Jan. 18, 2010

QUEENS, N.Y. - Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Bill Wennington, Mark Jackson, Lou Carnesecca - all names that stir up images of St. John's University and New York City's proud history on the college basketball hardwood. For generations of the St. John's faithful, fewer teams are more revered than the 1985 Redman squad that featured those names, and made a thrilling postseason run to the Final Four that captivated the hearts and imaginations of the entire city.

St. John's has been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Final Four team all season long, and on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010, fans of all ages will have the opportunity to pay tribute to the 1985 squad as the current STJ Red Storm takes on Louisville at Madison Square Garden.

Prior to the 7 p.m. game, St. John's Athletics will host a reception and ceremony in The Garden's Theater Lobby, featuring Mullin, Berry, Wennington, Carnesecca and many others representing the 1985 Final Four team. The event is open to the public and will give fans the opportunity to meet and reminisce with these St. John's legends. Reception tickets are $150 each (price does not include tickets to the game) and can be reserved by contacting Mary Pat Beirne of the Athletic Development Office at 718-990-1873 or via e-mail at beirnem@stjohns.edu.

During halftime of the game between the Red Storm and the Cardinals, the 1985 team will be introduced and honored before what is sure to be an impressive and excited crowd at "The World's Most Famous Arena."

Throughout the rest of the 2009-10 season, St. John's fans will be treated to special anniversary segments on the award-winning Red Storm Report TV show, the commemorative 25th Anniversary 2009-10 men's basketball media guide, web features, videoboard presentations, online videos on RedStormSports.com and a commemorative DVD at season's end.

In 1985, on their way to the second Final Four appearance in school history, the Redmen began the journey slowly in Salt Lake City, easing past Southern University, 83-59, before escaping Arkansas, 68-65. Against Southern, St. John's had three players who scored 20 or more points, led by Berry's 24 with 13 rebounds. Wennington contributed 23 while Mullin added 21 in the game. Mullin keyed the Redmen to the victory over Arkansas with 26. Joe Kleine had 23 for the Razorbacks.

The wins earned St. John's the right to advance to the West Regional in Denver, Colo., and a meeting with Kentucky. Mullin netted 30 and Willie Glass contributed down the stretch to lift the Redmen to an 86-70 win. That game marked the final contest for Kentucky Coach Joe B. Hall.

The Elite Eight matchup between Carnesecca's St. John's squad and Jim Valvano's NC State team was a back-and-forth affair that earned the tongue-in-cheek moniker "Spaghetti Western" from the sportswriters. Mullin scored 15 of his 25 in the second half, finding an answer for every Wolfpack run. NC State hung close until the Redmen managed a 10-point lead with 1:22 to play, and shortly after Carnesecca allowed it to sink in - St. John's was headed to the 1985 Final Four.

"With five seconds left in the game, I looked up at the clock and kept thinking, `We're going... we're going.' I am very much elated to think I'm finally going after 1,000 games," said Carnesecca at a postgame press conference. "When I'm going to my grave, this I'll remember."

Patrick Ewing and Georgetown stood between St. John's and the title game, which the Redmen had not reached since 1952. The rivalry was intense, as St. John's had defeated the Hoyas earlier that season in Landover, Md., to take the No. 1 national ranking. Georgetown won the next two meetings, once at Madison Square Garden that snapped the Redmen's 14-game conference win streak, and once in the BIG EAST Tournament title game.

The Hoyas would prevail, 77-59, ending the storybook season for St. John's but giving Redmen fans a campaign to remember always.

Individual tickets for St. John's basketball games at Madison Square Garden start as low as $15 and can now be ordered by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866-858-0008, visiting TheGarden.com or stopping by the MSG Box Office. For information on ticket discounts for groups of 20 or more, please call STJ Group Sales at 718-990-2142.

For season tickets, Mini-Plans and tickets for individual games at Carnesecca Arena, please call 1-888-GO-STORM (1-888-467-8676), visit RedStormSports.com or stop by the Carnesecca Arena Ticket Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays or on game days.