Chris Mullin looks to rebuild St. John's in first year
St. John's University's head coach Chris Mullin looks on during a scrimmage against St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Johns was defeated, 90-58 at Carnesecca Arena in Queens on Nov. 4, 2015. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
There will be no shortage of observers skeptical about Hall of Famer Chris Mullin's ability to rebuild his alma mater's basketball program as a first-time coach. A 32-point exhibition loss to Division II St. Thomas Aquinas last week made sure of that.
So one requirement for Mullin's rookie season is a healthy dose of perspective. It's not as though he is a pioneer on this trail. Former NBA teammate Fred Hoiberg went home to Iowa State and built a quality national program as a first-time coach before graduating back to the NBA to take over the Chicago Bulls this season.
"I talk to Freddie a lot about college basketball," Mullin said recently. "He gave me great advice. He said, 'Get great players.' "
Starting as late as he did last April, that was no easy task, but Mullin put together a staff headed by top-notch recruiters Barry Rohrssen and Matt Abdelmassih.
The defection of starters Rysheed Jordan and Chris Obekpa meant the cupboard was bare after the Steve Lavin era except for three lightly used bench players. That means Mullin has to make the cake from scratch.
Of the 10 new players who were recruited, Tennessee transfer Tariq Owens must sit out the full season and four-star recruits Marcus LoVett and Kassoum Yakwe can't play until they receive eligibility clearance from the NCAA. "With nine new guys [not including Owens]," Mullin said, "it is what it is."
Consider it a grand experiment to restore St. John's to national prominence on a consistent basis. With Mullin's name recognition and the recruiting expertise of his staff, it certainly is possible. For instance, top New York City point guard Shamorie Ponds announced his verbal commitment and is expected to sign a national letter of intent next week.
For the present, though, Mullin and his staff must patch together a group of perfect strangers with a dearth of college experience. Swingman Durand Johnson, who transferred from Pitt as a graduate student and is eligible immediately, and freshman point guard Federico Mussini of Italy, who had the option to play professionally in his home country, should emerge as the leaders.
Redshirt junior Christian Jones, one of the holdovers from the previous regime, might become a frontcourt regular along with 6-8 junior college transfer Darien Williams. Freshman Malik Ellison is the leading contender for the other starting guard spot as long as LoVett remains ineligible. Freshman Yankuba Sima, a 6-11 post man from Spain, might make an impact, but he's a developmental project.
"We're rebuilding," Mullin said. "There's only one way to do that, and that's day-by-day. If we could, we'd love to fast-forward. But that's the shortcut. There are no shortcuts."
Abdelmassih, who is a St. John's grad, was lead recruiter for Hoiberg at Iowa State. He understands the rough road ahead for a team picked to finish last in the Big East.
"It's eerily similar with what we did at Iowa State," Abdelmassih said. "The first year, we were 3-13 in the Big 12, 16-16 overall. It's going to be trials and tribulations the first year. It's going to be rocky. But with the foundation and adding pieces in year two, we could take off.
"I'm not throwing out year one, but how can you expect a group of young kids to come out here and win 25 games? It's probably unrealistic."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
