Is it possible that Steve Lavin is actually a good coach? The former UCLA 'golden boy,' whose uneven tenure ended in 2003 after just one losing season in seven (but no NCAA titles for the Westwood faithful ) seemed a prime candidate for the 'He who can't coach can analyze' lifetime achievement award. At least until he signed on with a mediocre, senior laden St. John's team and made them the darlings of the basketball world. Fran Fraschilla, himself a former golden boy of the St. Johns basketball program, can breathe a sigh of relief knowing his position as 'the coach who couldn't' is safe for the time being.
After Saturday's win at #19 Villanova, Lavin's bunch have stormed the upper echelon of the Big East conference, reside at #15 in the country and control their own Big East Tournament destiny. St. John's season, full of last second miracles and home-court hosannas, is a study in pluck and more than a little luck.
Entering the season the Johnnies were expected to be a middle of the pack team at best. In fact the arrival of their new coach amid much media coverage overshadowed whether the brand of basketball they played would actually be any good. In their previous campaign they had been 17-16 and 13th in the Big East and their best player, Dwight Hardy, hardly seemed like a possible Big East player of the year.
Fast forward to February 10 when the Red Storm beat then #9 Uconn, saving an exciting but disappointing season from the mediocrity this program has seemed to accept ever since Lou Carnesecca left. They then reeled off five more consecutive wins, including Hardy's last-second heroics against #4 Pitt and Saturday's shockingly easy win at 'Nova, to vault into the polls.
Sandwiched in between those two gems were a 'revenge' win at Cincinnati and an easy win against terrible DePaul in a potential 'trap' game, proving this team means business. The program is ranked for the first time in over ten years and seems intent on keeping it that way. Wins this week over hapless Seton Hall and USF would guarantee a double-bye in the Big East Tournament. Look for that to happen. Easily.
Make no mistake about it- this team is primed for the Big Time on the Big Stage, which also, at least for the conference tourney, happens to be their home court. The Big East this year is a tough, tough league. Nine of its teams have spent time in the Top 25 this season and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that, in an expanded tournament and down year for some of the other power conferences, the league will send nine or even ten teams to the Big Dance.
In an amazing display of 'power parity' there are six Big East teams ranked between #11 and #19. St. John's has as good a chance as any of them and better than most to come out of the conference tourney on top, flying high and riding a double digit win streak. They have beaten everybody they've played in the Big East except #12 Syracuse and #11 Louisville, including #8 Notre Dame and the aforementioned Panthers. They have beaten West Virginia, Cincinnati and Marquette, three teams hovering on the cusp of that tournament bubble. And lest anyone forget, in late January they handily beat a Duke team that was ranked #1 at one point this season.
From a group that lost consecutive games to St. Bonnie's and Fordham, of all schools, and had a losing record in the Big East as late as January 30, St. John's has become the giant-killing, fire-breathing Monster of Manhattan. There's a perfect storm rising and it's about to wash over Madison Square Garden.
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