St. John’s athletic director Chris Monasch and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin left a dinner meeting at a Tribeca restaurant last night with the understanding that Lavin would become the Red Storm’s new basketball coach, several sources told The Post.
All that is left is for the contract to be finalized and signed, but there are no expected stumbling blocks according to several sources. Lavin wants to fly his family, some colleagues and former players in for a press conference that could happen as soon as tomorrow afternoon.
“When I think of the St. John’s program and the legendary coaches likes Coach [Joe] Lapchick and Coach [Lou] Carnesecca, it’s humbling to be considered to be a part of that tradition,” Lavin told The Post yesterday afternoon. “Tradition is the lifeblood of college basketball, and St. John’s is one of those storied programs.”
After turning to Lavin on Saturday, as reported exclusively in The Post, the two sides came together like a Bruin to honey. Lavin has been out of coaching since 2003 after being fired at UCLA following his only losing season.
Prior to the 2002-03 season, Lavin posted six straight 20-plus win seasons, going to the NCAA Tournament every year with one Elite Eight and four Sweet 16 appearances. Since then, he has been wooed by Arizona, California, DePaul, Memphis and South Florida and turned down N.C. State.
“I haven’t gone on wild-goose chases,” Lavin told The Post. “It’s going to take a unique situation for me to put the armor on one more time. St. John’s is a tremendous opportunity: a great city, a great conference, a great talent base, great academics.”
When St. John’s reached out to him, Lavin expressed immediate serious interest. The more Monasch, who had Lavin as his ace-up-his-sleeve candidate, spoke to Lavin and people around him, the hotter things got.
The contract shouldn’t be a problem. St. John’s was willing to put together a six-year-deal worth about $1.6-$1.8 million per year, sources told The Post. Lavin was looking for about the same money, but was amenable to a slightly lower figure if it meant being able to hire a “dream team,” coaching staff, sources said.
Speaking of dream coaches, Lavin will have lunch today with Carnescca.
By the time St. John’s and Lavin got together for dinner, there was a good sense that a meeting of the minds would occur. It capped a frenzied day of activity. Lavin, a basketball analyst for ESPN, made the 2½-hour trip from ESPN’s studio’s in Bristol, Conn., to midtown a working one — reaching out to friends and colleagues for information on St. John’s, the Big East, and the prep talent in the metropolitan area.
Monasch was briefing university president Father Donald J. Harrington, who ultimately has to approve this hire on Lavin, and Jim Pellow, the university’s chief operating officer, who must OK the contract offer.
Monasch, who did not land Paul Hewitt, Seth Greenberg, Billy Donovan or Tom Pecora, needed to look his last top-tier candidate in the eye and see commitment.
“The administration understands that this a crucial hire because St. John’s needs to be relevant again,” said a source close to the university. “The Big East isn’t getting any easier.”
Monasch, said a St. John’s source, was working behind the scenes to assure Lavin that the university would address team travel concerns, summer jobs for players, academic support and other support services.
Lavin, said a confidante, already was gathering information on the metropolitan area prep and AAU coaches he was eager to reach out to.
Several local prep and AAU coaches have expressed concerns about Lavin’s unfamiliarity with the metro area. But a Big East coach said he knew of Lavin’s recruiting acumen in Southern California and believed he would be successful in the Northeast.
“I know some people in the city don’t want to believe this, but recruiting the L.A. area might be crazier than recruiting New York,” said the coach. “What he went through every day out there would break a lot of coaches. But he built great relationships and he became known as a player’s coach.”