Rumble In The Garden: All Posts by Quinn Rochford

St. John's alumni honor Joe Lapchick, working to fund statue on campus

2013-05-10T13:43:11Z

It was only a matter of time until St. John's properly honored perhaps its greatest legend.

A group of university alumni are actively seeking to raise the funds to erect a statue honoring legendary basketball coach Joe Lapchick on the St. John's campus.

Various alumni, former St. John's and New York Knicks players, athletics representatives, media members, and general Red Storm supporters gathered at the city's luxurious 21 Club on Thursday evening to honor Lapchick and to raise money to move the project closer to its fruition.

The process has been in the works for years, and is now gaining steam.

Gus Alfieri's "Lapchick"

Ever since Gus Alfieri released his tirelessly researched biography, Lapchick, in 2006 and St. John's basketball celebrated its 100th year in 2008, attention has redirected toward the tremendous accomplishments Joe Lapchick accumulated in a life of basketball that ranged from 1923 until his death from a heart attack in 1970.

When you think of the history of St. John's basketball, you may be initially drawn to the years of Lou Carnesecca's reign - notably the 1985 run that found the Redmen in the Final Four. They have even renamed the venerable Alumni Hall as Carnesecca Arena within the last decade.

But the supposed "glory days" would never have been possible without the foundation set by Lapchick in the years preceding Carnesecca. In those days, four National Invitational Tournament (NIT) titles - a record - spoke for themselves.

Heck, those days were really the "glory days" of St. John's basketball.

"[Joe Lapchick] is one of the coaching greats. He was a guy who had a lot of foresight about the game," Hall of Famer and Knick legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier mentioned at the event on Thursday. "He was a pioneer."

The proposed statue is slated to sit on the St. John's Queens campus, likely in front of Carnesecca Arena, as a reminder of the legacy Lapchick has left behind and has carried on for almost fifty years after the last game he ever coached, an upset win over Villanova in the 1965 NIT championship.

"[Lapchick] was not only a coach, but he was a man - a gentleman and a father figure to everyone," stated Jack Kaiser, who played under Lapchick at St. John's before eventually serving as the school's athletic director and a founding father of the Big East Conference as AD. "He was not a college graduate, but he was noted for his ability to get the best out of everyone."

Lapchick is widely remembered for his success as a coach both at St. John's and with the Knicks, yet it may not have been his greatest impact on the game. He is credited for his heavy contribution to the breaking of the racial barrier in professional basketball, something that has undoubtedly shaped how the game has evolved until today.

The event included a dinner, a question and answer session and speeches given by the author of Lapchick, Gus Alfieri, and two of Lapchick's children - Barbara and Dr. Richard Lapchick.

"I learned all of my values about diversity and ethics from my father. He was obviously a great coach and player, but he was even better as a dad and person," Richard, a human rights activist and racial equality pioneer in his own right, reflected to a group of over a hundred supporters. "For him it was not about a basketball game, but about a vision for what America could someday become."

The alumni group heading the project estimate that the statue will cost anywhere between $100,000 and $120,000, of which only about $60,000 had been collected before Thursday.

Notable guests at the event included Steve Lavin, Gene Keady, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, John Starks, and Kiki Vandeweghe, along with Frazier, Kaiser and Dr. Lapchick.

Father Donald J. Harrington to step down as St. John's President

2013-05-03T18:30:33Z

Father Donald J. Harrington, C.M. has announced his intentions to step down as President of St. John's University, effective July 31st.

Harrington notified administration, faculty, and students on Friday afternoon with an email stating that he has notified the Board of Trustees that he will retire. As reported throughout this year by the Torch, St. John's student newspaper, Harrington has been under investigation for his connection with cases involving former dean Cecilia Chang and University Chief of Staff Rob Wile.

"I write to inform you that I have today advised the University's Board of Trustees of my intention to retire as President of St. John's," Harrington stated. "I do this with the firm conviction that the vision that I held for this institution has largely been fulfilled."

In his 24 years at the helm atop St. John's administration, after five years spent as President at Niagara University, Harrington did accomplish many things at the University. The conversion of the University from a commuter-exclusive to a resident school, expansion of facilities on the Queens and Staten Island campuses, enhancement of academic programs, and increase in global presence in Rome and Paris are just a few of Harrington's accolades since he took over in 1989.

Yet the perception of Harrington, who is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his ordination as Vincentian priest this month, has drastically changed since the financial fraud of Cecilia Chang was first reported over a year ago.

Harrington informed the student body on March 8th that the University had engaged a law firm for advisement on issues stemming from the Chang case. Chang committed suicide in her Jamaica Estates home in November.

A New York Magazine story was released in February exposing Harrington's reception of improper gifts and paid vacations over the past decade, at least one in which Wile accompanied him to Turks and Caicos.

Wile also submitted his official resignation from the University on Friday, sources confirmed.

"The difficulties for everyone during the past year have convinced me, after much prayer and reflection, that the time to leave the presidency has now come," Harrington said, admitting that his decision has been greatly influenced by the tribulations that have occurred in recent months.

A letter from Peter D'Angelo, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, was also sent out to the University on Friday afternoon, reflecting on Harrington's achievements and strengthening of the Vincentian mission at St. John's during his tenure.

As many university presidents are, Harrington was heavily involved in the hiring of Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin in March of 2010, along with that of Brian Mahoney, Fran Fraschilla, Mike Jarvis, and Norm Roberts in years prior.

Harrington also served as the leader of the 'Catholic 7' presidents as they eventually moved on their decision to leave the current-standing Big East Conference and create the new Big East.

There is no indication as to whether St. John's will seek its next President internally or externally. Father J. Maher, who spent 22 years in administrative positions at St. John's, was recently named President of Niagara University. DePaul University is also a Vincentian-missioned school.

Report: St. John's ditching Nike, to be sponsored by Under Armour

2013-05-03T16:23:27Z

As St. John's enters its next era in the new Big East Conference, it will be sporting a new gear sponsor.

As rumored throughout the season and confirmed earlier this week by SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria, St. John's will no longer be sponsored by Nike next season upon the contract's expiration. All St. John's athletics teams will sport Under Armour gear beginning in 2013-14.

Sources confirm St. John's will move to Under Armour from Nike when the current deal ends before next season. Have been Nike since mid-90s.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 1, 2013

St. John's is set to join a growing list of schools sponsored by Under Armour, which includes Auburn, Maryland, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Hawai'i, Utah, and many others.

The school has had its relationship with Nike since the mid-90's, soon after it changed its nickname from "Redmen" to the "Red Storm." The shift to Under Armour will likely bring a change in the current uniforms, which the Johnnies have worn since the middle of the 2009-10 season.

Johnnies' interest heating up for Lincoln's Isaiah Whitehead

2013-04-25T13:00:07Z

Steve Lavin got his 2013 target in Rysheed Jordan two weeks ago. Next on his recruiting radar is St. John's top 2014 target.

And that process is well underway.

Isaiah Whitehead, the highly talented 6'4" shooting guard from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, is very high on the Johnnies' recruiting radar and has been for quite some time. Yet, as his decision gets within a year, the interest is heightening.

Whitehead tweeted that Lavin, along with new Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino, visited him at Lincoln on Wednesday:

Just Got Visits From Steve Lavin From St.Johns & Minnesota's Coach Pitino & Young At My HS 👌🏀 #BLESSED
— Isaiah Whitehead (@Isaiah_W15) April 24, 2013

Lavin convinced Jordan to commit to St. John's after he and assistant coach Tony Chiles persistently visited him at games played for Vaux Roberts High School and on the Philadelphia AAU circuit. Now, they're continuing a similar process with Whitehead.

Whitehead, a New York kid, is also considering a group of schools which include St. John's, Syracuse, UCLA, Kentucky, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisville, and a few others. Some have indicated that he has favored the Orange, where he would team up with fellow New York City talent Chris McCullough.

Whitehead, who participated in the PSAL semifinals at Carnesecca Arena last March, has been on the Red Storm radar for some time now. St. John's has been pursuing him more aggressively recently, with Rico Hines watching Whitehead courtside multiple times at last week's Pitt Hoop Group Jam Fest.

He is currently ranked 46th in ESPN's overall 2014 recruiting rankings, while he is valued much higher by Rivals who ranks him 19th nationally.

Either way, the Red Storm would receive one of the city's best young talents if Whitehead were to choose St. John's sometime next year. Steve Lavin is making sure that he's right where he needs to be - at the top of the list.

St. John's is also involved with Bishop Loughlin's Khadeen Carrington, also a member of the 2014 class.

Sampson and Harrison honored by MBWA, each to return to St. John's

2013-04-16T13:55:57Z

JaKarr Sampson and D`Angelo Harrison were each honored on Monday, yet that wasn't the best news St. John's received.

Upon receiving awards bestowed on the New York area's best collegiate players by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA), Harrison and Sampson each assured the Red Storm family that they both fully intend on returning to the program for another season.

Sampson, who also received the Big East Rookie of the Year Award in March, was named the MBWA Rookie of the Year after averaging 14.9 points and 6.6 rebounds during his freshman campaign with the Johnnies. Though he was unable to attend the annual dinner in Westchester's Tarrytown, Sampson made clear that he will return for his sophomore year and not enter the NBA Draft.

"We'll have a deep team next year with Orlando Sanchez, Max Hooper and God`sgift Achiuwa being able to play so I think we're going to be good," Sampson said. "It was fun watching the NCAA Tournament and watching my best friend Mitch McGary from Michigan. It made me want to be there and hopefully we can do big things next year."

As the year progressed, discussions of whether Sampson would pursue the professional ranks were often held. But, unlike last year's Big East and MBWA Rookie of the Year Moe Harkless, Sampson's draft stock was not high enough to warrant an early departure from St. John's.

His teammate D`Angelo Harrison was also recognized by the MBWA on Monday night, despite missing the remainder of the season after March 1st due to a behavioral-induced suspension. Harrison was named to the All-Metropolitan First Team after finishing the year third in the Big East in scoring (17.8 points per game) and reaching the 1,000 point mark in February of his sophomore season.

Harrison attended Monday's dinner, and discussed his suspension, his intentions of returning to St. John's, and the road back to playing at an elite level.

"I was suspended for disciplinary reasons," Harrison expressed. "Obviously it is hard to be suspended from the team but I have been repairing those relationships with the coaching staff and I understand why they did it."

Harrison has been with his teammates and coaching staff ever since the conclusion of the Red Storm's season, using the experience to learn and working hard to get back. With the lethal scorer returning for the 2013-14 season along with welcoming Sanchez, Hooper, and heralded recruit Rysheed Jordan, the Johnnies could be looking at its most promising year in quite some time.

"Taking time away from the game was good because I could be a regular student and not have pressure on me all the time," Harrison continued. "[I'm working to] stay in shape, work with the coaches, do well academically and focus on taking the steps necessary to earn my way back on the team."

If Harrison does so successfully, Steve Lavin will welcome him back with open arms. With a duo of the best players the Metropolitan area has to offer, Lavin will undoubtedly have his best roster yet at St. John's as he enters his fourth season in Queens.

"We are pleased JaKarr and D'Angelo are being recognized by the Met writers for their performances this past season," Lavin mentioned. "D'Angelo has responded to his suspension in an admirable and mature manner. We are hopeful with a productive spring and summer performance he will be able to earn his way back on to our team."

Who knows? Perhaps a productive spring and summer from Harrison is the only thing sitting between St. John's today and a Michigan-like run twelve months from now.

Rysheed Jordan's AAU director talks guard's decision, game, and personality

2013-04-11T21:44:12Z

When Rysheed Jordan announced his commitment to St. John's on Thursday morning, it ended a long and strenuous process.

The Rumble spoke with Jordan's Philly Pride AAU director, Kamal Yard, who provided insight into the guard's decision process, overall game, and personality. In short, St. John's fans are not the only people excited about the commitment.

Jordan was relieved to make the decision after two years of heavy consideration, which recently narrowed his possible destinations down to St. John's, Temple, and UCLA. Ultimately, it was Steve Lavin and Tony Chiles' persistence and hard recruiting tactics, along with Jordan's relationships with the current Red Storm players, that differentiated the Johnnies from the competitors.

Yard explained how Temple was likely Jordan's top choice in the beginning of the process, with its campus located just miles from where the guard grew up in Philadelphia. He liked Owls head coach Fran Dunphy and knew the program wanted him, but decided he needed to move away from home to "grow up."

UCLA always seemed like Jordan's third choice, only having a chance to land the talented scorer based on program tradition and recognition. The Bruins' chances, according to Yard, dwindled drastically when the team fired Ben Howland and hired former New Mexico head coach Steve Alford. Jordan would have had to develop a whole new relationship with Alford, which was not feasible this late in the process.

"I want to thank Temple and UCLA for showing interest in me," Jordan said. "I am a Philly native and love my city, and can't wait to represent in the Big Apple."

As Jordan's AAU director, Yard knows Rysheed's game more than most. He immediately compared Jordan to Oklahoma City Thunder superstar (and former UCLA stand-out) Russell Westbrook. Yard believes Jordan could be an even better play-maker than Westbrook and could easily be the best guard St. John's has ever had.

When Jordan's commitment became a reality on Thursday, the Twitter questioning among St. John's fans on Twitter was if he is a premier shooter. Lavin's Johnnies shot a woeful 27.1 from three-point range in 2012-13, and ranked 258th in the nation in overall field goal percentage. To put it bluntly, the Red Storm desperately needs a shooter.

According to Yard, Jordan will contribute to the Storm's shooting improvement as a freshman in 2013-14. Though Jordan is not a natural shooter, he has improved immensely over the past few years. He shot 40% from long range this past season, which included a game in which he converted from deep eight times.

On top of being a potent scorer, Jordan remains diligent in his duties as a distributor. Yard expressed how Jordan will undoubtedly make an impact with the offensively challenged Johnnies, with his presence providing D`Angelo Harrison, Phil Greene IV, JaKarr Sampson, and his other new teammates with cleaner looks.

That is just the type of kid Rysheed Jordan is. "Rysheed's weaknesses today can be his strength in three months," Yard explained. "That's just who he is."

In Jordan, St. John's is receiving a "phenomenal" young man who brings an old school feel in morals, is a "stickler" for family values, and provides an "edgy" inner-city mentality. The pieces are in place for Jordan to succeed with the Red Storm.

"I am looking forward to taking the next steps as a basketball player and in continuing my education at St. John's University," Jordan added. "New York City has great energy and the Garden is a place everyone dreams of playing."

Sure, Rysheed may be a Philly kid. But he now wants to be a New Yorker.

First day of the rest of our lives: Louisville caps legendary league, now let's roll

2013-04-09T23:12:09Z

It was a great league. If no one ever touched it, we would have lived peacefully.

We would have been just fine growing old with the traditions of Eastern basketball, longtime rivalries, and stories of college basketball's Golden Age.

When Louisville's NCAA championship win over Michigan became reality on Monday, it finally hit me. Big East basketball as I know it - as we know it - ended. Abruptly, just like that.

It's been in the works for a long while now. We get it. The so-called 'Catholic 7' officially left the existing league four months ago, but the crumbling began well before that.

On Monday night in Atlanta, the Big East that you and perhaps your dad grew up with was taken off life support.

As the Georgia Dome switched the lights - long after the 75,000 fans left, long after Rick Pitino's Cardinals' celebration concluded - there too went the gasping, flickering bulb that John Marinatto and the league's presidents unscrewed and threw against a brick wall in the search for bigger paydays and supposed self-preservation.

You know what I should be doing? I ought to be using this space to talk about how great the game itself was. Louisville and its worthy competitor Wolverines gave college basketball fans exactly what they needed on the sport's final night before next November.

But I won't. I'll use it to convey my inevitable, and maybe a bit delayed, realization. And I'll look ahead to a future that will bear the same name and perhaps an even better 34 years.

I sat up thinking about all of those games - all of those unmatched moments. Villanova's 'perfect game.' Ray Allen's favorable roll. Gerry McNamara's running three to sink UConn. Kemba Walker's step back to sink Pittsburgh even deeper. And, selfishly, Dwight Hardy's prayer that highlighted St. John's rejuvenating season two years ago.

The list rolls on, and on....and on. I could have been reminiscing the great Duke/North Carolina thrillers. Or even George Mason's run to the Final Four (although we all did love that). Yet I wasn't, because those aren't the teams that shaped my basketball upbringing. They won't be the teams, the games, and the moments that I'll miss.

When the Johnnies and the other teams that once flew the Big East banner high in the rafters kick off the 2013-14 season, things will be different. I'm not saying things will be worse, and I'm not necessarily saying things will be better (I'm confident, are you?). "Different" is the only certainty.

Butler, Xavier, and Creighton are joining forces with Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's, Providence, Seton Hall, Marquette, and DePaul. No Syracuse and no UConn, No Rutgers or Notre Dame. No newer Big East teams, Louisville, Cincinnati, or South Florida.

For St. John's, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and the rest, the focus shifts back to the league's roots, the roots that grew from the seeds planted by legendary commissioner Dave Gavitt over three decades ago. Now, the programs in place remind many of the Big East of 1979. Hopefully it will be as awesome as it sounds.

That old adage "with every ending brings new beginning" couldn't apply more than it does now. When Louisville walked (or climbed) off the (elevated) court at the Georgia Dome, the Big East that won the men's title and will claim the women's title on Tuesday night passes the torch to what looks like the same league... but isn't.

As Mark Blaudschun mentioned earlier on Tuesday in his blog, it's time for the new Big East to pick a leader, determine a structure, write down bylaws and rules, and pick officials - all of the fine details that are the reasons conferences exist in the first place. The longer the Big East waits to become operational, the more difficult it will be to iron out kinks and get the schools familiar with the new nuances before the fall sports (soccer, cross-country) start their seasons.

Blaudschun and many others recommend that the league brings Gavitt's son, Dan, aboard to serve as commissioner of the new and old Big East. A Gavitt worked out quite well the first time around, right?

It's an interesting feeling, not having the old Big East to fall back on. But this new league will have the competition, it will have Madison Square Garden, and it will have a healthy combination of old and new blood.

"I'm aware, having grown up in a basketball family, what St. John's and Madison Square Garden mean in terms of northeast basketball," Steve Lavin said. "I know that this is special. I am grateful to have been in a part of these last couple years coaching in the Big East as we know it, before the change to the new Big East."

Pitino and his impressive Cardinals squad gave Big East traditionalists one last hurrah. It was only fitting that the league went out on top - the way it always was.

Yet for the first time, that Big East is in the past and the new one is in the present. The structure has fallen and it's finally time to break ground.

It's the first day of the rest of our lives. Let's roll.

Rysheed Jordan to announce decision April 11th, down to St. John's, UCLA, Temple

2013-04-05T14:08:09Z

St. John's could be just one piece away from making the necessary next step. In just a few days, the Red Storm will find out if Rysheed Jordan could be that potential answer.

Jordan, the highly-talented point guard out of Philadelphia, has pushed up the announcement date for his commitment to April 11th (next Thursday). He will choose between St. John's, UCLA, and Temple.

According to ESPN's national rankings, Jordan is considered the 22nd-best recruit in all of the 2013 class and 5th among incoming point guards.

St. John's has been in the running for the potential "program changer" for quite some time, and was considered to be a leader along with Temple just a few months ago. Steve Lavin and assistant Tony Chiles went to watch Jordan play on numerous occasions during this past season.

Temple's campus is located just east of where Jordan lives, becoming a home away from home for the guard during his high school years. The Owls experienced a close third round loss to top-seeded Indiana in this year's NCAA Tournament, and seem to be a serious destination for the home-grown Jordan.

UCLA is also still a possibility for Jordan, despite experiencing a regime shift last week by firing head coach Ben Howland and hiring Steve Alford. And of course, Lavin's recruiting acumen makes the Red Storm as much of a player as anyone.

With Jordan, as he does with any recruit, Lavin is utilizing his greatest recruiting resource. All he has to do is to get the Philly kid to look around.

"How bright it [gets] at night," Jordan mentioned, reflecting on his impression of New York City while visiting St. John's. "It's bright at, like, 4 o'clock in the morning. In Philly, everybody's asleep. In New York, that's when everybody first starts coming out."

If the sleepless and exciting nature of the city doesn't draw Jordan to the Johnnies, perhaps his potential fit with the program might. After an 8-10 showing in the Big East this season, the Red Storm is charged for advancement in 2013-14 as it plans to bring back D`Angelo Harrison and welcome Orlando Sanchez as well as sharp-shooter Max Hooper - all in the brand new Big East.

Rysheed Jordan is Steve Lavin's biggest target for next season. Will Lavin's ability to close the deal make the difference? Or will Jordan elect to stay home or go west?

Answer, in six days.