St. John’s has mercifully put an end to its coaching search after weeks of constant twists and turns. With Chris Mullin no longer in the picture for the Red Storm, former Arkansas coach Mike Anderson will lead the program.
Anderson quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the job over the past few days. The program felt comfortable hiring him despite him not having an established connection to the New York area.
Before St. John’s decided to go with Anderson as its next head coach, the program expressed interest in Porter Moser of Loyola-Chicago and Tim Cluess of Iona.
It’s an interesting hire for the Red Storm, but Anderson does have an impressive resume. Not only does he have 369 career wins, but he has never coached a team to a losing record.
The most impressive season of Anderson’s coaching career came back in 2009 when he led Missouri to the Elite Eight. He also brought UAB and Arkansas to the NCAA Tournament multiple times during his tenure at each school.
Anderson expressed his excitement to coach St. John’s in a press release, saying “This basketball program is rooted with such great tradition and it has a history built by legendary coaches, so this is a humbling experience.”
After making the NCAA Tournament this past season under Mullin, the pressure is on for Anderson to deliver for the Red Storm.
We’ll see if the jump from the SEC to the Big East will make life a little easier for the seasoned coach.