Chris Mullin is coming home. Thirty years after leading St. John’s to the Final Four, the legendary Brooklyn native will try to bring his alma mater back to prominence, agreeing Monday to become the Red Storm’s next men’s basketball coach, according to multiple sources. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday to formally announce Mullin as the 20th coach in school history. He is scheduled to fly to New York on Tuesday from Sacramento, a source said.
Mullin was St. John’s president Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw’s first choice to replace Steve Lavin, who parted ways with the school on Friday after two NCAA Tournament bids in five years, three 20-wins seasons and an 81-55 record. Mullin — who will be charged with getting St. John’s its first NCAA Tournament win since 1999 and more — had been whispered as a potential candidate since last year and was formally offered the position Sunday, despite having no previous coaching experience.
“It’s emotional for him in a good way. He’s so excited to be coming back home,” said former St. John’s player and Fox Sports analyst Tarik Turner, who is close to the Hall of Famer. “This is the only place he would’ve considered coaching. He really feels a responsibility to come back where his roots started. The biggest word to describe him is overjoyed.
“For him to put his legacy on the line tells you how much he wants to get the program back to an elite level.”
Terms of the contract have not yet been disclosed, but it is believed Mullin will make more than the $1.8 million per year Lavin was given.
Though Mullin didn’t immediately accept the job, sources said he was merely working out logistics — he has two children in high school in California and a contract with the Sacramento Kings as an adviser — and had little hesitation about moving back to the East coast for the first time since his college days.
The 51-year-old Mullin, from Brooklyn and Xaverian High School, is St. John’s all-time leading scorer with 2,440 points, a three-time Big East Player of the Year and led the school to its most recent Final Four, in 1985. He enjoyed a brilliant 16-year NBA career, playing in five All-Star games and on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, winning his second gold medal. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in February.
“He’s motivated to do well and when he’s motivated, he usually comes out on top,” said Jack Alesi, Mullin’s high school coach at Xaverian. “He has all the credentials to be a great coach.”
Mullin, a top advisor with the Kings since 2013, could have taken over as Sacramento’s head coach this season, following the firing of Mike Malone in December, but Mullin reportedly had reservations about beginning his coaching career in the middle of a season, without the ability to build his own staff or work with players in training camp.
Sacramento then signed coach George Karl to a four-year deal in February. This month, Mullin’s front-office role was reduced after Sacramento hired Vlade Divac as the team’s vice president, serving in a similar advisory capacity.
Upon his return to the Queens campus, Mullin will face immediate challenges, inheriting a team that lost the star-studded senior class of D’Angelo Harrison, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Phil Greene and Jamal Branch. Defensive anchor, junior Chris Obekpa — suspended for the NCAA Tournament after testing positive for marijuana — and sophomore Rysheed Jordan could both choose to go pro, though both are reportedly leaning toward returning.
Lavin’s top recruit, Louisiana four-star guard Brandon Sampson, has opened up his recruitment, but a source said Sampson is “intrigued” by the Mullin hire and wants to meet him. Another pledge, guard Sammy Barnes-Thompkins, remains committed to the school at the moment, another source said.
In February, Mullin noted the absence of local players on St. John’s roster, and hinted if he was in charge, it would be different.
“That formula has worked and I understand its changed a little bit, but I think there is a special connection,” he said. “Whether it be right or wrong New Yorkers like their own.”
Mullin’s staff could be the key to his success, considering his lack of experience and the immediate recruiting needs. Multiple assistants have already been linked to Mullin’s staff, such as Kentucky’s Barry “Slice” Rohrssen, a Brooklyn native, former Manhattan coach and close friend of Mullin; Iowa State’s Matt Abdelmassih, a St. John’s alum who has had a major hand in the Cyclones’ recent success and knows Mullin well; Arizona’s Emanuel “Book” Richardson from The Bronx; and Chicago Bulls assistant coach Ed Pinckney, who spent four years with Villanova on Jay Wright’s staff.
Abdelmassih, a rising star in the business, is the lead recruiter for consensus top-10 prospect Cheick Diallo, a previous Lavin target. Mullin could also look in the area to nab a top local recruiter, such as Manhattan assistant Rasheen Davis or Iona assistant Jared Grasso.
“Chris Mullin is the perfect person at the perfect time,” Turner said. “Coach Lavin did a great job of making St. John’s relevant again on the national stage and because of that, Chris is able to take on what he built and expand on it at a little higher level.”
Mullin was St. John’s president Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw’s first choice to replace Steve Lavin, who parted ways with the school on Friday after two NCAA Tournament bids in five years, three 20-wins seasons and an 81-55 record. Mullin — who will be charged with getting St. John’s its first NCAA Tournament win since 1999 and more — had been whispered as a potential candidate since last year and was formally offered the position Sunday, despite having no previous coaching experience.
“It’s emotional for him in a good way. He’s so excited to be coming back home,” said former St. John’s player and Fox Sports analyst Tarik Turner, who is close to the Hall of Famer. “This is the only place he would’ve considered coaching. He really feels a responsibility to come back where his roots started. The biggest word to describe him is overjoyed.
“For him to put his legacy on the line tells you how much he wants to get the program back to an elite level.”
Terms of the contract have not yet been disclosed, but it is believed Mullin will make more than the $1.8 million per year Lavin was given.
Though Mullin didn’t immediately accept the job, sources said he was merely working out logistics — he has two children in high school in California and a contract with the Sacramento Kings as an adviser — and had little hesitation about moving back to the East coast for the first time since his college days.
The 51-year-old Mullin, from Brooklyn and Xaverian High School, is St. John’s all-time leading scorer with 2,440 points, a three-time Big East Player of the Year and led the school to its most recent Final Four, in 1985. He enjoyed a brilliant 16-year NBA career, playing in five All-Star games and on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, winning his second gold medal. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in February.
Since retiring as a player in 2001, Mullin has worked exclusively in the NBA, as the Warriors general manager for five years and as an advisor with the Kings most recently.
Mullin guards Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing in 1985.Photo: AP
“He’s motivated to do well and when he’s motivated, he usually comes out on top,” said Jack Alesi, Mullin’s high school coach at Xaverian. “He has all the credentials to be a great coach.”
Mullin, a top advisor with the Kings since 2013, could have taken over as Sacramento’s head coach this season, following the firing of Mike Malone in December, but Mullin reportedly had reservations about beginning his coaching career in the middle of a season, without the ability to build his own staff or work with players in training camp.
Sacramento then signed coach George Karl to a four-year deal in February. This month, Mullin’s front-office role was reduced after Sacramento hired Vlade Divac as the team’s vice president, serving in a similar advisory capacity.
Upon his return to the Queens campus, Mullin will face immediate challenges, inheriting a team that lost the star-studded senior class of D’Angelo Harrison, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Phil Greene and Jamal Branch. Defensive anchor, junior Chris Obekpa — suspended for the NCAA Tournament after testing positive for marijuana — and sophomore Rysheed Jordan could both choose to go pro, though both are reportedly leaning toward returning.
Lavin’s top recruit, Louisiana four-star guard Brandon Sampson, has opened up his recruitment, but a source said Sampson is “intrigued” by the Mullin hire and wants to meet him. Another pledge, guard Sammy Barnes-Thompkins, remains committed to the school at the moment, another source said.
In February, Mullin noted the absence of local players on St. John’s roster, and hinted if he was in charge, it would be different.
“That formula has worked and I understand its changed a little bit, but I think there is a special connection,” he said. “Whether it be right or wrong New Yorkers like their own.”
Mullin’s staff could be the key to his success, considering his lack of experience and the immediate recruiting needs. Multiple assistants have already been linked to Mullin’s staff, such as Kentucky’s Barry “Slice” Rohrssen, a Brooklyn native, former Manhattan coach and close friend of Mullin; Iowa State’s Matt Abdelmassih, a St. John’s alum who has had a major hand in the Cyclones’ recent success and knows Mullin well; Arizona’s Emanuel “Book” Richardson from The Bronx; and Chicago Bulls assistant coach Ed Pinckney, who spent four years with Villanova on Jay Wright’s staff.
Abdelmassih, a rising star in the business, is the lead recruiter for consensus top-10 prospect Cheick Diallo, a previous Lavin target. Mullin could also look in the area to nab a top local recruiter, such as Manhattan assistant Rasheen Davis or Iona assistant Jared Grasso.
“Chris Mullin is the perfect person at the perfect time,” Turner said. “Coach Lavin did a great job of making St. John’s relevant again on the national stage and because of that, Chris is able to take on what he built and expand on it at a little higher level.”
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