St. John's alumni: Mark Jackson fired from NBA's Golden State Warriors

Mark Jackson, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, was fired this afternoon despite reaching the playoffs in a competitive Western Conference.

The Brooklyn-born Jackson was a star for St. John's from 1983-1987 and enjoyed a long career on NBA courts, starting with the New York Knicks, before moving into the broadcast booth.

"Mark has accomplished many good things during his three years with the organization," said Warriors general manager General Manager Bob Myers in a press release, "including his role in helping elevate this team into a better position than it was when he arrived nearly 36 months ago. We’re appreciative of his dedication and commitment since his arrival and are extremely grateful for his contributions. However, as an organization, we simply feel it’s best to move in a different direction at this time."

A neophyte on the sidelines, Jackson had never been an assistant coach or a head coach on any level, but succeeded in winning 121 games (while losing 109) for the Warriors in his three-year coaching career.

The release adds that Jackson is the third head coach in franchise history to lead a team to at least 50 wins in a season, joining Don Nelson and Alvin Attles, who both posted 50-win seasons twice with Golden State.

The rumor mill has contended that the atmosphere around the Golden State Warriors is tense, though star guard Stephen Curry didn't want to see Jackson fired.

Good luck to Redmen great Mark Jackson on his next endeavor.