Rick Pitino was raving at Big East Conference media day Wednesday about the job Steve Lavin has done breathing new life into the St. John’s basketball program.
Pitino said Lavin is the first St. John’s coach to recognize that times have changed since Lou Carnesecca could walk into any gym in the five boroughs and have an elite player swoon.
These days, AAU coaches control recruiting, and there is great basketball outside of the metropolitan area. Lavin, said Pitino, became the perfect New York salesman.
“This is the greatest city in the world and with his personality, Steve has been able to sell that to players,’’ Pitino said. “You get to play in the Garden, the mecca, and he’s gotten players to the NBA. That’s what kids today want to hear.’’
The problem last season for St. John’s was the players didn’t get to hear as much as they would have liked from Lavin because he was sidelined by a lengthy recovery from prostate cancer surgery.
His top lieutenant, Mike Dunlap, moved into the first chair. Dunlap possesses a brilliant basketball mind, so sharp that Michael Jordan hired him to coach his Charlotte Bobcats. But his voice was lost on some of the Johnnies.
“Coach Dunlap, I wouldn’t say we bumped heads, but he was a different voice, he was more of an enforcer-type role,’’ forward Sir’Dominic Pointer told The Post. “Some players like that and some players don’t.
“Coach Lav is great with players. He knows how to talk with players in a different way. And Coach Dunlap was very good off the court, just on the court he was strict.’’
So strict, sStellar point guard Nurideen Lindsey transferred to Rider and captain Malik Stith shockingly quit. The young and thin Johnnies stumbled to a 13-19 record.
Lavin was back in full force yesterday as the Red Storm held their 2012-13 media day. He was joined by a lot of new faces — seven to be exact. The cancer eliminated, he once again gets to put in the long, fulfilling days of a head coach — recruiting, fund raising, media appearances and, of course, coaching.
“I was thinking about this this morning, that my nature and my wiring and my training is such that while we’re aware of the long-term goals, the focus is on the day,’’ said Lavin.
“And right now I like where our team is with our roster. But because we’re so young, I know that we’ve got all this work ahead of us.’’
The roster is so young, they almost need signed permission slips from their parents. There are just two scholarship seniors, center God’sgift Achiuwa and power forward Orlando Sanchez.
Add in 10 freshmen and sophomores and one junior, and it’s no wonder Lavin has gone to a lot of game-style practices, complete with jerseys, refs and timeouts.
The leading returning player is guard D’Angelo Harrison, who will be asked to play more point this season. Phil Greene, Amir Garrett and Pointer are “veteran” sophomores.
Freshman JaKarr Sampson, an athletic 6-foot-8 forward whose Midnight Madness dunk already has gone viral on the Web, is the likely replacement for Moe Harkless, the 15th pick in the NBA Draft.
Lavin said freshman Christian Jones, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward from Arlington, Texas, by way of IMG Academy, has been the most impressive young player.
It is Lavin’s job to get to this young group ready to make a March run. His first St. John’s team was composed of players he inherited from Norm Roberts. Last season was a wash. Lavin said building this program would be a four-year job. This is critical Year 3.
“It’s all back to where it was when he was young,’’ said special assistant/advisor Gene Keady. “But he’s smarter now.’’