Mike Anderson expected to be next head coach at St. John’s

Mike Anderson, most recently head coach at Arkansas, appears to be long-awaited choice at St. John’s. (Photo by University of Arkansas Athletics)

The coaching search at St. John’s, one that more closely resembled a roller coaster with its twists, turns and inversions, seems to have reached its conclusion Thursday evening, and done so with a surprise ending.

Mike Anderson, the former head coach at the University of Arkansas, is expected to become the Red Storm’s next leader, according to Newsday’s Roger Rubin, the longtime dean of St. John’s beat writers. Should he agree to terms with the university, Anderson will replace program icon Chris Mullin, who stepped down on April 9 after four seasons at the helm of his alma mater, departing under speculation that he was forced out by university administrators that wanted to press the reset button on a star-crossed program.

Anderson, 59, was dismissed last month by Arkansas after eight seasons at the helm of the Razorbacks, despite reaching the NCAA Tournament three times in the past five seasons and developing a Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in Bobby Portis. In 17 years as a head coach, split between UAB, Missouri and Arkansas, he has a 369-200 lifetime record, and took Missouri to a regional final in 2009. Prior to receiving his first head job, with UAB in 2002, Anderson spent 17 years on the staff of Nolan Richardson at Arkansas, helping cultivate the 40 Minutes of Hell mentality that was instrumental in the Razorbacks winning a national championship in 1994.

Anderson’s candidacy came late Thursday afternoon, adding drama to a day that began with Iona head coach Tim Cluess — a popular choice among fans and media to succeed Mullin — releasing a statement indicating that he had removed himself from consideration for a job widely perceived to be his dream destination, opting instead to remain in New Rochelle, where he has led the Gaels to six NCAA Tournament appearances this decade. Anderson, Yale head coach James Jones, and former Georgia Tech and George Mason head coach Paul Hewitt were reportedly the three finalists for the vacancy late Thursday, with Jones and Hewitt having been informed they were no longer in the running, per sources.

With no clear New York connections, Anderson will need to hire assistant coaches with strong ties to the area as his first priority. His imminent arrival signals an end to a wide-ranging search process that began with Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley as the top target of St. John’s administrators and athletic director Mike Cragg, only to see the former Duke point guard leverage the offer into a contract extension. Loyola’s Porter Moser and UMBC’s Ryan Odom did the same while Cluess was left seemingly twisting in the wind despite massive support, with speculation about the school’s willingness to buy out his contract at Iona among the obstacles in his path.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.