Chris Mullin announces resignation at St. John’s

Chris Mullin’s tenure as head coach at St. John’s is over after four seasons, as Red Storm’s all-time leading scorer stepped down from helm of his alma mater Tuesday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

For the third time this decade, St. John’s embarks upon a search to find a new head men’s basketball coach.

The Red Storm program finds itself in need of a caretaker once again after Chris Mullin, the school’s all-time leading scorer, announced his resignation Tuesday after four years as the successor to Steve Lavin. The move comes just several days after a public vote of confidence from St. John’s athletic director Mike Cragg, who on Saturday stated that Mullin was St. John’s head coach and that the school was not actively looking for a replacement, despite vehement rumors that Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley — who, ironically enough, defeated Mullin last month in the NCAA Tournament matchup that turned out to be his final game at the helm — was being targeted for a potential return to the New York metropolitan area.

“The past four years at St. John’s University have been one of the most thrilling and challenging points of my career,” Mullin said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. “This has been an extremely difficult decision, but after a recent personal loss, I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change.”

“I’ve been honored to coach the young men who are the heart and soul of this program,” he continued. “It’s a job I will always cherish. I will always support St. John’s University in keeping our basketball tradition alive.”

Mullin’s brother, Roddy, passed away last month, just several days before St. John’s was selected as the last team into the 68-team NCAA Tournament field, its first appearance on that stage since 2015 and only the third for the program since 2002. In his four years at St. John’s, Mullin compiled a record of 59-73, progressively improving the Red Storm’s win total in each year he coached. However, he frequently came under fire for a perceived weak non-conference schedule — particularly in this past season — and an inability to translate early-season success into Big East Conference play, where St. John’s went 20-52 under Mullin’s guidance.

The St. John’s coaching staff, which just recently lost top assistant Matt Abdelmassih when he rejoined his mentor, Fred Hoiberg, at Nebraska last week, will run the program until a new coach is named. The loss of Mullin is the latest blow to a program whose offseason has already been quite eventful, starting with the declaration of point guard Shamorie Ponds for the NBA Draft, followed by junior college recruit Cameron Mack reopening his commitment. Immediately following news of Mullin’s departure, which reportedly caught his players by surprise, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, sophomore guard Bryan Trimble announced his intent to transfer, while junior guard Justin Simon followed Ponds’ lead in hiring an agent and entering the NBA Draft. Forward Sedee Keita was rumored to be exploring a potential transfer, while Braziller reported that freshman Josh Roberts will wait to see who St. John’s hires before making a decision. Nevertheless, an already questionable front line that must now cope with the graduation of Marvin Clark II becomes an even bigger concern for whomever patrols the sidelines next.

In addition to Hurley, Iona head coach Tim Cluess — a one-time player for Lou Carnesecca before transferring to Hofstra — has also been mentioned as a potential replacement for Mullin, as has former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who took to social media Tuesday to express his interest in a return to the college ranks. Hurley is viewed as the prohibitive favorite, due to both his New York ties and a connection to Cragg, who spent three decades as the administrator of the men’s basketball program at Duke, and was sports information director in Durham during Hurley’s college career. Should the 47-year-old decide to leave Arizona State, it would bring St. John’s full circle in a way, considering that his younger brother Dan — now the head coach at the University of Connecticut — was considered the popular choice to replace Lavin four years ago before the job ultimately went to Mullin.