Storm's Hardy happy he could help rebuild
Dwight Hardy #12 of the St. John's Red Storm looks on during a time out against the Syracuse Orange during the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament. (March 10, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
DENVER -- Dwight Hardy knew the road wouldn't be easy or glamorous.
He knew St. John's basketball couldn't, and wouldn't, be transformed overnight. Instead, the Bronx native knew it would take years to rebuild the forgotten New York City power. Nevertheless, he steeled himself for the arduous task at hand: returning the Red Storm to prominence.
Win or lose in the NCAA Tournament, the one thing that's certain is these nine seniors will leave the program in much better shape than when they arrived.
"I followed them a little bit growing up, not that much," Hardy said of St. John's the day before the sixth-seeded Red Storm faced No. 11 Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night. "I heard of some of the great players they had. Through the tough times, I still always wanted to come here.
"I always wanted to be close to my family and play in one of the best conferences in the nation. About them struggling, it didn't change my mind. I just wanted to come here and help this program any way that I could."
St. John's past struggles didn't deter coach Steve Lavin, either.
Despite some bumps in the road, including startling losses to Fordham and St. Bonaventure, there were plenty of dramatic highs during the regular season for the Red Storm. Wins over Notre Dame, Georgetown and Villanova were outshined by even more impressive victories over Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Duke.
Former UCLA coach Lavin consistently has credited his mentor and current special adviser, Gene Keady, for providing expertise over the years. Under Keady, Lavin learned the ins and out of coaching, but it was during his 12 years at UCLA that he learned how to be a master recruiter.
"I think New York and L.A. are more similar than they are different," said Lavin, a San Francisco native. "While there are striking differences, I think being at UCLA for 12 years was great preparation for becoming the head coach at St. John's because there's a dynamic that's similar in terms of recruiting, in terms of the number of people that have an interest in your program, the scrutiny, entertainment centers of the world, programs with great tradition and heritage, legendary figures like John Wooden, Lou Carnesecca. I find there are parallels that have helped with this transition back to the sidelines for a second tour of duty in coaching."
With eight new players already signed, including standout forward Maurice Harkless, in what is one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, Lavin's second tour of duty with the Red Storm next season looks even more promising.
His current players speak highly of his enthusiasm, energy and dedication to them and the program.
And in many ways, fan support has grown because of him, guard Malik Boothe said.
"One thing he did bring before he even coached us was he brought fan support," Boothe said. "Fans really wanted to see us play our senior year. I think that was great for us. We really fed off their energy."
Said Hardy: "Just his passion overall for the love of basketball just gave us the will to compete at a high level and do so well this season, just make everybody back at home proud."
