Storm's Lavin to have prostate surgery

St. John's basketball coach Steve Lavin is scheduled to undergo prostate cancer surgery Thursday at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the university announced Wednesday. No timetable was given for Lavin's return to the team, which begins practice for the 2011-2012 season on Oct. 14.

Lavin, 47, was diagnosed with an early stage of the disease last fall, but his illness was not disclosed until last April, his first with the Red Storm.

Dr. Peter T. Scardino, chairman of the department of surgery at Sloan-Kettering, said in a statement, "We have consulted with Steve and his family about his options, and are confident that surgery is the best option Steve has to make a smooth, quick and full recovery from his relatively low-grade cancer. It is highly likely that this treatment will completely cure coach Lavin's condition, and because of his age and overall health, we anticipate a full return to his coaching duties."

St. John's quoted Lavin as saying, "The advantage of early detection is that we were afforded the time to research all options. After weighing treatment options with the experts at Sloan, we have decided surgery is the best path to take for my particular prostate cancer condition. We are confident that this course of treatment will lead to a cancer-free life."

In an interview last week, Lavin suggested that surgery could be in the offing, saying "After the most recent consultation, my doctors feel at this point that the active surveillance approach is off the table. So that narrows the treatment options to surgery or radiation . . ."

Under Lavin, St. John's went 21-12 last season and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. Assistants Mike Dunlap, Tony Chiles and Rico Hines will run the team.