Mike Cragg to become next St. John's athletic director

Mike Cragg, longtime deputy athletic director at Duke, appears to be next athletic director at St. John's. (Photo by Duke University Athletics)

St. John's is on the verge of hiring its next athletic director, and if his basketball pedigree is any indication, the new sheriff on the corner of Union and Utopia is considered to be a big get for a program whose flagship sport has been mired in a decade-and-a-half of stop-and-go traffic.

Mike Cragg, the current deputy athletic director for operations at Duke University, has agreed in principle to become the next director of athletics at St. John's, a development first reported by college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. Once the hire is officially consummated, he will replace Anton Goff, who resigned unexpectedly this past June after nearly two years in the position, citing family reasons.

Cragg, 53, has spent the past 31 years as an administrator at Duke, beginning when he was hired as an assistant sports information director in 1987. During his time in Durham, he quickly ascended up the ranks, moving from the sports information office into an associate athletic director role in 2004 and a senior associate capacity four years later. Among his many duties include serving as the senior administrator for the nationally renowned men's basketball program, which has won five national championships under Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest men's basketball coach in Division I history. Three of those five titles have occurred under Cragg's watchful eye, as he spearheaded all operations and fundraising efforts for Duke men's basketball. Among his greatest accomplishments with the Blue Devils include the establishment and formation of the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund, which has brought over $115 million into the program. He is also the leader of Duke's athletic facilities team, which has facilitated $300 million worth of new or planned construction for the facilities at the Atlantic Coast Conference institution.

To corroborate the Rothstein report, Zach Braziller -- who covers St. John's basketball for the New York Post -- stated that Cragg will have full autonomy over all of St. John's athletic programs, including men's basketball. Braziller further states that Cragg will have more power over men's basketball than his predecessor, Goff, did.

An official announcement on Cragg's impending hire is expected within the coming days.