March 31, 2010

QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's introduced Steve Lavin as its 19th head men's basketball coach Wednesday at a news conference in Taffner Field House before a large congregation of media representatives, University officials, students, coaches and student-athletes from many of the Red Storm's 17 varsity athletic programs.

Lavin, St. John's University President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., Director of Athletics Chris Monasch, Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca and many members of the men's basketball team were in attendance.

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS CHRIS MONASCH
Opening Statement:
"I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to come and join us for what is certainly going to be a historic day in the history of the St. John's University basketball program. I see a number of our student-athletes here, members of our basketball team. I certainly want to thank them for coming today and thank them for all of the support through what has been a difficult week and a half. But I know Coach Lavin is excited about meeting all of you and starting a relationship.

"As always, I want to thank Coach Carnesecca, who is always here to lend support to our basketball program. He has always been and will always be a huge part of our basketball program here at St. John's. I'd like to thank Father Harrington and Jim Pellow for their support and confidence in allowing me to run this search over the past 10 days. When we made the decision to make a coaching change about a week and a half ago, we sat down and established the values that we wanted in a new coach and we're thrilled to have been able to attain this in a short, efficient and professional search that has lasted just about 10 days.

"In that period, we were fortunate enough to review many substantial and successful potential coaches and we believe at the end of the process we have found the best person that meets the goals that we have here at St. John's to be successful in the future -- a coach who comes with the highest level of success and track record, a clear record of integrity and professionalism, a persona that can compete in the BIG EAST Conference.

"I started to hear more and more about Steve and, obviously, I was familiar with his work, what he accomplished at UCLA and certainly the last seven years as a major figure with ESPN basketball. I started to do what I do with any potential candidate. I spoke with people that I respected in this industry that had no particular axe to grind about what someone was about. I started to hear the same story over and over: a hard worker, a man with a vision, a professional, a team player, someone who would fit in the University. His record speaks for itself: seven years at UCLA, six NCAA's, with a record of 145-78. In those six years in the NCAA's, one Elite Eight and four other Sweet 16s -- certainly a great record of success. And in the last seven years, I think he's only grown his ability, as an ESPN analyst, to go around the country, meet with different coaches, observe practices and continue to grow as a person.

"And really, the final part of the puzzle, which was the core function of the athletic director, was to get together to decide if this was the right marriage, so to speak. You just have to get together and have a heart-to-heart; to ask the right questions and confirm all of the positive things you've heard. Steve and I were able do that in a well-documented dinner a night and a half ago. We spent a great deal of time reaching that comfort level that Steve was the right person for St. John's. So, as the athletic director, as an alumnus of St. John's, I am proud to welcome our 19th coach. I am proud to welcome both Steve and Mary to the St. John's family."

HEAD COACH STEVE LAVIN
Opening Statement:
"For starters, I want to thank you for showing up today. I think the turnout we have is an indication of the passion, for the love that we have for basketball and St. John's University.

"Just being here a couple of days has been tremendous, spending time with Chris Monasch, Father Harrington, meeting the players here in the locker room in an informal way. And just the people that are on the team that help this University to move forward, in terms of Father Harrington's team and Chris Monasch's team in the offices, again in an informal, casual way. But you can sense or feel intuitively, when you get down the line a little way in life, when it's authentic and a genuine love for the University and for its athletic program.

"I am honored to be here today to become the head coach of St. John's University. And it is surreal to a certain degree because this is such a special place in the history of basketball."

On how important it is to have someone on his coaching staff with New York ties:
"In terms of staff, clearly I want to put in place talented, capable, hard-working and loyal assistant coaches. It's critical that they have a familiarity not only with New York, and have an understanding of the unique dynamic of recruiting in this city at all levels, but also the Northeast. So assistant coaches that are familiar with the BIG EAST, the ACC -- those recruiting territories are critical. Naturally, in terms of Southern California, the West Coast, the Midwest, I've had experience in the Midwest as an assistant at Purdue and also covering the Big 10 for ESPN for seven years. So that part of the country I'm very familiar with and the West Coast is where I grew up and spent 12 years at UCLA. But don't be mistaken, when you're at UCLA, you're recruiting coast-to-coast and you're recruiting internationally.

"I understand that we want to get top-stack, Northeast, New York people that understand this city. At the same time, I want to compliment the staff. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't be open to taking someone from a different part of the country or someone that has great ties internationally.

"But clearly, you need to protect your backyard, No. 1, and the Northeast, No. 2, and then the occasional Midwest [player], the occasional international [player] to compliment your base and your foundation, which is going to be here in the Northeast and New York City in particular.

"Chris and I have talked about bringing in one of my mentors, not in a formal capacity as an assistant, but more as an advisor... Gene Keady, my former boss at Purdue University, who has retired after a Hall-of-Fame run with the Boilermakers after 25 years."

On what he has added to his coaching style since his career at UCLA:
"I'd say it's processing. I think when you're 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 - with each decade you process in a different way. You look at the world through a different lens. And that comes with life experience, sometimes with hard knocks. I learned more in my only losing season as a coach than I did in my successful seasons as a coach.

"I think as you go down the line, you look and process things. You'd like to think you see things with more clarity, be more deliberate and prudent, exercise better judgment, and operate at a pace where you're going to make sound decisions."

On the St. John's University community:
"I really do feel instinctively that this is a natural fit. And with this reception, you can't help but feel that you do belong. And that says a lot about the people here, the community, the culture of this place; it's really special. New York City, Madison Square Garden, the BIG EAST, the tradition; how do you beat that? I was fortunate to be at one of those schools at UCLA and now to be at another, in one lifetime, is something that is humbling."

UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT, REV. DONALD J. HARRINGTON, C.M.
On what it means to have a head coach coming from a seven year career at ESPN:
"I think we now have a head coach who has very good experience and a very good track record as a head coach, but also has valuable experience in broadcasting. Coach Lavin is someone who knows the college basketball community very, very well. Steve has had a chance to observe countless successful coaches as they go about their responsibilities. As he said to me yesterday, `I've gotten a lot of good ideas that I didn't have before I became a broadcaster.'"

On hiring Steve Lavin to lead the basketball program moving forward:
"Chris Monasch has my total trust and Chris was very confident that Steve was the right person. We had come back to the point where we had stability and we had integrity. And we believed there was still much greater potential. The men's basketball program has long been a treasured asset of St. John's University. It helps tell the St. John's story. It is important to New York City as well as to St. John's University. We believe it is within our grasp to bring that back."