Lavin seems destined to bring new era to St. John's

St. John's 10 seniors had a pretty good idea of what they were getting when the school hired ESPN basketball analyst Steve Lavin to replace Norm Roberts as coach last spring. They knew his background at UCLA and how his coaching chops were questioned, and they were familiar with his smooth persona on TV and his trademark slicked-back hairstyle.

The seniors were loyal to Roberts and couldn't help but feel abandoned when he was fired after failing to reach the NCAA Tournament in six seasons. They looked at Lavin, as forward Justin Burrell said, and assumed he would fit their pre-conceived notions.

"But when he came in, he wasn't that at all," Burrell said. "We thought he would be a smooth talker and tell us anything we wanted to hear. But he was genuine, and we really appreciated it. He talked to us for a long time individually and collectively.

"He made us feel cool and knocked out some of those notions. I wouldn't be afraid if we had to get in the trenches. I think he would get in there with us."

Lavin: The Recruiter

Sooner or later in New York, every coach winds up in the trenches. During the past generation since its only Final Four appearance in 1985 under the sainted Lou Carnesecca, St. John's basketball has endured a gradual slide from prominence.

Lavin's high-profile hiring was the first blip on the radar that piqued media and fan interest, and subsequent news of Lavin's instant recruiting success has stirred a noticeable buzz. With only one scholarship to give this season, he went directly to his California roots and came back with that state's player of the year, forward Dwayne Polee of Los Angeles.

"That's big," Lavin said. "Our strategy from the very beginning was to recruit nationally. We want to protect our backyard, get our share of the best players in New York and New Jersey, but not be overly reliant on this region so it doesn't cost us our job during a down cycle in talent.

"Getting the best player out of California was empirical evidence the St. John's brand is strong coast to coast. This [incoming] 2011 class, which we can't talk about, is kind of furthering that argument."

NCAA rules prohibit a school from publicizing verbal commitments, so Lavin can't discuss recruits until they sign with the Red Storm during the one-week early signing period beginning Wednesday. But six top players have committed verbally, including wing men Maurice Harkless of Queens, Jakarr Sampson from LeBron James' high school in Akron and Dwayne Pointer from Michigan, pure shooting guard Angelo Harrison from Texas and point guard Nurideen Lindsey of Philadelphia, who is playing junior college ball in Oklahoma. The sixth is point guard Jevon Thomas of the Bronx, who is part of the incoming class in 2012 and can't sign for another year.

Two other big-time recruits from California who visited St. John's this past weekend and have shown strong interest are 6-11 Norvel Pelle, who is the No. 2-rated center and as high as No. 11 overall in the country, and 6-7 small forward Amir Garrett.

However it plays out, Lavin apparently has opened the talent spigot for St. John's in barely more than seven months on the job.

Pitching St. John's

Lavin credits the relationships he built as an assistant at Purdue and then his time at UCLA and the seven seasons traveling the country for ESPN. "At the end of the day, you have to create a persuasive argument for coming to St. John's,'' Lavin said. "We put the spotlight on the tradition and the chance to be a part of restoring St. John's to its rightful place as the crown jewel of basketball in New York."

Like everyone before him, Lavin emphasized the chance to play at Madison Square Garden, but a bigger attraction might be a coaching staff that includes two former NBA assistants in Mike Dunlap and Rico Hines plus Hall of Famer Gene Keady, the former Purdue coaching great who also worked in the NBA with Toronto.

"What better place to come work on your game than having a team of experts that will help you reach that goal to ultimately play at the highest level someday and win a lot of games along the way?" Lavin asked.

His UCLA days

What's most impressive about Lavin's fast start is that his network of friends and associates delivered for him. It says something about how he is regarded, and it reflects the thought that went into crafting his second act during his "sabbatical" at ESPN.

When Jim Harrick's firing at UCLA in 1996 suddenly elevated him to head coach at 32, Lavin was viewed by his critics as being out of his depth, but he was swimming so fast that he didn't notice. "At the time, you don't feel that way," said Lavin, who went 145-77 during his seven-year run with the Bruins. "In retrospect, with the vantage point of being 46 years old, I can appreciate it."

Well, "appreciate" might not be the best word. But Lavin certainly has a greater understanding of the complexity of the world he inhabited at UCLA, and a better sense of the priorities that really matter.

The knock when he took that job was that he didn't have enough experience as a recruiter. After he recruited one of the top classes in the nation first time out, it shifted to his coaching credentials. Citing his ties to West Coast coaching legends Pete Newell and Phil Woolpert and his relationships with Purdue's Keady and the late John Wooden at UCLA, Lavin said it would have been tough not to learn something.

"Naturally, when you're at UCLA at 32 years old, you're going to be scrutinized, criticized, analyzed and dissected like a frog in a biology class,'' Lavin said. "And you know that coming in. You don't work at UCLA thinking you're going to get adulation as a coach because there's only one John Wooden. It's a unique situation. That's the rules of engagement. You're grateful for it, and being there 12 years, I learned a great deal."

Great support team

When it was time to go back to the bench, Lavin's choice of St. John's, in its way, was ingenious. Think about it. New York is the biggest fishbowl there is, but it's also a place starving for success, a place where Lavin's media savvy and celebrity could be maximized.

Armed with the blueprint he developed while at ESPN, Lavin began by assembling a coaching staff that covers all the bases. Dunlap is a proven basketball tactician; Hines was in player development with Golden State and has California recruiting ties; Tony Chiles is a New Yorker with East Coast recruiting ties while at Drexel in Philadelphia, and former Rice High coach Moe Hicks is well-versed in all the ins and outs of the local high school and AAU scene.

But Lavin's first call was to Keady, who is 74 and had been retired four years since leaving his NBA post. "I was enjoying my retirement," Keady said, "but Steve is like a son. It's just one of those things where you like somebody's charisma, their knowledge of the game, the way they treat people and their honesty. We have fun together, so it's enjoyable to work with him."

At first blush, it might seem unusual for a younger coach with Lavin's profile to feel it important to bring in his coaching mentor as a kind of security blanket. But Keady said, "His ego is not like a lot of coaches. I think that's one of the reasons I respect him so much."

Lavin compared the relationship to those between Lakers coach Phil Jackson and Tex Winters and between former Heat coach Pat Riley and Dick Harter.

"He's a critical piece," Lavin said. "He's so inspiring to be around. You're never going to get too far away from the blocking and tackling, the basics that go into a winning brand of basketball if you've got Gene Keady in the house. He's like a basketball conscience."

Ready for his revival

St. John's players have been impressed with Lavin's staff. Burrell said the coaches have taken analysis of their games to a different level.

"Our coaching staff is particular about every single detail from the way we tie our shoes to the way we tuck in our jerseys," Burrell said. "They give you percentages of how often you do a certain move, and you wouldn't even know it."

Attention to detail extends to the seating arrangement on the bench, where Lavin plans to have assistants sitting between players so no teachable moment is missed. But Lavin will have Keady in his left ear and Hines in his right ear.

"Rico is my very first recruit, and coach Keady was my first boss," Lavin said. "So they bridge my entire time in basketball. When I sat down at that first scrimmage, there was a great comfort level, buckling up for this journey and putting your armor on to get ready for this second tour of duty at St. John's."