No Steve Lavin, no problem?

Not having your head coach on the sidelines can’t be a good thing, right? St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, who underwent prostate cancer surgery on October 6, has missed three games this season, including Saturday afternoon’s 78-64 loss to Northeastern at Carnesecca Arena.

Assistant coach Mike Dunlap has run the show in Lavin’s absence.

Saturday’s loss will probably bring questions as to how Lavin’s sporadic absences will affect the team. The players don’t think it’s a problem.

Said St. John’s guard Nurideen Lindsey: We try to focus on the game. We understand coach’s situation and we just try to stay locked in on the game. We’re all definitely concerned with how he’s doing, but mentally we try to stay locked in on the game since yesterday coach Dunlap has been doing an outstanding job for us…We play hard for coach Lav every night.”

Lavin’s schedule is prohibiting in that working three straight days, whether it be practice or games, can bring about fatigue. Lavin coached the Red Storm in back-to-back losses to Arizona and Texas A&M. He took the following game against St. Francis (NY) and then Saturday’s game against Northeastern.

Lavin was at practice on Friday.

"Naturally, I have to continue to be mindful of my stamina and how I utilize my energy as I recuperate from surgery," the coach said in a statement. "I am working closely with our staff and players as we continue to build our team in preparation for the rigors of conference play."

With Lavin expected to continue his modified schedule, Dunlap has prepared for the worse. “I always anticipate that he’s not going to be here,” said Dunlap.

God’sgift Achiuwa, who had 17 points and nine rebounds against Northeastern, also said he is comfortable with Dunlap running the show. “We don’t really know much about [Lavin’s] health situation, although they keep us updated from time to time,” he said. “The coaching system is the same.”