgh under Willard, he first met Lavin in 1998 at the Puerto Rico Shootout when he was the UCLA coach.
“I like him, he’s going to be fine, he’s a sharp guy,” Antigua said. “He went to the tournament six times, that’s what people want.”
Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello, who won a New York State Federation Class AA title over the weekend, feels the same way.
“I think it’s a good hire for St. John’s,” Arbitello said. “He brings some credibility to that program, he’s got NBA connections and he might get the kids to stay home.”
Clearly, Lavin will need to bolster his staff with people who know the city’s complex landscape if that is going to happen. He has reportedly reached out to Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen and former Virginia coach Dave Leitao, both of whom have developed a reputation as expert city recruiters. Local high-school coaches such as Lincoln’s Dwayne (Tiny) Morton and Rice’s Maurice Hicks are said to be possible candidates for lower-level assistant jobs, too.
“It can be a great hire if everything goes right,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said. “But he’s still an outsider.”